Simple Materials Research Articles

Synthesis of nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (N-CQDs) using microwaveassisted hydrothermal method for tyramine determination

In this study, we develop a rapid, efficient, low-cost and environmentally friendly method to synthesize nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (N-CQDs). With simple input materials as citric acid and urea, N-CQDs were sucessfully synthesized in only 5 minutes using a domestic microwave oven. Characterisation results using TEM, UV–VIS, IR and fluorescence methods have demonstrated the successful doping of N into CQDs. The obtained N-CQDs material has a particle size of less than 10 nm, and the fluorescence quantum efficiency (36.6%), which is significantly higher than that of undoped CQDs (17.2%). The N-CQDs material also exhibits an on-off fluorescence effect in the presence of Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) and in the presence of tyramine, a biological amine commonly found in food products such as cheese, fish sauce, soy sauce, kimchi, etc. The fluorescence recovery of N-CQDs/AuNPs is linearly proportional to the tyramine concentration in the range from 0.02 ppm to 1 ppm, showing the possibility of using this material to detect and quantify tyramine in food samples.

Synthesis of novel Fe-BiOCl based nanosheets assembled rod (FBC-NSR)-based photoactive materials: an effective photodegradation of antibiotics

Fe-incorporated BiOCl-nanosheet assembled rods (FBC-NSR) based photoactive materials were synthesized using a simple sol–gel process to degrade tetracycline (TC) pharmaceuticals compound (PCs) under solar irradiation. The as-prepared FBC-NSR-based photoactive materials were characterized using various characterization techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), photoluminescent (PL) spectroscopic analysis, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The structural changes were observed upon doping of Fe metals within the FBC-NSR-based photoactive materials. Intriguingly, the band gap value decreased from ~ 1.81 eV to ~ 1.29 eV with increasing the amount of Fe metals (0.5 g, and 1.0 g) within the FBC-NSR named as FBC-NSR-2 and FBC-NSR-3-based photoactive materials, respectively. The lower band gap value favors the photodegradation of environmental pollution. The synthesized FBC-NSR-3 shows the highest degradation ~ 97% and ~ 72.1% at 1 mg/L and 10 mg/L TC antibiotic, respectively. The photodegradation was higher at pH 10, indicating •OH radicals play a major role in the photodegradation of TC molecules. PL spectra confirm the higher oxygen vacancy, improved transfer of electrons, and separation efficiency of photo-induced electron hole-pairs, thereby high photodegradation efficiency. Therefore, the preparation of FBC-NSR-based photoactive materials is simple, cost-effective, and promising semiconductor materials for the removal of environmental pollution.

Materialism versus memory: Collecting football shirts in the age of consumerism

While the connection between consumption and travel has been documented, there has been little work on how consumption can go beyond simple materialism and sometimes even represent a reaction to the dominant trends of late modern consumer society. I use Walter Benjamin’s essay “Unpacking My Library” as an inspiration to understand the emotive connection between collecting, consumption, and memory. This paper uses an auto-ethnographic method, showing how the goal of furthering a collection of football shirts serves as a way to give agency to the consumer. Since collecting is typically related to the collector’s memory, consuming in the context of a collection is not simple consumerism or materialism. In this case, the object being collected is a football shirt, a representation of a specific locality. Collecting as a motivation for consumption serves as a way for the individual to respond to the dominant trends of homogenization and mass culture in sport created by globalization.

A novel model of post-burn hypertrophic scarring in rat tail with a high success rate and simple methodology

BackgroundHypertrophic scars present a serious concern after surgeries and trauma, particularly with the highest risk following burn injury. The current modeling methods usually involve relatively complicated surgical operations and special equipment, and have unstable reproducibility and reliability. This study aimed to establish a simple and reliable model of post-burn hypertrophic scarring in the rat tail. MethodsWet gauze saturated with hot water (94–98 °C) was applied to the dorsal side of the rat tail for varying durations to induce burn injury. Wounds were left exposed until completely healed, and the optimal duration for scalding treatment was determined based on gross examination. Thereafter, the optimal scalding duration was used again to evaluate scar formation over time, which was tracked through hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and Masson staining, immunohistochemistry of scar-related proteins and number/distribution of vascular endothelial cells, and picrosirius red staining to measure the quantities and proportion of type I and III collagen. ResultsThe scalding duration which led to optimal post-burn scarring was 15 s, with an overall success rate of 87.5 %. Complete healing of the wound occurred after roughly 30 days, leading to the formation of scars grossly red in appearance, tough to the touch and raised compared to the surrounding skin. Microscopically, the epidermis and dermis of the scar were significantly thicker than normal rat tail skin, and the dermis of scar contained a large number of disorganized bundles of fine filamentous collagen. We also observed a significant increase in the number of TGF-β1-positive cells and capillaries in the dermis (p < 0.05). Picrosirius red staining showed that compared to type III collagen, the expression of type I collagen was more dominant in scar tissue, and was more finely distributed than in normal rat tail skin. ConclusionWe successfully established a model for post-burn hypertrophic scarring, utilizing reliable and simple techniques and materials, which could simulate the biological characteristics of post-burn scarring. Our innovative model has the potential to facilitate the study of post-burn wound healing and scar formation.

