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Electrosynthesized Metal/Polymer Hybrid: Unlocking Selective Formate Production via CO2Electroreduction
Carbon dioxide reduction via electrochemical means offers a sustainable pathway to mitigate CO2emissions and synthesize value-added chemicals. Here, we report the synthesis and performance of a metal/polymer-carbon paper (CuxOy/PoPD/CFP) electrode prepared via a simple two-step in situ electrodeposition method for the electrochemical CO2reduction reaction (CO2ER). Unlike most reported catalysts that yield multiple liquid products and complicate downstream separation processes, CuxOy/PoPD/CFP selectively produces formate as the sole liquid product across all of the test potentials. The amine-rich and porous PoPD matrix synergistically enhanced CO2capture, provided a conductive scaffold for efficient electron transfer, and facilitated intimate interfacial contact with copper oxides, enabling improved catalytic performance. The catalyst demonstrated an onset potential of ??0.27 V (vs RHE) and achieved a faradaic efficiency of 72.6% for formate with a current density of 6.70 mA/cm2at ?0.80 V (vs RHE). Studies showcased an electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) of 16.625 cm2and a roughness factor of 8.31. The long-duration electrolysis experiment demonstrated stable performance for an extended period, maintaining continuous electrolysis for up to 9.5 h without significant fluctuations or degradation in activity. 2025 American Chemical Society -
A study on resonant vibro-acoustography for tissue heating: a pathway towards breast cancer detection
Purpose: Develop a new active thermography method for breast cancer detection. Methods: The computational tissue was excited at its resonant frequency using the vibro-acoustography technique. A nonlinear acoustic wave equation was solved using the finite element method to analyze the propagation of the acoustic wave within the computational phantom. The computational approach included separate calculations for the temperature in the focal region, considering both acoustic absorption and vibration effects. The study was validated through experimental tests using an agar phantom. Results: Depending on the tissues attenuation coefficient, the applied ultrasonic signal generates localized heating in the target area. Malignant breast tissue typically exhibits a higher attenuation coefficient than healthy tissue. Consequently, ultrasonic signals lead to an elevated temperature in such tissue. When a focused ultrasound is applied to heterogeneous tissue for 90 seconds using a dual transducer, the temperature can increase by. In contrast, using the same input power level in healthy tissue causes a temperature increase of only. Enhanced temperature levels achieved through this acoustic method can improve thermal contrast in deeper tumors when thermography is employed. With the application of this acoustic force, it becomes possible to detect a tumor of 3 mm at a depth of 10 mm, whereas, in the absence of this source, such a tumor of this size can only be detected when it is located at a depth of 4 mm. Approximately 22% of the simulated temperature rise from vibrational effects can be attributed to ultrasound forces in resonant modes. The experimental results further validated the simulation results. Conclusion: The suggested resonant vibro-acoustography technique represents an effective approach to increasing thermal contrast between malignant and normal tissue. Significance: This approach can serve as an active thermography method for detecting breast cancer. Since the resonant frequency varies across different stages of the disease and the acoustic attenuation coefficient is higher in affected tissues than in normal ones, this technique can improve thermal contrast through vibration and acoustic absorption. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The Brazilian Society of Biomedical Engineering 2026. -
Golden orator to tongue cancer survivor: A case study tracing identity transformation through religious coping
The "survivorship" identity corresponds to a collective identity for individuals that have experienced cancer. While medical labels, culture and personal beliefs influence this label, this case report illuminates the journey of integrating the preillness identity to a postrecovery identity through the long-Term survivorship experience of T.J.J, a nonagenarian cancer survivor and Indian priest belonging to the Syrian Marthomite Christian denomination, focusing on how religious coping mechanisms facilitated identity reintegration. Diagnosed with tongue cancer at age 64 years, T.J.J.Transitioned from a renowned orator to a religious writer, reshaping his identity through eudemonic principles of purpose, self-Actualization, and growth. The influence of religious meaning-making, prayer, and communal support is highlighted, which helped cognitively reframe his experience of loss into a transformative experience that fostered psychological security. Implications for public health policies emphasize incorporating religious coping strategies in culturally relevant survivorship programs for better psychosocial outcomes. 2025 Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. All rights reserved. -
Loving lifes impermanence: How existential gratitude sparks transformation in cancer survivors; [????????? ??? ???????????? ??? ????: ??? ? ????????? ??????????? ???? ?? ?????????????? ???????? ?? ??????????? ????????]
