Multimodal composites have the potential to play a crucial role in the development of theranostic agents. Systems with optical and magnetic response can be applied in medicine for both imaging and therapy; however, combining magnetic and luminescent nanoparticles in one entity is challenging. Both the morphology and architecture of the composite, as well as the influence of the magnetic components and matrix on the light-emissive component, must be paid attention. In this study, we demonstrate a design of a composite with advantageous magnetic response and luminescence in green and red regions (excited at 405 and 580 nm, respectively), where biocompatible CaCO3 microspheres were loaded and decorated with luminescent carbon dots (CDs) and magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs). We showed the absence of CDs’ toxicity by the IC50 tests and demonstrated its localization in L1 and L4 stages of C. elegans embryogenesis. We determine the optimal parameters for composite formation to achieve their improved performance and structural stability. The composites were fabricated in several steps, including loading nanoparticles and layer-by-layer application of polyelectrolytes on top of CaCO3. We demonstrated the applicability of the prepared composite microspheres for flow cytometry and showed their potential as multiplexed visualization agents, emphasizing their potential use as promising theranostic agents.

This study assessed suitable lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) cultivars and lighting conditions for indoor hydroponic cultivation in Mongolia, examining their applicability in a household-scale vertical farming system. Three cultivars— ‘Jeokchima,’ ‘Cheongsangchu,’ and ‘Meiguodashusheng’— were grown under two lighting treatments: LEDs and T5 LEDs. ‘Jeokchima’ demonstrated the most consistent and superior growth across both harvests, exhibiting significantly higher leaf length, SPAD value, dry weight, and leaf number compared to the other cultivars. The use of LED lighting enhanced all growth parameters, except for petiole length, compared to T5, highlighting its advantages in arid indoor environments. Based on these findings, a compact three-tier Deep Water Culture (DWC) system was designed as a model for urban households, facilitating year-round lettuce production in limited indoor spaces. This model shows promise for enhancing vegetable self-sufficiency and food security in Mongolia. Further research on optimizing light spectra, managing photoperiods, and diversifying cultivars is recommended.

트랜스휴머니즘과 포스트휴먼 이론을 통해 전개되는 인간 향상(human enhancement)의 진화적 궤적은 유전공학, 나노기술, 범용 인공지능(AGI), 마인드 업로 딩, 크라이오닉스, 기술적 특이점 등 주요 패러다임에 대한 통찰을 제공한다. 트랜스휴 머니즘은 본래 인간중심적이었던 존재론을, 기술이 스며든 미래의 상상 속에서 비판적 으로 재검토하는 사유이다. 로지 브라이다티(Rosi Braidotti), N. 캐서린 헤일스(N. Katherine Hayles), 케빈 켈리(Kevin Kelly)의 이론적 관점은 정체성이 생물학적 한계 를 넘어 코드, 기계, 합성적 환경을 통합하는 일종의 초월적 변형을 겪는 잠재적 미래 를 제시한다. 라메즈 나암(Ramez Naam)의 􋺷넥서스(Nexus)􋺸, 나타샤 비타-모어(Natasha Vita-More), 버너 빈지(Vernor Vinge)의 특이점 논문에 대한 심층 분석은 이러한 기술 들이 야기하는 윤리적·철학적·실존적 위협의 양상을 드러낸다. 본 연구는 약리학적 기 술과 디지털 기술 간의 상호작용, 노화방지 생명윤리에 대한 모호성, 탈생물학적 전환 속에서 개인 정체성의 안정성 문제에 주목한다. 이러한 신흥 기술들은 인간이 죽음과 생물학적 한계로부터 자유로워질 것이라는 가능성을 제시함과 동시에, 인간 존재에 대 한 엄중한 재고를 요구한다. 욕망·혁신·위험이 얽힌 네트워크적 복잡성은 트랜스휴먼적 미래가 단순한 이분법을 거부하며, 지속적인 윤리적 숙고를 요청함을 시사한다.

