Feasible Mechanism Research Articles

Fast Radio Bursts and Interstellar Objects

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are transient radio events with millisecond-scale durations and debated origins. Collisions between planetesimals and neutron stars (NSs) have been proposed as a mechanism to produce FRBs; the planetesimal strength, size, and density determine the time duration and energy of the resulting event. One source of planetesimals is the population of interstellar objects (ISOs), free-floating objects expected to be extremely abundant in galaxies across the Universe as products of planetary formation. We explore using the ISO population as a reservoir of planetesimals for FRB production, finding that the expected ISO–NS collision rate is comparable with the observed FRB event rate. Using a model linking the properties of planetesimals and the FRBs they produce, we further show that observed FRB durations are consistent with the sizes of known ISOs, and the FRB energy distribution is consistent with the observed size distributions of solar system planetesimal populations. Finally, we argue that the rate of ISO–NS collisions must increase with cosmic time, matching the observed evolution of the FRB rate. Thus, ISO–NS collisions are a feasible mechanism for producing FRBs.

DFT Studies on the Mechanism of Ligand-Regulated Palladium-Catalyzed Iodide-Assisted Hydrocarbonylation of Olefins with Formic Acid: Favored Reaction Routes and Selectivities.

DFT calculations have been performed to gain insight into the mechanism of hydrocarbonylation of olefins and the origin of regio- and chemoselectivity. It is shown that the most feasible mechanism involves five steps: (i) decomposition of acetic formic anhydride, (ii) hydropalladation of olefins, (iii) CO migratory insertion, (iv) iodide-assisted acetate-formate exchange, and (v) formylation or carboxylation. Importantly, carboxylation proceeds via the decomposition of anhydride, followed by reductive elimination instead of direct hydrolysis of anhydride. For phosphine-ligated palladium catalysis, on one hand, the lower stability of the transition state leading to 1,2-hydropalladation could be attributed to H···H steric hindrance. On the other hand, the high chemoselectivity for the aldehyde is ascribed to increased π back-donation effect and ligand-substrate noncovalent interactions, which stabilize the transition state and hence reduce the energy barrier. For ferrocenyl phosphine-ligated palladium catalysis, significant C-H···π interaction between the substrate and proximal phenyl moiety of the phenylphosphine and π-π interaction between formate and phenyl moiety can facilitate the carboxylation process. This in-depth mechanistic insight can account for reactivity and selectivity at an atomistic level and have implications for designing new generations of palladium catalysts.

Enhancing the Public-Private-Community Partnerships in the Banana Value Chain in Mutasa District, Zimbabwe

The paradigm shift from the New Public Administration to the New Public Governance underlines the significance of multi-stakeholder collaborations in attending to complex societal challenges. In this vein, Public-Private-Community Partnerships are a feasible mechanism for enhancing the banana value chain in Mutasa District of Zimbabwe. Bananas are extensively eaten fruits in the world with smallholder farmers playing a vital role in production, particularly in developing nations like Zimbabwe. Yet smallholder farmers’ economic returns in the banana value chain are a cause of concern. Thus, this study focuses on enhancing Public-Private-Community Partnerships in the smallholder banana value chain. A concurrent mixed methods research design allowed for both objectivity and detailed analysis. The target population comprised public, private, and community stakeholders in the banana value chain. The multiplicity of stakeholders motivated a mixture of quota, purposive, and snowball sampling techniques to ensure representation. Questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions were the data collection methods. There was descriptive analysis of quantitative data, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically, and related findings were grouped together. Public-Private-Community Partnerships are attractive because they reduce information asymmetry, enhance transparency, ensure fairness in pricing, facilitate risk sharing, increase productivity, and enhance value addition. Public-Private-Community Partnerships are not “magic bullets”, necessitating attention to their potential deficits, which include power imbalances, conflicts of interest among partners, and challenges associated with ensuring active participation by diverse stakeholder groups. Pathways for strengthening Public-Private-Community Partnerships include consensus building, clear definition of partners’ roles, fair sharing of risks and benefits, monitoring and evaluation, selection of competent actors, and farmer capacity building. Effective Public-Private-Community Partnerships facilitate active participation among the public, private, and community actors along the entire value chain.

Web-Based Intervention (SunnysideFlex) to Promote Resilience to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms During Pregnancy: Development and Pilot Study.