Cancer survivorship is often accompanied by existential distress as individuals confront mortality and search for meaning in their experiences. This study examines existential gratitude, which is a heightened appreciation of life shaped by suffering and impermanence, as a mediator between spirituality and post-traumatic growth (PTG) among Indian cancer survivors. Grounded in Terror Management Theory (TMT), this research explores how spirituality, rather than directly fostering PTG, requires existential gratitude as a transformative mechanism. A sample of 118 Indian cancer survivors, at least six months post-active treatment, participated in the study. Spearmans rho correlations revealed significant positive associations between existential gratitude, spirituality, and PTG. Mediation analysis demonstrated that existential gratitude fully mediated the relationship between spirituality and PTG (? = .16, p = .003), with spirituality showing no direct effect on PTG (? = .08, p = .414) when existential gratitude was introduced. These findings challenge traditional views of spirituality as an inherent driver of growth, highlighting instead that PTG arises when existential gratitude transforms mortality awareness into an appreciation of lifes fragility. 2025, Layah Liz Jacob, Anuradha Sathiyaseela. -
Social-cognitive Skills Training on Interpersonal Understanding of Social Norms During Adolescence
Background: Social-cognitive skills training (SCST) in a therapeutic setup can result in more positive outcomes when incorporated with psychotherapy, especially among adolescents with minor social-cognitive impairments in their social interactions. It may result in multifarious benefits to mitigate their social-cognitive dysfunction. This study aimed to identify the effects of SCST on interpersonal understanding of social norms in adolescents with low social cognition. Methods: In this quasi-experimental research, 80 adolescents (1019 years) with low social cognition, no previous experience of skills training, and absence of any psychological disorders, especially those that affect their social-cognitive functioning, with assent from the participants and written informed consent from the parents/guardian and a score below 58 on the Need For Social-Cognition Scale, were included. They were randomly allocated into SCST or waitlist control group. SCST consists of 20 sessions with indoor activities, games, and discussions, and it has been arranged for 1 hour per 3 days a week for 3 months. Edinburgh social cognition test (ESCoT) was used to assess the degree of interpersonal understanding of social norms among adolescents as part of pre and posttests. Results: The Wilcoxon Sign Ranked Test showed that the interpersonal understanding of social norms after SCST is significantly higher than the interpersonal understanding of social norms SCST with a large effect size. The mean (standard deviation) scores in the ESCoT test improved significantly (P < 0 .001) following [W = 0.001, P < .001, r = 1.000]. Conclusion: SCST effectively improves the interpersonal understanding of social norms, an essential developmental milestone during adolescence. It highlights the importance of focusing on mental health as a developmental asset that can influence social-cognitive development in the future. 2024 The Author(s). This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage). -
Fusion Techniques for medical imaging and clinical data towards precision diagnostics and personalized care
The combination of clinical data with medical imaging has created a revolution in modern healthcare, which provides a clear insight into patient's health sometimes in an earlier stage itself. Magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography scans, ultrasounds, and X-rays are a few of the medical imaging techniques that offer high-resolution representations of the body's structure and physiological processes. Clinical data, such as physical examinations, test findings, and medical histories, help to contextualize these photographs, which enhances treatment planning and broadens diagnostic discoveries. Fusion approaches combine data from multiple sources to create a unified dataset, making diagnoses more accurate and treatments more personalized. This chapter emphasizes the importance of the fusion of heterogeneous medical data along with various fusion techniques, including deep learning and attention mechanisms, to align medical images with clinical data for meaningful insights. By using fusion techniques, healthcare professionals can make real-time decisions, identify diseases with better accuracy, and derive insights that can lead to actionable treatment or management strategies. Advanced fusion methods enable healthcare providers to obtain a holistic view of a patient's health, allowing advancements in precision medicine and customized treatment plans. 2026 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. -
