Chronic burn wounds remain a significant clinical challenge due to prolonged inflammation, delayed tissue regeneration, and limited effectiveness of current topical therapies. In this study, electrospun hyaluronic acid/poly(vinyl alcohol) (HA/PVA) nanofiber scaffolds loaded with Defactinib, a focal adhesion kinase inhibitor, were developed to promote burn wound healing through localized drug delivery. Optimized electrospinning conditions produced uniform, bead-free nanofibers with stable amorphous drug dispersion, as confirmed by SEM, TEM, XRD, and DSC analyses. The Defactinib-loaded nanofibers exhibited (DFT-NF) high drug entrapment efficiency, good hydrophilicity, and a biphasic release profile characterized by an initial burst followed by sustained release over 24 h. In a rat burn wound model, treatment with Defactinib-loaded nanofibers significantly accelerated wound closure compared with untreated and standard-treated groups. Non-invasive photoacoustic imaging enabled real-time monitoring of wound healing, revealing increased vascularity and improved tissue oxygen saturation in treated wounds by Day 21, indicative of enhanced vascular recovery. Histological evaluation further confirmed improved re-epithelialization, reduced inflammatory infiltration, and well-organized collagen deposition. Consistent with these findings, RT-PCR analysis showed marked suppression of key pro-inflammatory mediators (NF-κB, IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6) in the DFT-NF group, highlighting its potent anti-inflammatory activity. Overall, this study demonstrates that Defactinib-loaded HA/PVA nanofiber scaffolds, combined with imaging-based functional assessment, represent a promising and clinically relevant platform for advanced burn wound management.

This paper examines income convergence in Europe by jointly analyzing European Union member states and Western Balkan economies over the period 2004–2023. While classical growth theory predicts that poorer economies should grow faster than richer ones, empirical evidence for Europe remains mixed, particularly when institutional and structural heterogeneity is taken into account. Using panel data techniques, the study tests for absolute and conditional β-convergence and complements this analysis with an assessment of σ-convergence. The results provide strong evidence of absolute income convergence across the sample, indicating that economies with lower initial income levels tend to grow faster. Conditional convergence is also confirmed, although the direct effect of institutional quality weakens once structural factors such as foreign direct investment and human capital are included, suggesting that institutions operate primarily through indirect channels. An interaction analysis shows no systematic evidence that institutional quality alters the speed of convergence. Finally, σ-convergence analysis reveals pronounced regional heterogeneity, with strong convergence among new EU member states, stable but low dispersion within the Western Balkans, and more modest convergence patterns in the EU core. Overall, the findings highlight that European convergence remains uneven and highly conditional on institutional and structural characteristics.

Hemicellulose structure, dispersibility, and emulsification stability of holocellulose nanofibers from spent coffee grounds.

Quaternion Fractional Moment (QFM) descriptors are widely used in geometric pattern recognition due to their ability to encode multi-channel image information and exhibit invariance properties. However, their robustness under real-world acquisition variability, particularly photometric noise, remains insufficiently understood. Based on the Lipschitz stability theorem, which defines a strong, linear form of stability for dynamical systems, applied to one of our previous works, this article improves upon it by introducing a robustness-driven analysis framework that models feature extraction as a stochastic process, where bounded spatio-temporal perturbations generate multiple descriptor realizations for each pattern. Descriptor robustness is directly quantified in feature space using a novel normalized dispersion stability metric. Furthermore, a Lipschitz stability theorem is formally established and proved, providing theoretical guarantees of descriptor robustness under bounded perturbations. Experiments conducted on Moroccan–Andalusian geometric patterns with p4m and p6m symmetry groups demonstrate that the proposed framework achieves high intrinsic stability (σnorm = 0.042 ± 0.010), while preserving state-of-the-art classification performance (Macro-F1 = 0.589 vs. 0.570 under σ = 0.05 noise). These results confirm that robustness is an intrinsic and measurable property of the descriptor, independent of classifier performance. The proposed framework provides both theoretical and methodological support for reliable geometric pattern recognition in cultural heritage imaging under real-world conditions.