Defect-rich carbon nanosheets derived from p(C3O2)x for electromagnetic wave absorption applications

Defect modulation strategies have been shown to be an effective way to design efficient EMW absorbing materials, but the coexistence of multiple loss mechanisms due to the complexity of the existing models makes it difficult to elucidate the mechanism by which defect-induced dielectric losses dominate. In this work, p(C3O2)x is applied for the first time in the field of EMW absorption and the concentration of defects in the sample is controlled by changing the pyrolysis temperature. In addition, the unique molecular structure of p(C3O2)x enables the prepared samples to completely eliminate the interference of interfacial polarization and magnetic loss on EMW dissipation. The results show that the dielectric loss induced by defects significantly enhances the EMW absorption performance as the concentration of defects increases, but excessive defects lead to a sudden drop in the conductivity of the sample and reduce the EMW absorption performance. In which, the RLmin of OC-800 can reach −51.0 dB, and the EAB of OC-900 can go up to 5.6 GHz at only 1.6 mm. Finally, CST simulation verified the potential application of the prepared absorber in real scenarios. This work has improved the theoretical basis of the effect of defect-induced dielectric loss on EMW absorbing properties, and the simple synthetic raw materials and routes have made the industrialized production of highly efficient EMW absorbing materials possible.

Investigating Additive Manufacturing Possibilities for an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle with Polymeric Materials.

Fused filament fabrication, also known as fused deposition modeling and 3D printing, is the most common additive manufacturing technology due to its cost-effectiveness and customization flexibility compared to existing alternatives. It may revolutionize unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) design and fabrication. Therefore, this study hypothesizes the 3D printing possibility of UAV using a simple desktop printer and polymeric material. The extensive literature analysis identified the acceptable prototyping object and polymeric material. Thus, the research focuses on applying polylactic acid (PLA) in manufacturing the flying wing-type UAV and develops a fabrication concept to replicate arial vehicles initially produced from a mixture of expanded polystyrene and polyethylene. The material choice stems from PLA's non-toxicity, ease of fabrication, and cost-effectiveness. Alongside ordinary PLA, this study includes lightweight PLA to investigate the mechanical performance of this advanced material, which changes its density depending on the printing temperature. This proof-of-concept study explores the mechanical properties of printed parts of the wing prototype. It also considers the possibility of fragmentation in fabricated objects because of the limitations of printing space. The simplified bending tests identified significant reserves in the mechanical performance regarding the theoretical resistance of the material in the wing prototype, which proves the raised hypothesis and delivers the object for further optimization. Focusing on the mechanical resistance, this study ignored rheology and durability issues, which require additional investigations. Fabricating the wing of the exact geometry reveals acceptable precision of the 3D printing processes but highlights the problematic technology issues requiring further resolution.

Crack propagation process in double-flawed granite under compression using digital image correlation method and numerical simulation

The existence of flaws seriously weakens the rock strength, directly affects the crack expansion morphology, and indirectly affects the slope stability. In this study, uniaxial compression tests were carried out on double-flawed granite to investigate the effects of flaw angle on its compressive strength and crack coalescence based on DIC technology and PFC2D numerical simulation. The result indicates that the UCS values of flawed specimens at angles of 15°, 30°, 45°, and 60° are approximately 25.5–51.7% lower than that of the intact specimen. The failure strength of the double-flawed sample increases with the increase of flaw inclination angle, and the fracture morphology shifts from no expansion to split expansion. When the flaw tip strain of each flaw sample exceeded 0.6%, the stress concentration was generated at the flaw tip, and the sample began to appear macroscopic large cracks. DIC technique can well observe the crack initiation and propagation process, recording inclined shear strain bands at flaw tips, tensile strain bands in the middle of flaws, and tensile shear O-shaped strain ring in rock bridge areas. Numerical simulations using PFC2D software were carried out and showed a good agreement with the physical results. In addition, the effect of structural inclination on specimen failure strength is clearly explained by the theory of compressive damage based on the projected size of flaws. The deformation of rock mass is not a simple material deformation but is composed of material deformation and structural deformation. These experimental and numerical results enhance our understanding of crack initiation and coalescence characteristics, aiding in the analysis of rock structure stability in scenarios such as excavated underground openings, slopes, and tunneling construction, where pre-existing cracks or step-path fractures are pivotal to structural integrity.