Approximately 4% to 8% of pregnant individuals meet the criteria for current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a known risk factor for a multitude of adverse maternal and child health outcomes. However, PTSD is rarely detected or treated in obstetric settings. Moreover, available prenatal PTSD treatments require in-person services that are often inaccessible due to barriers to care. Thus, web-based interventions offer great potential in extending PTSD treatment to high-risk pregnant individuals by providing affordable, accessible care. However, there are currently no web-based interventions designed specifically for the treatment of PTSD symptoms during pregnancy. This study aims to develop and pilot a 6-week, web-based, cognitive behavioral therapy intervention for PTSD, SunnysideFlex, in a sample of 10 pregnant women with current probable PTSD. Consistent with established guidelines for developing and testing novel interventions, the focus of this pilot study was to evaluate the initial feasibility and acceptability of the SunnysideFlex intervention and preintervention to postintervention changes in PTSD and depression symptoms. This approach will allow for early refinement and optimization of the SunnysideFlex intervention to increase the odds of success in a larger-scale clinical trial. The SunnysideFlex intervention adapted an existing web-based platform for postpartum depression, Sunnyside for Moms, to include revised, trauma-focused content. A total of 10 pregnant women in weeks 16 to 28 of their pregnancy who reported lifetime interpersonal trauma exposure (ie, sexual or physical assault) and with current probable PTSD (scores ≥33 per the PTSD checklist for DSM-5) were enrolled in the SunnysideFlex intervention. Assessments took place at baseline and 6 weeks (postintervention). All participants were retained through the postintervention assessment period. Engagement was high; participants on average accessed 90% of their lessons, logged on to the platform at least weekly, and reported a generally positive user experience. Moreover, 80% (8/10) of participants demonstrated clinically meaningful reductions in PTSD symptoms from baseline to postintervention, and 50% (5/10) of participants no longer screened positive for probable PTSD at postintervention. Most (6/10, 60%) of the participants maintained subclinical depression symptoms from baseline to postintervention. Findings from this small pilot study indicate that SunnysideFlex may be a feasible and acceptable mechanism for delivering PTSD intervention to high-risk, trauma-exposed pregnant women who might otherwise not have opportunities for services. Larger-scale trials of the intervention are necessary to better understand the impact of SunnysideFlex on PTSD symptoms during pregnancy and the postpartum period.

Greening through ESG: Do ESG ratings improve corporate environmental performance in China?

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) ratings matter for corporate green development as they can shape companies' sustainable efforts. However, the influence of third-party ESG ratings as an emerging informal environmental regulation on corporate environmental performance (CEP) remains understudied in China. To identify this causality, we exploit the exogenous variation of SynTao Green Finance's ESG ratings and conduct a difference-in-differences (DID) estimation. Utilizing panel data of Chinese A-share listed companies from 2008 to 2023, we find that ESG ratings can induce improvements in CEP, along with increased positive environmental scores and decreased negative environmental scores. We document three feasible mechanisms for this CEP impact: alleviated financial constraints, heightened media attention, and enhanced green innovation. We further investigate the heterogeneous effects and find that ESG ratings significantly improve CEP for companies with high executive shareholding and more female directors, companies in low-competitive industries, and those located in cities with high levels of economic development. Our findings contribute to existing studies on the determinants of CEP and offer novel evidence of the efficacy of ESG ratings as an informal institution in promoting corporate green development.

LncRNA MSTRG.13,871/miR155-5p/Grip1 network involved in the post-cardiac arrest brain injury

Post-cardiac arrest brain (PCABI) is a severe medical condition characterized by a significant risk of neurological impairment and death. Nevertheless, the specific process and essential molecules responsible for its development are not fully understood. Profiling based on competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNA) has been implicated in the onset and progression of neurological disorders, yet its role in PCABI remains unclear. In this study, we performed RNA transcriptome sequencing analysis to identify differentially expressed genes in the rat model for cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CA/CPR). A hub ceRNA regulatory network was constructed using miRWalk 2.0 and Cytohubba plug-in in Cytoscape. Subsequently, real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and dual-luciferase activity assays validated MSTRG.13,871, miR-155-5p, and Grip1 as differentially expressed in CA/CPR group, with MSTRG.13,871 capable of targeting both miR-155-5p and Grip1. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses revealed the ceRNA network enrichment in immunoregulation mechanisms such as mitochondrion, apoptotic process, and negative regulation cell death. Our research highlights the mechanism of PCABI by revealing a critical regulatory axis involving MSTRG.13,871-miR-155-5p-Grip1 in the hippocampus CA1 region after CA/CPR in rats, proposing a feasible controlled mechanism, which may serve as a theoretical basis for designing innovative therapies.