Synergistic interfacial passivation of dye-sensitized solar cell photoanodes using Myristica fragrans pulp-derived carbon dots and Ag nanoparticles
Interfacial charge recombination at the photoanode remains a critical factor in limiting the performance of Dye-sensitized solar cells. The photoanodes play a crucial role in efficient electron injection and transport with minimised recombination reactions, directly influencing the efficiency of the cell. This work investigates the use of carbon dots (CDs) derived from Myristica fragrans fruit pulp via a one-step hydrothermal process as a component in photoanodes. The TiO2 photoanode is modified by in situ deposition of silver nanoparticles (ANP) and CDs directly onto the metal-oxide semiconductor matrix via photoreduction. The passivated cell exhibited ?28 % increase in efficiency over the pristine cell, attaining 6.39 0.20 %, with a current density of 14.74 0.28mAcm?2, and an open-circuit voltage of 0.76 0.02 V. Herein, the passivation of TiO2 has altered the optical bandgap of the photoanode from 3.23 eV to 1.75 eV, thereby enhancing light absorption towards the visible and near-IR region. Furthermore, the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect of ANP and the charge-transfer mediator properties of CDs synergistically enhance charge mobility, thereby improving photoanode performance by reducing recombination. With a charge-transfer resistance of 6.87 ? and an electron lifetime of 47.19 s, the work explored here serves as an appropriate passivation layer, providing a clean interface between the layers. 2026 Elsevier B.V. -
Exploring the Optical Properties of Functional Carbon Dots Derived from Jackfruit Seeds and their Potential Applications
Carbon dots are nanomaterials that exhibit exceptional optical properties due to their fluorescence, photoluminescence tunability, broad absorption, and photostability. This study reports the synthesis of carbon dots (CDs) from agricultural remains, Jackfruit seeds (Artocarpus heterophyllus), through a facile synthesis technique of a one-step microwave-assisted solvothermal method. The synthesized CDs offer good optical properties, by absorbing UV radiation and giving a broad excitation wavelength-dependent emission (300 to 700nm). This evidences the synthesized material to act as a down-converter in various applications, like solar cells and LEDs. The tunability of the bandgap of these nanocarbons is also explored by employing solvatochromism in solvents of varying polarity, including DI water, DMF, and NMP, enhancing their optical properties. Further, they can also be used for UV protection applications like window panes, sunglasses, and sunscreen creams, owing to the 97.44% UV absorption for the CDs dispersed in NMP. Similarly, the down-conversion ability of this material is utilized to convert UV-LEDs to W-LEDs with CRI point, Ra = 77, and CCT = 6785 K, which resembles cool bright daylight. Thus, the synthesized CDs from jackfruit seeds exhibit exemplary optical properties, opening wide avenues into UV protection, lighting technologies, and other such potential applications. 2025 Wiley-VCH GmbH. -
Analysing Gendered Microaggressions in Bengalurus IT Sector: A Sentiment-Based Inquiry
Gender microaggressions experienced by women in Bengalurus IT sector forms the subject of this paper employing sentiment analysis tools such as VADER and BERT to process survey responses, interview transcripts, and publicly available reviews of employees from the platform Glassdoor. A mixed-methods design is chosen so that computational sentimental analysis can be integrated along with qualitative insights such that patterns of emotional response and disparities across hierarchical levels can be identified. The results obtained highlight that sentiments vary significantly across organisational roles and underscores the significant psychological impact these microaggressions have on job satisfaction and career growth. The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2026. -
Gender microaggressions among women in STEM: Addressing workplace challenges through an interdisciplinary lens
Microaggressions are everyday verbal, behavioural, or environmental slights that signal hostility towards marginalised groups. Such microaggressions, when extended towards women in a workplace, can have a lasting impact on the health and well-being of the women employees. Professional growth and development could be hampered, deterring women from climbing the ladders of professional success. This systematic review intends to consolidate literature existing in the field of gender microaggressions published post-2003 to explore the specific forms of microaggressions faced by women in STEM fields; the intersectionality of age, race, and ranking with gender microaggressions; and the effects of gender microaggressions in terms of job satisfaction, work-life balance, and well-being of the targets. An extensive review of 30 research papers was conducted. This review emphasises the need for interventions to combat systemic prejudices and cultivate inclusive organisational environments. 2026, IGI Global Scientific Publishing. All rights reserved. -