Sesbania bispinosa (Jacq.) W. Wight is a weedy green manure plant of the family Fabaceae. The legume plants play a major role in nitrogen fixation and soil fertility while biochar plays a significant role in environmental remediation. The present study has aimed to convert S. bispinosa in combination with cow dung (1:1, v/v) into enriched vermicompost through the amendment of different concentrations of activated Prosopis wood biochar. Totally 10 treatments were maintained: VSB1- VSB5 and SB1-SB5 with and without earthworms, respectively. The treatments were maintained under controlled environmental conditions in triplicate till 28 days. The initial and final samples of the treatments with and without earthworms were analyzed for physicochemical characteristics, FTIR analysis and phytotoxicity assay. The pH, total organic carbon, C/N ratio and C/P ratio showed a declining trend while the nutrients, total nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and sodium contents displayed increment towards the progression of vermicomposting. A total nitrogen content of 2.78% was recorded in vermicompost amended with 3% biochar followed by 2.61% in 2% biochar amendment. The functional group changes from initial substrates to final vermicompost inferred through FTIR analysis denote the decomposition of complex organic materials into simple forms. The lowest C/N ratio (19.06) with a higher germination index (102.85%) of Vigna mungo (black gram) seeds were observed in the vermicompost of S. bispinosa + cow dung substrates amended with 3% biochar within a very short period of time (28 days). Hence, the use of biochar at a 3% level is recommended for the vermiconversion of green manure biomass to obtain nutrient-amplified vermicompost. It is also beneficial to use 2% biochar in vermicomposting, however, 3% biochar amendment is highly beneficial and a better choice from a vermicompost quality perspective.

닐 게이먼은 􋺷아메리칸 갓츠􋺸, 􋺷네버웨어􋺸, 􋺷아난시 보이즈􋺸, 􋺷스타더스 트􋺸 등의 소설을 통해 도시화와 근대성으로 인한 자연의 이탈이라는 주제를 탐구한다. 본 논문은 이들 작품에 대한 면밀한 분석을 통해, 게이먼이 판타지라는 장르를 활용해 도시 개발이 야기하는 환경적·문화적 영향을 비판하는 방식을 고찰한다. 신화적 풍경 과 현대 도시 환경을 대조함으로써, 자연 세계와 전통 신화가 기술 및 산업 발전에 의해 어떻게 가려지는지를 조명한다. 이러한 접근은 게이먼이 묘사하는 환경적 이탈을 보다 세밀하게 조망함으로써, 인간세에서 도시화가 갖는 광범위한 함의에 대한 통찰을 제공한다. 특히 게이먼의 서사에 집중함으로써, 판타지와 환경 비판, 그리고 근대성이 자연에 미치는 영향을 교차적으로 다루는 기존 연구들과 차별화된다. 본 연구는 게이 먼의 문학적 기여를 심화하여 조명하며, 현대 문학에서 자연과 문화 간의 진화하는 관 계를 이해하는 데 기여한다.

Aluminum-based composites are in high demand in industrial fields due to their light weight, high electrical conductivity, and corrosion resistance. Due to its unique advantages for composite fabrication, powder metallurgy is a crucial player in meeting this demand. However, the size and weight fraction of the reinforcement significantly influence the components' quality and performance. Understanding the correlation of these variables is crucial for building high-quality components. This study, therefore, investigated the correlations among various parameters—namely, milling time, reinforcement ratio, and size—that affect the composite’s physical and mechanical properties. An artificial neural network model was developed and showed the ability to correlate the processing parameters with the density, hardness, and tensile strength of Al2024-B4C composites. The predicted index of relative importance suggests that the milling time has the most substantial effect on fabricated components. This practical insight can be directly applied in the fabrication of high-quality Al2024-B4C composites.

Ethylene-responsive factors (ERFs) are important plant transcription factors (TFs) that regulate plant responses against various abiotic stresses. However, little information of ERF genes involved in abiotic stress is available in petunia (Petunia ×hybrida). In this study, a petunia ERF gene, PhERF039, was cloned and functional analysis was performed. The quantitative PCR analysis revealed that PhERF039 was induced at the early stage of water deficit stress. Under-expression of PhERF039 (UE) exhibited rosette growth habit, higher number of branches, and delayed flowering compared to the wild type (WT). The UE petunia was evaluated under various volumetric water contents (θ): 0.25, 0.15, 0.10, or 0.05 m3·m-3 using an automated irrigation system. Transgenic plants did not delay plant wilting, but the θ for UE reached to the set point later than that for WT. A lower stomatal conductance was observed in UE than WT under all treatments. These results suggested that PhERF039 could be involved in plant responses under water deficit by regulating stomatal movements as well as branching pattern and flower development.

In the present study, a novel pH-sensitive hydrogel composite of pectin-grafted-poly (acrylic acid-co-itaconic acid)/MWCNTs- COOH was prepared by using graft copolymerization of acrylic acid and itaconic acid on pectin backbone with incorporation of MWCNTS- COOH. The prepared hydrogel composite has been employed for the adsorption and controlled release of the diclofenac sodium (DS) drug. The hydrogel composite was characterized by the analysis methods: FTIR, XRD, SEM, and TGA to analyze structural characteristics before and after DS drug adsorption. The swelling ratio of the hydrogel composite was investigated at different pH values from pH 1.2 to 10. According to the results, the swelling ratio of the hydrogel composite was found 4195% at pH 7.4. Adsorption process parameters such as pH, contact time, adsorbent dose, and temperature were investigated and found to have a significant influence on DS drug adsorption. The maximum DS drug loading through adsorption of 91% was obtained at pH 3, adsorbent dose of 0.05 g, contact time of 150 min, and temperature of 15 °C. The adsorption isotherm and kinetic results were well-fitted to Freundlich and second-order models. Thermodynamic parameters including changes in Gibb’s free energy, enthalpy, and entropy suggested that the adsorption of DS drug onto hydrogel composite was a spontaneous and exothermic process. The in vitro drug release experiment showed that the cumulative release of DS drug from hydrogel composite after 35 h was significantly higher in simulated intestinal fluid at pH 7.4 than in simulated gastric fluid at pH 1.2.