Bimetallic MnZn-MOF-74 with enhanced percentage of MnIII: Efficiently catalytic activity for direct oxidative carboxylation of olefins to cyclic carbonates under mild and solvent-free condition

Multi-functional MOF catalyst with oxidative- and acid- centers showed potential in olefins oxidative carboxylation to cyclic carbonates directly. In this work, a series of bimetallic MnZn-MOF-74 with different molar ratios of Mn and Zn were synthesized successfully through a one-pot facile method. Thoroughly characterization indicated that the existence of Zn regulated the valance state distribution of Mn in the obtained MnZn-MOF-74. Mn99.3Zn0.7-MOF-74 with the highest ratio of MnIII (61.3 %) performed the most efficient activity for olefin direct tandem oxidative carboxylation reaction using aqueous tert-butyl hydroperoxide oxidant under solvent-free condition of 90 °C, 1.0 MPa CO2 and 4 h. Mn99.3Zn0.7-MOF-74 also showed satisfactory versatility and recyclability. Based on the experiments, a feasible mechanism was presented. Thanks to the high ratio of active MnIII as main oxidative center, the coordination unsaturated bimetal Mn and Zn as Lewis-acid sites, O2– of metal − O as Lewis-base sites and combined effect with Bu4NBr cocatalyst, Mn99.3Zn0.7-MOF-74 presented efficient performance for the direct synthesis of cyclic carbonates from olefins. The metal Zn in MOF can regulate the valance state distribution of Mn and result in efficient catalytic property, presenting a potential avenue for direct oxidative carboxylation reaction of olefins to cyclic carbonates synthesis.

Finite-Time Stability Analysis and Stabilization of Switched Affine Systems via an Event-Triggered Strategy.

This article investigates the finite-time control problem of the switched affine systems via an event-triggered strategy. It is well known that the existence of affine terms brings great difficulties in analysis of the finite-time property of such systems. Furthermore, the design of the globally feasible event-triggered mechanism (ETM) under a finite-time control framework is challenging. Thus, a two-step hybrid control scheme is proposed in this article. The first step focuses on the event-triggered finite-time control for practical stability, while the second step aims to achieve finite-time stabilization. Particularly, in step one, by constructing the intersection between the affine term's threshold and feasible state region of the established ETM, it is verified that the Zeno behavior can be excluded. Thereafter, an affine state-dependent switching law and sufficient conditions are provided for achieving practical stability. Meanwhile, an estimation for the practical settling time to enter the bounded set is provided. In step two, the criteria for finite-time stabilization of the considered systems are further presented, and an overall settling-time upper bound is derived. Finally, a numerical example is illustrated to demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed method.

Post-rehabilitation programme to support upper limb recovery in community-dwelling stroke survivors: a mixed methods cluster-feasibility controlled trial

BackgroundLess than 50% of stroke survivors regain their pre-stroke level of upper limb function, compounded with a lack of long-term rehabilitation options available. The Graded Repetitive Arm Supplementary Programme (GRASP)...

Rapid synthesis of novel S-scheme CaBi6O10/Bi2WO6 heterojunction film for efficient p-chlorophenol photocatalytic degradation

Efficient photocatalysts played a crucial role for degrading phenol pollutants in wastewater and vital for environmental remediation. In this study, a series of novel CaBi6O10/Bi2WO6 (CBO/BWO) step-scheme (S-scheme) heterojunction films were synthesized on the glass substrates through a facile and rapid spraying-calcination method. The CBO/BWO film demonstrated superior visible-light-driven catalytic activity for p-chlorophenol (4-CP) degradation within the fixed-bed photoreactor setup, compared with those of the single-component samples. Typically, the optimal 40CBO/BWO catalyst achieved 4-CP degradation efficiency of approximately 89.5 % after only 60 min under light exposure, attributed to the enhanced visible-light-absorption property and effective charge separation within the S-scheme heterojunction while maintaining high redox abilities among photoinduced carriers. Furthermore, the CBO/BWO catalyst displayed robust resistance to various metal cationic additives. Multiple key intermediates, such as phenol, dihydroxybenzene, benzoquinone and maleic acid, were identified in catalyzing process of 4-CP decomposition via oxidation processes involving hydroxyl radicals and superoxide radical as the primary active species. The above feasible photodegradation mechanism was elucidated and proven. Hence, this work offers valuable insights into developing efficient heterostructure photocatalysts for practical application of environmental remediation.