The Heart of Education: Being Called to Teach
A calling to teach inspires educators to nurture and challenge students, creating a reciprocal relationship where both students and teachers grow, learn, and contribute to a vibrant, compassionate community of lifelong learners. 2025 Childhood Education International. -
Breaking the Taboo: Addressing Menstrual Health Challenges in India
Although, menstrual hygiene is a topic as ancient as mankind, it has recently garnered attention because society is more willing to face its difficulties. Adolescents seldom talk about issues related to menstruation, menstruation disorders, menstrual cleanliness, and customs of their culture. There is little data on the hardships that teenage females bear from menstruation and their social norms. Adolescent health education must include information about menstruation. Menstrual behaviors are often greatly influenced by culture, awareness, and social condition. However, periods, behaviors, and problems are seldom included in health education programs for the younger girls in impoverished nations. International health organizations such as WHO and UNICEF have advised developing culturally responsive menstrual health management (MHM) as well as water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programs for the adolescent girls. Without an awareness of the preconceived notions and prejudices that teenage girls in poor nations currently have about menstruation, these programs cannot be implemented. The goal of this review from India was to record the myths that are currently in circulation concerning menstruation, menarche, and other understudied menstrual constraints. Our goal in conducting this review was to characterize and assess the effectiveness of menstruation education programs designed to provide early teenage girls the information and abilities they need to support menstrual health. RJPT All right reserved. -
Measuring Critical Thinking Skills with the R-BiLSTM-C Model using a Logical Approach
Critical thinking is essential for making informed judgements; it necessitates careful evaluation of pertinent evidence and the application of reasoning. While some individuals possess a more constrained perspective on critical thinking, this elucidation encompasses the predominant views held by the majority. Note-taking, formulating enquiries, and designing experiments exemplify practical actions that may be applied to other creative pursuits, rendering it a valuable skill across diverse domains. This work employed a systematic approach for data preparation, model training, and feature extraction. The primary phase in training unified R-BiLSTM-C models was identified as feature extraction. Standardisation and normalisation, two crucial preprocessing techniques, were employed to ensure uniform and dependable data handling. Furthermore, as the quantity of dependent observations escalated, the study evaluated the efficacy of Reduced Kernel PCA. The proposed solution achieved a 96.82% accuracy rate, surpassing advanced techniques such as CNN and BiLSTM. The findings indicate that the systematic approach enhances the model's performance. A systematic approach is essential for enhancing precision, and analytical reasoning skills are crucial for developing effective machine learning models. The study reinforces the significance of critical thinking in effective decision-making and problem resolution. 2025 IEEE. -
Quorum quenching for biocontrol of plant diseases
Bacterial pathogens have become a significant threat to world agriculture, causing tremendous crop losses and economic instability. The traditional mode of disease control by chemical pesticides is quickly becoming obsolete with resistant strains and environmental issues. Quorum quenching (QQ) is thus a promising alternative that is sustainable enough to target the bacterial communication system known as quorum sensing (QS). QS enables bacteria to coordinate their virulence factors, biofilm formation, and host colonization according to population density. Attenuating bacterial virulence is achieved through QQ by enzymatic degradation, signal molecule mimicry, or inactivation of autoinducers but without directly killing the pathogens, thereby not allowing resistance. This chapter describes the mechanism of QQ and several applications of this principle in controlling plant diseases through biocontrol agents. Enzymatic hydrolysis catalyzed by lactonases, acylases, and oxidoreductases inactivate