Abstract Conductive inks play a vital role in the advancement of printed electronics, where high conductivity, flexibility, low cost, and substrate compatibility are essential. Conventional metal nanoparticle-based inks, however, remain constrained by high production costs and limited flexibility. In the present study, graphite recovered from waste dry-cell batteries was electrochemically exfoliated in ammonium persulfate (NH4)2S2O8 electrolyte to obtain graphene oxide (GO) through a sustainable, low-cost route. The exfoliated GO was subsequently subjected to thermal reduction to produce reduced graphene oxide (rGO), which served as the active conductive material for ink formulation. For preparing the graphene ink, rGO was dispersed in an 80:20 ethanol–deionized (DI) water mixture (100 mL) containing 2% (w/v) polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), which acted as both solvent medium and stabilizer to ensure long-term dispersion stability. Structural and morphological analyses (XRD, Raman spectroscopy and SEM) confirmed the formation of few-layer rGO with moderate disorder. The formulated rGO-based graphene ink exhibited suitable rheological and surface properties for screen printing, and printed films on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates displayed uniform, well-adhered patterns with an electrical conductivity of 2.186 × 103 S/m. Overall, this work presents an environmentally sustainable and cost-effective approach to graphene ink preparation from waste resources, offering a promising platform for flexible and printed electronic applications.

Construction of stearamide-grafted cellulose nanocrystals as high-efficiency green lubricating additive for rapeseed oil.

Heat stability of high-protein calcium-fortified milk protein concentrate dispersions: Impact of different calcium salts.

Ultrafast solvent removal delivers high-loading of amorphous small-molecule drugs in polymeric microspheres with predictable in vivo performance.

Ethanol-induced stable dispersion and compatibility of MXene in WEP leading to highly ordered layered materials for high electromagnetic interference shielding performance

Polymer-engineered liposome-delivered Ebselen against tumor through GSH/H2O2-responsive disruption of redox homeostasis and direct p53 activation.

The retention mechanism of the adherent iron corrosion pipe scale on polystyrene nanoplastics in drinking water distribution systems.

Synergistic coordination-driven surface reconciliation enables liquid metals interconnects with strain-insensitivity and enhanced adhesion.

Green-synthesized chitosan/AuNPs@calcium alginate microspheres for efficient and reusable catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol.

Madecassoside-functionalized platinum-based liposomes for sensitive skin: Enhancing rapid soothing and barrier homeostasis.

Mechanistic insights into the facilitating transport of americium(III) by kaolinite colloid: An experimental and modeling study.

Abstract Graphene has attracted increasing attention due to its unique properties and widespread applications in various sectors, including its use as a nanofiller in polymer matrices. However, its poor dispersion within the matrix compromises the desired nanocomposite properties, making chemical functionalization a viable strategy to enhance its applicability. This study evaluates the dispersion of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) functionalized with different organosilanes in an epoxy matrix. Initially, graphene oxide (GO) was synthesized and functionalized with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS), 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS), and triethoxymethylsilane (MTES), followed by thermal reduction to obtain the corresponding functionalized rGO. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), dispersion stability in solvent, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to confirm functionalization and assess its efficiency. The results demonstrated successful covalent functionalization with all silanes, ensuring the permanence of their molecules on the rGO basal plane. Subsequently, nanocomposites were prepared with 0.5 wt.% of each functionalized rGO to evaluate their dispersion within the polymer matrix. SEM analysis of fracture surfaces revealed that nanocomposites containing functionalized rGO exhibited improved distribution, dispersion, and interfacial bonding compared to those with non-functionalized rGO. Among the tested organosilanes, rGO functionalized with APTES presented the most satisfactory results. Graphical abstract

Amphiphilic copolymers based on polystyrene and polyglycidol combine the chemical inertness of polystyrene with the biocompatibility of polyglycidol, making them attractive materials for polymeric micelles. While comb-like architectures have been explored to control micellization behavior and biological response, a direct comparison between comb-like and coil-comb topologies in polystyrene-polyglycidol copolymers at identical polyglycidol content remains insufficiently investigated. In this work, amphiphilic comb-like and coil-comb polystyrene-polyglycidol copolymers were synthesized via copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne click chemistry by grafting a monoalkyne-terminated polyglycidol precursor onto azide-functionalized random and block styrene copolymers. The copolymers were characterized by size exclusion chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance. Polymeric micelles were prepared by nanoprecipitation, and their self-assembly in aqueous solution was investigated by critical micelle concentration determination, dynamic and electrophoretic light scattering, and atomic force microscopy. Both copolymers formed stable aqueous dispersions and exhibited comparable critical micelle concentrations. At identical polyglycidol content, the random copolymer formed a uniform, monomodal micellar population, whereas the block-based coil-comb architecture led to bimodal size distributions, indicating the coexistence of two distinct micellar populations. The investigated systems showed low cytotoxicity and did not induce significant oxidative stress within the studied concentration range. On isolated rat brain sub-cellular fractions (synaptosomes, mitochondria and microsomes), administered alone, the comb-like and coil-comb polystyrene-polyglycidol copolymers did not reveal statistically significant neurotoxic effects. The results demonstrate that macromolecular architecture plays a key role in governing micellar organization and in vitro biological response in polystyrene-polyglycidol copolymers, highlighting their potential as architecture-controlled polymer-based nanocarriers.