Construction of bicarbonate-porous poly(ionic liquid)s for cycloaddition of CO2 and epoxides under mild conditions

The utilization of carbon dioxide (CO2) as a C1 building block to synthesize cyclic carbonates represents an environmentally and sustainably viable approach. Nevertheless, the preparation of metal- and halogen-free porous materials remains a promising avenue for the cycloaddition reaction. In this context, we have designed a bicarbonate-porous poly(ionic liquid)s (PEI/PS-HCO3) catalyst with a mesoporous structure for the construction of multiple active sites through quaterisation and ion exchange. The as-prepared PEI/PS-HCO3 catalyst exhibited excellent catalytic activity for the synthesis of cyclic carbonates, with yields of up to 93% under metal-, solvent- and halogen-free conditions. Furthermore, the catalyst exhibited excellent reusability by washing with anhydrous ethanol. The feasible reaction mechanism was proposed. The interaction of dual hydrogen bond donors (amine groups and [HCO3]− anion) with epichlorohydrin (ECH) via hydrogen bonding results in the polarisation of the epoxide C-O bond. Amine groups, also acting as Lewis base sites, captured CO₂ to produce carbamates ([NH-COO]−). The nucleophilic [HCO3]− attacked the less sterically hindered β-carbon atom of epichlorohydrin (ECH). This protocol provides a novel strategy for the preparation of halogen-free catalysts.

Alleviation of Antarctic krill oil on dextran sulfate sodium exposure induced chronic ulcerative colitis and depressive-like behavior

Substantial evidence indicate that Antarctic krill oil (KO) is an effective method for alleviating acute ulcerative colitis (UC). Nevertheless, UC is a chronic disease, and the chronic colitis model is more conducive to simulating its pathological characteristics. The objective of this study was to establish a chronic UC model in C57BL/6 mice and identify the regulatory consequences and feasible mechanisms of KO on chronic UC and its associated depressive-like behaviors. The results showed that KO alleviated the pathological features of UC and depression-like behavior. Further mechanisms suggested that KO significantly suppressed gut-brain inflammation, increased the concentration of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and the expression of postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD95) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), protected the integrity of the gut barrier and blood–brain barrier. Moreover, KO maintained the equilibrium of the intestinal flora. The findings suggested that KO may be a promising approach for alleviating UC and its concomitant psychiatric disorders.

Unveiling the synergistic potential of g-C3N4-MWCNT/In2O3 nanocomposite for enhanced organic pollutant degradation and cancer cell inhibition under visible light irradiation

The surge in industrial activities and a substantial increase in antibiotic usage, has led to the further deterioration of global water pollution problems. Focusing on this current scenario, we synthesize the g-C3N4-MWCNT/In2O3 (GMI) ternary composite to utilize for the photocatalytic degradation of levofloxacin (LF) antibiotic and crystal violet (CV) dye under visible light. The photocatalytic degradation of CV (15 mgL⁻1) and LF (40 mgL⁻1) was 99.7 % and 87.4 % respectively, in just 15 and 100 min of irradiation with GMI-0.2 nanocomposite. The removal rates of CV and LF with GMI-0.2 nanocomposite were 14.61 and 4.85 times more rapid than those observed with In2O3. Similarly, compared to g-C3N4, the removal rates for CV and LF were 7.34 and 3.98 times higher when using GMI-0.2 nanocomposite. The trapping experiments and ESR measurements indicated that O2•⁻ was the predominant active species responsible for the photocatalytic degradation processes. In order to explain the degradation processes, a feasible photocatalytic mechanism for GMI ternary composite was proposed. The mechanism was based on the calculations of the band gaps and edge potentials of the synthesised materials as well as the findings of the quenching experiments. The GMI-0.2 nanocomposite was also used to treat human lung cancer cells, and it was discovered that cell viability with 100 µg/mL of the photocatalyst was lowest in both dark (36 %) and in visible light (20 %).

Palladium-Catalyzed Ligand-Enabled Cyclization of Substituted Aliphatic Carboxylic Acids with Allylic Electrophiles.