autoinducers that include acyl-homoserine lactones and autoinducer-2 (AI-2). Mimicry of QS signal molecules is through synthetic or natural analogs that competitively inhibit QS receptors; sequestration occurs when autoinducers are captured to avert their involvement in QS. QQ is quite efficient in the lab and the field, both as microbial biocontrol agents against the pathogens Pectobacterium carotovorum and Xanthomonas campestris, as well as in transgenic plants expressing QQ enzymes. QQ still faces challenges in developing resistance, delivering QQ enzymes, and integrating with integrated pest management strategies. Future research could be concentrated on optimizing QQ strategies, designing new enzymes with better stability and specificity, and assessing the environmental impact of QQ-based biocontrol. Breakthroughs in synthetic biology and protein engineering would give way to new opportunities in the form of more potent biocontrol agents. The method of disease control in an environment-friendly manner and ensuring food security across the globe will be targeted by overcoming the challenges and through novel research with QQ-based biocontrol. 2026 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. -
Financial Literacy and Fintech Exposure As Determinants of Investment Decisions: The Mediating Role of Investment Interests A Study of Individual Investors in Hyderabad, India
The evolution of the financial sector, particularly the rise of financial technologies (Fintech), has reshaped how individual investors make investment decisions. This study investigates the influence of financial literacy and fintech exposure on individual investment decisions in the underexplored emerging markets like Hyderabad, emphasising the mediating role of investment interest. Drawing on behavioural finance theory and empirical studies, the research explores how informed financial understanding and engagement with digital financial platforms shape investment behaviour. The data is collected using a structured survey method from 311 individual investors in Hyderabad, India. For the study, Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was employed to test relationships among the constructs. Unlike prior studies that have often examined financial literacy or fintech exposure in isolation, this paper uniquely integrates these two determinants with the mediating mechanism of investment interest, providing a comprehensive model of investment decision-making in the Indian context. The study contributes to the understanding of investment psychology within the Indian context and offers insights for policy-makers and financial institutions aiming to foster inclusive and informed investment ecosystems. It can be concluded that financial literacy positively influences investment decisions by providing investors with the necessary knowledge and skills to evaluate options critically and confidently. Dr. Syed Jaffer et al. -
Harnessing mobile multimedia for entrepreneurial innovation and sustainable business growth
This research investigates the role of mobile multimedia platforms and artificial intelligence (AI) in driving innovation and ensuring the sustainability of entrepreneurial businesses, focusing particularly on technology acquisition, integration, and infrastructure. For data collection, the study employed a quantitative research design and surveyed 150 Indian technology firms that had adopted mobile multimedia applications. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data, supported by descriptive statistics, correlation, regression analysis, and mixed methods to understand the adoption and use of digital technologies for innovation activities. The results show that AI-driven applications, when combined with multimedia content and real-time analytics, significantly enhance entrepreneurial innovation by improving operational efficiency, increasing customer engagement, and facilitating expansion into new international markets. Companies utilizing mobile multimedia platforms gain a competitive advantage, translating into long-term business growth and sustainability. This research contributes to the literature on AI and entrepreneurship in the context of digital transformation, highlighting the need for startups to invest in AI-enabled mobile technologies. It equally serves policymakers by informing the regulation of an environment that promotes innovation and business sustainability through digital initiatives. This research addresses a significant gap in the literature by providing evidence on how AI acts as a driver of change and provides insight into the adoption of new technologies in the context of entrepreneurship, an area that remains largely underexplored. 2025, Society of Sytematic Innovation. All rights reserved. -
Study of classical Be stars in open clusters older than 100 Myr