Multimode optical thermometry using CaWO4 emission band

Optical thermometry has emerged as a promising technique for remote temperature sensing in plenty of applications, where traditional contact methods are useless. To date, many sensing strategies have been developed and realized, but most of them are based on monitoring of the single temperature dependent parameter. Here, we report simple dual-center materials (Eu3+ and Sm3+-doped CaWO4) that provide multimode optical thermometry. In addition to standard ratiometric approach based on intensity ratio between host and lanthanide emission bands, spectral position and bandwidth of CaWO4 emission band were successfully utilized as temperature sensitive parameters for the first time. It was shown that multimode sensing leads to broadening of temperature working range and enhances reliability of thermal sensing. The best thermometric characteristics were achieved for CaWO4:Sm3+ sample: Sr = 1.29 % K−1@273–673 K and δT = 0.15 K.

Electrocatalytic oxidation of glycerol performed by nickel/cobalt alloys: Adding value to a common subproduct of chemical industry

The present work shows the electrocatalytical performance of nickel/cobalt alloys towards the conversion of glycerol into higher value molecules, such as glycolic acid, oxalic acid, maleic acid, diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, identified by chromatographic technique. To do so, the alloy was directly electrodeposited on graphite electrodes, which is a simple, readily available and cheap material, the modified electrodes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy and electrochemical analysis. Kinetic parameters were obtained using by both Galus methodology and rotating disc electrode (RDE), obtaining the better electrocatalytic modified electrode and the total number of electrons transferred per mol of glycerol. The modified electrode labeled as Ni0.8Co0.2(OH)2 proportion has achieved the highest glycerol conversion after 4 h of reaction, approximately 99.8%, with an energy consumption of 36.38 W/mol.

Cabazitaxel-Loaded Thermosensitive Hydrogel System for Suppressed Orthotopic Colorectal Cancer and Liver Metastasis.

The treatment of colorectal cancer is always a major challenge in the field of cancer research. The number of estimated new cases of colorectal cancer worldwide in 2020 is 1 148 515, and the estimated number of deaths is 576 858, revealing that mortality accounted for approximately half of the disease incidence. The development of new drugs and strategies for colorectal cancer treatment is urgently needed. Thermosensitive injectable hydrogel PDLLA-PEG-PDLLA (PLEL) loaded with cabazitaxel (CTX) is used to explore its anti-tumor effect on mice with orthotopic colorectal cancer. CTX/PLEL is characterized by a solution state at room temperature and a hydrogel state at physiologic temperature. The excipients MPEG-PCL and PDLLA-PEG-PDLLA have good biocompatibility and biodegradability. The simple material synthesis and preparation process renders this system cost-effective and more conducive to clinical transformation. An orthotopic colorectal cancer model is established by transplantation subcutaneous tumors onto the cecum of mice. According to the results of experiments in vivo, CTX/PLEL significantly inhibits orthotopic colorectal cancer and liver metastasis in mice. The results indicate that CTX/PLEL nanoparticle preparations have high security and excellent anti-tumor effects, and have great application potential in colorectal cancer therapy.

Pengaruh pelatihan kader jumantik dengan ovitrap terhadap peningkatan pengetahuan demam berdarah dengue (DBD) siswa SDN 33 Jollo dan SMP 5 Satap Bungoro, Kabupaten Pangkep tahun 2023

Background: The service aims to reduce the incidence of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) through basic training of Jumantik cadres using simple educational materials (Ovitrap) in Bungoro District, Pankep Regency. Methods: The target of this service consisted of students of Pangkep Regency, Bungoro District, precisely at SDN 33 Jollo and SMPN 5 SATAP Bungoro. The sample of this study consisted of students aged between 9 and 15 years and totaled 26 students. Findings: The results of this service were 3 participants (11.5%) who experienced an increase in knowledge from pre-test to post-test. In 23 participants (88.5%), there was no increase or decrease in pre-test and post-test scores. Even if knowledge increases, according to the Wilcoxon test, the p-value of 0.083 is greater than 0.05 so it can be concluded that Ha is rejected and H0 is accepted. Conclusion: There is no significant difference in improvement, pre-test and post-test knowledge can be classified as good, depending on the ability of students to apply Ovitrap production in the classroom.