A palladium-catalyzed cyclization of the β-C(sp3)-H bond of aliphatic carboxylic acids with allylic electrophiles providing five-membered γ-lactones in good to excellent yields is demonstrated. An acetyl-protected aminoethyl phenyl thioether ligand is used to promote the C-H activation reaction. A diverse range of allylic electrophiles such as allyl alcohols, allyl acetates, allyl sulfones, allyl phosphonate, allyl amine, and allyl ester have been utilized for this reaction. A feasible reaction mechanism has been proposed to account for the present cyclization reaction.

Influence of Ca3(PO4)2 on the Surface Morphology and Properties of a CaO-Al2O3-SiO2-Fe2O3-Based High Temperature Phase Reconstructed Complex.

In this study, a glaze slurry was prepared with different contents of tricalcium phosphate. It was then applied to a fly ash microcrystalline ceramic billet and sintered at 1180 °C for 30 min to prepare the complex. The aim was to obtain a high value-added application of fly ash in order to reduce environmental pollution. The study systematically investigated the influence of the Ca3(PO4)2 content on the crystal phase evolution, physical-mechanical properties, and micro-morphology of the complex. The results showed that products sintered at 1180 °C with 8 wt% Ca3(PO4)2 demonstrated better performance, with a water absorption of 0.03% and a Vickers microhardness of 6.5 GPa. Additionally, the study observed a strong correlation between the Ca3(PO4)2 content and the opacity effect. A feasible opacity mechanism was also proposed to explain the variation of glaze colors and patterns with different contents of Ca3(PO4)2.

Multilevel Determinants of Long COVID and Potential for Telehealth Intervention.

Post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) syndrome, or long COVID, has a variety of symptoms, but little is known about the condition. This study evaluated the association between individual factors, social determinants of health, and the likelihood of long COVID by assessing internet usage as an indicator of viable access to telehealth. Data from the 2022 National Health Interview Survey identified adults who (1) reported a previous COVID-19-positive test and/or diagnosis and (2) experienced long COVID. A 2-stage selection model predicted COVID-19 infection in the first stage and long COVID in the second stage. To test the potential use of telehealth, binary dependent variable regression evaluated internet usage among respondents with long COVID. About 40% (N=10,318) of respondents had tested positive/been diagnosed with COVID-19, but less than 20% of them (N=1797) had long COVID. Although older respondents were less likely to have COVID (odds ratio [OR]=0.48; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.44, 0.53), they were more likely to experience long COVID (OR=1.63; CI=1.37, 1.93). Relative to White individuals, Black individuals were less likely to have COVID (OR=0.78; CI=0.69, 0.89) but significantly more likely (OR=1.21; CI=1.09, 1.64) to experience long COVID. Long COVID was also more likely among low-income earners (first income-to-poverty ratio quartile OR=1.40, CI=1.14, 1.72; second income-to-poverty ratio OR=1.37, CI=1.14, 1.64) and those without a college degree (OR=1.42; CI=1.01, 1.66). There were no statistically significant differences in internet access between racial, geographic, or income groups. Long COVID is significantly more likely among Black individuals and low-income households than among their counterparts, but with few recourses available, telehealth service delivery could be a feasible intervention mechanism.

Synthesis of a novel double Z-scheme BiVO4/Cu2O/g-C3N4 sonocatalyst and research on sonocatalytic degradation of tetracycline

BiVO4/Cu2O/g-C3N4 ternary heterojunction as a double Z-scheme sonocatalyst was effectively synthesized by the solvothermal and thermal decomposition method. The sonocatalysts’ structure, morphology, chemical makeup, and physicochemical characteristics were assessed by using XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, DRS, and BET. Tetracycline (TET) was utilized for the modeled chemical contaminant to investigate the sonocatalytic capabilities of the sonocatalysts. The findings showed that BiVO4/Cu2O/g-C3N4 had remarkable sonocatalytic activity, and the degradation rate reached 93.80±0.33 % within 30 min. By further studying the electron separation and migration behavior, a feasible sonocatalytic mechanism of BiVO4/Cu2O/g-C3N4 is proposed. This research will pave the practicable way for the new double Z-scheme sonocatalytic system.

Construction of a BiOCl/Bi2O2CO3 S-Scheme Heterojunction Photocatalyst via Sharing [Bi2O2]2+ Slabs with Enhanced Photocatalytic H2O2 Production Performance.