A novel hybrid nanocomposite has been synthesized via a polyol-based proceed, consisting of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) coated silver nanowires (Ag NWs) decorating Reduced Graphene Oxide (RGO) sheets, functionalized with histidine (His). While conventional methods involve mixing pre-synthesized Ag NWs with graphene derivatives, an approach that typically results in a weak electron coupling between the components, this study presents an in situ synthesis strategy designed to promote a stronger interfacial interaction and, hence, electronic connectivity within the nanocomposite. In this nanocomposite, the Ag NWs are coordinated by His molecules, which are non covalently anchored to the RGO basal plane through aromatic π-π stacking interactions. His has been purposefully selected due to its multifunctional role: it facilitates the liquid-phase exfoliation of RGO in water, enables stable dispersion in ethylene glycol, which is an environmentally friendly solvent serving as the reducing agent in the polyol reaction, and acts as a molecular linker between the Ag NWs and the RGO surface. The influence of various experimental parameters on the morphology and size distribution of the Ag NWs across the His-RGO scaffold has been thoroughly explored through spectroscopy and microscopy techniques, enabling a deeper understanding of the nanocomposite's formation mechanism. The findings have revealed that the Ag NWs grow in situ on the His-RGO sheets, originating from pre-synthesized AgCl nanocubes that anchor selectively at the coordinating sites of His. Notably, well dispersed His-RGO flakes decorated with morphologically controlled Ag NWs have been successfully obtained in ethanol suspension. These nanostructures can hold significant promise as functional materials for diverse applications, including electrochemical and Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) sensors, temperature sensors, antimicrobial coatings, and thermal management technologies.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) represent promising nanoplatforms for drug delivery due to their high surface area, tunable surface chemistry, and unique physicochemical properties. This study investigated the effect of chemical functionalization on the dispersion, drug loading, release behavior, aerosolization, and preliminary in vitro cytotoxicity of CNT-based drug delivery systems, with a view toward potential intranasal applications. Pristine CNTs and CNTs functionalized with hydroxyl (–OH) and carboxyl (–COOH) groups were loaded with methylene blue as a model therapeutic compound. The nanosystems were characterized using Raman spectroscopy, UV–Vis analysis, aerosol deposition measurements, electrical mapping by conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM), and MTT cytotoxicity assays. Functionalization significantly enhanced CNT dispersion stability and drug release control, with COOH–CNTs exhibiting the most sustained release profile and improved cytocompatibility, maintaining cell viability above XX% at concentrations up to YY µg/mL. Aerosolization tests demonstrated stable droplet formation compatible with nasal delivery devices. Overall, this work provides a proof-of-concept physicochemical and technological assessment of functionalized CNTs as potential carriers for intranasal drug delivery, laying the groundwork for future in vivo validation.

A key challenge of water-based lubricants lies in their limited boundary lubrication performance, which can result in direct asperity contact and increased wear. Incorporating nanoadditives is one potential strategy to improve their tribological properties and extend the lifespan of components. This study focuses on the dispersion stability, density, viscosity, and tribological properties characterization of water-based lubricants containing various additives, including ionic liquids, MgO, MXene, t-GO, Al2O3, SiC, and TiO2. Despite the incorporation of these additives, the coefficient of friction remained relatively high, exceeding 0.3 for all lubricant samples. However, the addition of TiO2 additives significantly improved resistance to friction and wear by 11.34% and 51.84%, respectively, compared to a water–propylene glycol lubricant without nanoparticles. The primary mechanism behind this improvement is attributed to the ability of TiO2 nanoparticles to facilitate tribofilm formation and create a separation between contact surfaces through a rolling action. Among all the formulated water-based lubricants, TiO2 proved to be the most effective in reducing both friction and wear. This study highlights the potential of combining additives with propylene glycol to improve lubrication performance by shifting from boundary to mixed lubrication regimes.