The coherent emergentist concept of machines; or why the popular concept of artificial intelligence is a materialist anthropomorphism

The concept of artificial intelligence is very popular in both science and culture today. Similarly, the concept of emergence has become quite popular during the last decades in the sciences. For example, it is commonplace in the case of machines to speak of an overall blueprint and several different material components; thus, we can regard the blueprint as a kind of comprehensive emergent additive. However, is it true then that the machine, due to this plus component, is not material? Practically nobody wants to acknowledge that. Still, in practice, there are no machines without added blueprints. In my paper, based on Samuel Alexander’s original concept of emergence, I will investigate these problems and contradictions, which stem from the materialist interpretation of the concept, and I will present a coherent emergentist concept of machines, according to which machines are clearly a unique kind between simple material things and living beings.

Penerapan Jamu Ternak Menggunakan Bahan Alami Kepada Peternak di Dusun Kiera Kabupaten Maluku Barat Daya

Indonesia's nature has quite high biodiversity, especially plants and is a cultural heritage in utilizing medicinal plants to treat various diseases. This makes many farmers utilize local medicinal plants to be mixed into traditional medicines called livestock herbal medicine. The Community Service Program (PKM) carried out by PSDKU lecturers in the Animal Husbandry Study Program at Pattimura University in West Maluku Regency in collaboration with KKN students through training in making traditional herbal medicine for livestock carried out in Kiera Hamlet, Tounwawan Village, West Maluku Regency. The purpose of implementing this service is to introduce, practice and motivate livestock communities to mix livestock herbal medicine using simple tools and materials available in the surrounding environment. As well as obtaining economic potential in the form of increased income and welfare of livestock communities. The results obtained from this PKM activity were that all participants were very enthusiastic in participating in the intended activity because it was in accordance with the needs of livestock farmers.

Parametric studies on energy utilization of the Chinese medicine residues: Preparation and properties of densified pellet

The depletion of fossil fuels has fueled an increased interest in biomass resources usage for heat and electricity generation. As an important biomass resource, Chinese medicine residues have great potential in substituting fossil fuels. However, that is basically limited by its poor properties, including low bulk density, high moisture content, and inhomogeneous structure. Herein, a safe and sustainable strategy was reported to prepare a high-quality densified pellet derived from Chinese medicine residues to address these worries. In this process, mixed and simple size materials were densified under various moisture content and pressure using a laboratory electronic tablet press machine equipped a single pellet mold. Results showed that higher pressure, ideal moisture content (∼6.5 %), and mixed particle size could densify better quality pellets. These findings pave the way for the safely and efficient resource utilization of Chinese medicine residues, as well as providing theoretical guidance and technical support for the household heating.

Exploring the Utilization of Magnetic Composite Materials for High-Risk Contaminant Removal from Wastewater by Adsorption and Catalytic Processes—A Review

In the context of waters polluted with different high-risk contaminants, the development of efficient materials able to efficiently clean them is necessary. In the first part, the present review focuses on the ability of various types of magnetic layered double hydroxide materials to act as adsorbents for water contaminated mainly with heavy metals and dyes. Also, this paper reviews the ability of different magnetic layered double hydroxide materials to act as potential adsorbents for the treatment of wastewater contaminated with other types of pollutants, such as pharmaceutical products, phenolic compounds, phytohormones, and fungicides. In the second part, the applicability of the catalytic method for water depollution is explored. Thus, the use of simple or composite materials based on Fe3O4 is reviewed for the purpose of the catalytic degradation of organic compounds (dyes/phenols/pharmaceuticals). At the end, a review of multifunctional materials able to simultaneously neutralize different types of pollutants from wastewater is provided.

Selenophene-fused Perylene Diimide-Based Cathode Interlayer Enables 19 % Efficiency Binary Organic Solar Cells via Stimulative Charge Extraction.