The construction of a close contact interface is key to enhancing the photocatalytic activity in heterojunctions. In the work, the BiOCl/Bi2O2CO3 of sharing [Bi2O2]2+ slabs S-scheme heterojunction was prepared by a HCl in situ etching method. The optimal composite photocatalyst could accomplish sizable productivity of H2O2 to 2562.95 μmol g-1 h-1 under simulated solar irradiation, higher than that of primitive Bi2O2CO3 and BiOCl. Moreover, the synthesized catalysts showed good stability. The band structures of BiOCl and Bi2O2CO3 were determined, confirming the formation of BiOCl/Bi2O2CO3 S-scheme heterojunction The BiOCl/Bi2O2CO3, which obviously improved the separation efficiency of photoinduced carriers and effectively enhanced the redox ability of the photocatalyst. In addition, density functional theory (DFT) calculations were utilized to analyze the electron transfer properties and the constitution of the built-in electric field at the interface of BiOCl and Bi2O2CO3. The photocatalytic reaction process was further researched by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), indicating the active species in the photocatalytic production of hydrogen peroxide. Eventually, a feasible S-scheme electron transfer mechanism on the BiOCl/Bi2O2CO3 heterojunction during the photocatalytic H2O2 production process was proposed and discussed. This work provides a reliable strategy for the fine design of the S-scheme heterojunction.

Highly efficient CoFe LDO/α-Bi2O3/g-C3N4 heterojunction for photocatalytic elimination of antibiotic pollutants

Efficiently enhancing the photocatalytic activity of graphite carbon nitride (g-C3N4), a promising candidate for pollutants degradation, is of great importance but remains a challenge. Herein, bismuth oxide (Bi2O3) and layered double oxides (i.e. LDO) were applied to improve the photocatalytic performance of g-C3N4 by constructing a ternary CoFe LDO/α-Bi2O3/g-C3N4 heterostructure. Physicochemical characterization results indicate that CoFe LDO/α-Bi2O3/g-C3N4 exhibits large surface area, competitive visible-light harvesting ability and effective separation and transfer efficiency of the photogenerated carriers. Thus, CoFe LDO/α-Bi2O3/g-C3N4 demonstrates the excellent photocatalytic activity for Tetracycline (TC) degradation, achieving approximately 90% degradation within 60 min, and its apparent reaction rate (about 0.03919 min−1) is 1.78, 1.84 and 9.9 times higher than that of CoFe LDO/g-C3N4, α-Bi2O3/g-C3N4 and g-C3N4, respectively. The major active free radicals, namely •O2− and photogenerated h+, are largely responsible for the photocatalytic degradation of TC, as demonstrated by the radical trapping tests and electron spin resource (ESR) measurements. The feasible photocatalytic mechanism for degrading TC by the CoFe LDO/α-Bi2O3/g-C3N4 heterostructure is tentatively proposed.

Photocatalytic degradation of antibiotics by N-doped carbon nanoflakes-nickel ferrite composite derived from algal biomass

This work reports the synthesis of nickel ferrite (NiFe) nanoparticles, N-doped mesoporous carbon nanoflakes (NCF) and novel nickel ferrite-carbon nanoflakes (NiFe@NCF) nanocomposite using solvothermal method. NCF was derived from a cyanobacterial consortium consisting of Anabaena, Lyngbya and Weistiellopsis, rich in carbon and nitrogen. The synthesized nanoparticles were used as heterogeneous photocatalyst for degradation of two harmful water pollutants, ciprofloxacin (CIP) and levofloxacin (LEV). 99.91% LEV and 98.86% CIP were degraded within 50 and 70 min of visible light irradiation using NiFe@NCF following pseudo first order kinetics. This improved efficiency of the nanocomposite may be attributed to its higher surface area, reduction of band gap (from 2.42 to 2.19 eV), more active sites as well as charge carrier mobility with decreasing agglomeration tendency of the magnetic nickel nanoparticles upon being embedded on NCF. N-doping improves light harvesting property, retards charge recombination and extends as well as delocalises ᴨ-conjugated system resulting in enhanced photocatalytic activity. The scavenging experiments and EPR analysis reveal that O2−• and •OH are the main active species taking part in the degradation process. The material performs well within a wide range of pH and can be effectively used up to 5 repetitive cycles. A feasible photocatalytic degradation mechanism of the antibiotics against NiFe@NCF nanocomposite is also put forwarded along with their possible degradation pathways from LCMS studies.