Developing routes to produce cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) from high-lignin wood residues is essential for expanding sustainable nanocellulose feedstocks. In this work, Meranti (Shorea sp.) sawdust was valorized into CNCs by integrating ammonium persulfate (APS) pretreatment with subsequent sulfuric acid hydrolysis. To establish a severity map and define an operating window, APS pretreatment severity was systematically varied by adjusting APS concentration and the sawdust-to-APS (solid-to-liquid) ratio, and its influence on CNC structural properties was evaluated. APS pretreatment partially disrupted and oxidized the lignocellulosic matrix, enabling acid hydrolysis to liberate crystalline cellulose domains. XRD analysis confirmed th

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) gas sensor based on cobalt–manganese spinel oxide MnCo₂O₄ thin films that were prepared by chemical precipitation and green synthesis methods. Structural, morphological, and compositional characterizations of MnCo₂O₄ thin films were performed using XRD, FE-SEM, EDS, and AFM. It was found through XRD patterns that MnCo₂O₄ was formed in a cubic spinel structure for both methods; however, the chemically precipitated thin films possessed better crystallinity and larger crystallite sizes, whereas the green-synthesized films exhibited slightly lower crystallinities and smaller sizes, as evidenced by the broader peaks observed. In addition, FE-SEM and AFM images revealed that the MnCo₂O₄ films prepared by

Ag-doped NiO thin films were fabricated by dip coating and subsequently annealed at 373, 473, 573, and 673 K to elucidate the influence of annealing temperature on their structural, morphological, optical, and NO2-sensing characteristics. X-ray diffraction confirmed the formation of polycrystalline Ag/NiO films, with progressively improved crystallinity and larger crystallite size at elevated annealing temperatures. Atomic force microscopy revealed a homogeneous surface morphology with grain growth, with the average grain diameter increasing from 26.40 to 34.2 nm. Optical analysis showed high visible-region transmittance (65–70%) and a gradual reduction in the optical band gap from 2.75 to 2.07 eV with increasing annealing temperature. Ga

This study investigates the influence of phosphoric acid (H3PO4) molarity (2 M, 4 M, and 6 M) on the structural, thermal, optical, and electrical properties of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/20% graphene oxide (GO) composite films. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed a semi-crystalline nature for PVA, with characteristic peaks at 19.7 degrees and 42 degrees, and crystalline peaks for GO at 10.1 degrees and 39.8 degrees. The addition of H3PO4 to the PVA/GO composite resulted in the disappearance of GO crystalline peaks, suggesting reduced crystallinity. Differential scanning calorimetry revealed a reduction in both glass transition and melting temperatures as H3PO4 concentration increased. Pure PVA exhibited Tg and Tm values of 68.9 degrees C and 1

The study evaluated endophytic communities associated with five oil-bearing plants, including sesame, corn, sunflower, olives and castor, which were collected from Baghdad and Diyala (Iraq), evaluated their oil production capacity and identified metabolites from the lipid fraction. Out of 151 isolates were collected from 21 taxa. Aspergillus niger showed the highest frequency (6.62 %), while the genera Aspergillus and Fusarium were the most dominant endophytes. The highest oil yield was identified and recorded in Aspergillus terreus (24.12 %). While the lowest oil yield was observed in Sclerotinia spp. (3.96 %). Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of A. terreus revealed a profile dominated by pentadecyl acrylate (2

Interleukin-38 (IL-38), an inflammatory cytokine discovered in recent years, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). IL-38 is encoded by the IL1F10 (interleukin 1 family member 10) gene. Genetic variants of this gene have been associated with susceptibility to a number of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, while their association with SLE risk has not been explored. In this case–control study, two novel variants of the 5 prime untranslated region (5′UTR) of the IL1F10 gene, rs3811050 C/T and rs3811051 T/G, were investigated

Segmented regression consists of several sections separated by different points of membership, showing the heterogeneity arising from the process of separating the segments within the research sample. This research is concerned with estimating the location of the change point between segments and estimating model parameters, and proposing a robust estimation method and compare it with some other methods that used in the segmented regression. One of the traditional methods (Muggeo method) has been used to find the maximum likelihood estimator in an iterative approach for the model and the change point as well. Moreover, a robust estimation method (IRW method) has used which depends on the use of the robust M-estimator technique in