The cathode interlayer is crucial for the development of organic solar cells (OSCs), but the research on simple and efficient interlayer materials is lagging behind. Here, a donor-acceptor (D-A) typed selenophene-fused perylene diimide (PDI) derivative (SePDI3) is developed as cathode interlayer material (CIM) for OSCs, and a non-fused PDI derivative (PDI3) is used as the control CIM for comparison. Compared to PDI3, SePDI3 shows a stronger self-doping effect and better crystallinity, resulting in better charge transport ability. Furthermore, the interaction between SePDI3 and L8-BO can form an efficient extraction channel, leading to superior charge extraction behavior. Finally, benefitting from significantly enhanced charge transport and extraction capacity, the SePDI3-based device displays a champion PCE of 19.04 % with an ultrahigh fill factor of 81.65 % for binary OSCs based on PM6 : L8-BO active layer, which is one of the top efficiencies reported to date in binary OSCs based novel CIMs. Our work prescribes a facile and effective fusion strategy to develop high-efficiency CIMs for OSCs.

Selenophene‐fused Perylene Diimide‐Based Cathode Interlayer Enables 19 % Efficiency Binary Organic Solar Cells via Stimulative Charge Extraction

AbstractThe cathode interlayer is crucial for the development of organic solar cells (OSCs), but the research on simple and efficient interlayer materials is lagging behind. Here, a donor‐acceptor (D–A) typed selenophene‐fused perylene diimide (PDI) derivative (SePDI3) is developed as cathode interlayer material (CIM) for OSCs, and a non‐fused PDI derivative (PDI3) is used as the control CIM for comparison. Compared to PDI3, SePDI3 shows a stronger self‐doping effect and better crystallinity, resulting in better charge transport ability. Furthermore, the interaction between SePDI3 and L8‐BO can form an efficient extraction channel, leading to superior charge extraction behavior. Finally, benefitting from significantly enhanced charge transport and extraction capacity, the SePDI3‐based device displays a champion PCE of 19.04 % with an ultrahigh fill factor of 81.65 % for binary OSCs based on PM6 : L8‐BO active layer, which is one of the top efficiencies reported to date in binary OSCs based novel CIMs. Our work prescribes a facile and effective fusion strategy to develop high‐efficiency CIMs for OSCs.

Does “Kamishibai” (Picture-story show) improve children's behaviors and learning in pre-primary education?: Evidence from Madagascar

While universal quality pre-primary education is a global agenda, the shortage of qualified teachers and teaching materials is a major challenge in low-income countries. In Madagascar, the proportion of teachers with minimum required qualification in pre-primary education is less than half. To improve the quality of pre-primary education, the Ministry of Education in Madagascar piloted a set of interventions, including teacher training and the distribution of Kamishibai, a simple picture-story show for children. This study investigated whether Kamishibai changed children's behaviors and learning using a randomized controlled trial. The experiment targeted senior-class pupils (five to six years old) in 14 public pre-primary activity centers. The results of the experiment showed that Kamishibai improved children's behaviors of hygiene, understanding of security, responsibility, and autonomy. Kamishibai also enhanced their foundational literacy and numeracy. The results of this study suggest that it is possible to improve the quality of pre-primary education with simple teaching materials in the challenging context of a low-income country.

Students’ Perception on the Application of Merdeka Curriculum

This research aimes to find out the perceptions of Senior high school students and their reasons for applying Merdeka Curriculum in English subjects. In completing this qualitative research, the researcher adopted a phenomenological case study approach. Data was collected by distributing questioners to respondents and conducting in-depth interviews with selected students. The data was found by researchers were processed using thematic analysis techniques. This research involved senior high school students from 5 different schools in Medan, North Sumatra, totaling 38 students as respondents. From this study, researchers found five perceptions related to the application of the Merdeka Curriculum in English language subjects, namely a. Merdeka Curriculum provides freedom in learning; b. students are more active and creative, c. concise and simple material; d. energy consumption that is quickly drained or tiring; and e. Merdeka Curriculum is better than Curriculum 2013. In addition, five reasons were found from the students' perceptions, namely a. freedom to choose appropriate learning methods and strategies; b. students do a lot of activities in learning; c. the material in English books is more on points with minimal explanation; d. the assignments given are many and concurrent; and e. The Merdeka Curriculum is more student-centered than the 2013 Curriculum. Furthermore, a detailed explanation related to this will be described in detail in this study.

Reproduction of the Parasitoid Telenomus remus1 and its Host Spodoptera frugiperda2 Using Simple Procedures, Materials, and Facilities

Reproduction of the Parasitoid Telenomus remus1 and its Host Spodoptera frugiperda2 Using Simple Procedures, Materials, and Facilities