Hybrid nanocomposites of aluminium (NHAMMCs) made from AA5052 are fabricated via stir casting route by reinforcing 12 wt% Si3N4 and 0.5 wt% of graphene for usage in aeronautical and automotive applications due to the lower density and higher strength to weight proportion. The wear characteristics of the NHAMMCs are evaluated for different axial load, rotational speed, sliding distance and sliding time based on Box-Behnken design (BBD) of response surface methodology (RSM). Orowan strengthening mechanism is identified from optical image which improves the strength of the composite. Outcomes show that with higher axial load and rotational speed, there is substantial increase in wear loss whereas with increased sliding distance and sliding time there is no considerable increase in wear loss due to the lubricating nature of the reinforced graphene particles since it has higher surface area to volume ratio. Besides, artificial intelligence approach of neuro-fuzzy (ANFIS) model is developed to predict the output responses and the results are compared with the regression model predictions. Prediction from ANFIS outplays the regression model prediction.

Modification of the surface of raw activated carbon using chemical solvents can significantly improve the adsorption performance of activated carbon. Triethylenetetramine is one of the most important chemical solvents used to modify raw activated carbon for formaldehyde removal indoor. We conducted the liquid impregnation experiments at different initial concentrations, temperatures, adsorbent dosage and time ranges to fully investigate the adsorption of triethylenetetramine on the surface of raw activated carbon for modification. We found that the Langmuir isotherm model and pseudo-first-order kinetic model fit quite well with the experimental data and the R2 are 0.9883 and 0.9954, respectively. The theoretical maximum adsorption capacity is 166.67 mg/g. The change in Gibbs free energy (ΔG0), enthalpy change (ΔH0) and entropy change (ΔS0) were also calculated to study the direction and driving force of the liquid adsorption process. In order to understand the adsorption process at the molecular level, a new activated carbon model based on the actual physical and chemical properties of activated carbon was carefully established in the Materials Studio to simulate the liquid-phase adsorption. The pore structure, elemental composition, functional group content, density, pore volume, and porosity of the activated carbon model converge close to the actual activated carbon and the adsorption isotherms obtained from the simulation agree well with the experimental results. The results show that the adsorption of triethylenetetramine on activated carbon is a spontaneous, endothermic and monolayer physical adsorption process.

Although the phenomenon of lead categories is well-documented in the marketing literature, our understanding of this important store choice factor remains limited. Lead categories are defined as those product categories that are so important for the shopping trip that they influence the consumer’s store choice decision. The purposes of this paper are to offer theoretical bases that explain why lead categories form and to understand how overall images of product quality, selection, and price affect lead category formation. The authors use theories of anchoring effects and automatic cognitive processing to offer theoretical explanations regarding why consumers form lead categories and how overall images of product quality, selection, and price affect lead category formation. Using survey data collected from consumers at two grocery stores, the authors find that positive overall product quality and selection images facilitate lead category formation and that an overall low-price image hinders it.

Customer value co-creation behavior (CVCB) has been regarded as a strong predictor of firm performance in many industries for decades. CVCB—the customer’s direct and indirect contribution of resources to enhance the offering of the focal agent/object—is ubiquitous in service industries. Recently, customer engagement has been identified as a determinant of the value realized by customers and businesses. Customer psychological engagement (CPEngagement) is a multidimensional customer-firm relationship marked by customer satisfaction and emotional connectedness to the firm. Although there is concurrence that customer engagement and CVCB are linked, scholars diverge as to the precise nature of the relationship. Marketing and hospitality literature have not yet developed an integrated model of customer engagement with the digital and physical components of hospitality services. Given the increasing managerial interest in digital customer engagement and value co-creation behaviors, it is essential to enhance our understanding of the interplay between these concepts and their implications for both consumers and businesses. This research investigates the relationship between CPEngagement and value co-creation in the digital and physical aspects of hospitality services.

This research presents a conceptual framework for a comprehensive understanding of the causes of user migration from social media networking sites. The results of our survey show that users’ intentions to switch social media platforms are influenced by user satisfaction, alternative attractiveness, peer influence, and perceived switching costs.