We performed the slitless spectroscopic survey to identify classical Be (CBe) stars in open clusters older than 100 Myr. Observing a sample of 71 open clusters, we identified 13 CBe stars in 11 open clusters, one of, which (TYC 2679-432-1) is a new detection. The 13 CBe stars show both H? in emission and IR excess, which confirm that they possess gaseous circumstellar discs. Two more CBe stars are found to exhibit H? in absorption for the first time, indicating that might be passing through disc-less episode presently. The spectral-type estimation is done for all these 15 stars and it is noticed that they belong to B0.5B8 type. Moreover, we found that the distribution of our sample is peaking near late B-types as expected. 2021, Indian Academy of Sciences. -
Indexing exoplanets with physical conditions potentially suitable for rock-dependent extremophiles
The search for different life forms elsewhere in the universe is a fascinating area of research in astrophysics and astrobiology. Currently, according to the NASA Exoplanet Archive database, 3876 exoplanets have been discovered. The Earth Similarity Index (ESI) is defined as the geometric mean of radius, density, escape velocity, and surface temperature and ranges from 0 (dissimilar to Earth) to 1 (similar to Earth). The ESI was created to index exoplanets on the basis of their similarity to Earth. In this paper, we examined rocky exoplanets whose physical conditions are potentially suitable for the survival of rock-dependent extremophiles, such as the cyanobacteria Chroococcidiopsis and the lichen Acarospora. The Rock Similarity Index (RSI) is first introduced and then applied to 1659 rocky exoplanets. The RSI represents a measure for Earth-like planets on which physical conditions are potentially suitable for rocky extremophiles that can survive in Earth-like extreme habitats (i.e., hot deserts and cold, frozen lands). 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. -
Strength and ductility behaviour of FRC beams strengthened with externally bonded GFRP laminates
The repair and rehabilitation of structural members are perhaps one of the most crucial problems in civil engineering applications. One of the advanced techniques of strengthening the reinforced concrete members is done by fiber-reinforced polymer composites. FRP is very effective to repair and strengthen the structural members that have become structurally weak over their life span. FRP repair system provides an economically viable alternative to traditional repair systems and materials. This experimental study focuses on the flexural strengthening of fiber reinforced concrete beams externally bonded with FRP laminates of different thicknesses. Six beams were cast for the study and tested under a four-point bending system. Out of which two beams were served as a control beam, one beam was considered as a reinforced concrete beam and the other was fiber reinforced concrete beam. The fibers used in this investigation were steel fiber. The beams were strengthened with GFRP of 3 mm and 5 mm of woven roving type. The study parameters of this investigation included yield load, ultimate load, deflection, yield load deflection, ultimate load deflection, deflection ductility, energy ductility, and the beam was found to be very effective in the load-carrying capacity, deflection, and ductility when compared to the control specimen. The fiber-reinforced concrete beam exhibit an increase in ultimate deflection by 79.3% when compared to the control specimen. GFRP strengthened beams showed an increase in ultimate deflection by 18.75% to 94.06%. GFRP strengthened fiber reinforced concrete beams showed an increase in ultimate deflection by 7.8 to 13.125%. GFRP strengthened beams showed an increase in ultimate deflection by 54.7% to 81.88%. GFRP strengthened fiber reinforced concrete beams showed an increase in ultimate load-carrying capacity by 36.9% to 48.7%. The ductility for the specimens increases by 1.27% to 1.34%, compared to the controlled specimen. 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. -
Analyzing Uzbekistan's Export Trends: A Data-Driven Study on Annual Export Volume by Country
Uzbekistan's export sector plays a crucial role in economic development, contributing to GDP growth and international trade partnerships. This study analyzes annual export volume by country using the SDMX dataset, highlighting key trends, regional trading partners, and sectoral contributions. The research employs time-series analysis, trade flow modeling, and export diversification measures to provide insights into Uzbekistan's evolving trade structure. The results indicate shifting export dynamics influenced by geopolitical factors, regional economic policies, and trade agreements. Policy recommendations focus on enhancing market diversification, improving export efficiency, and fostering trade competitiveness. 2025 IEEE.