Energy laws play a pivotal role in shaping policies that ensure energy independence and strengthen national security. This research investigates how legal frameworks contribute to reducing energy dependence, enhance infrastructure resilience, and support the transition to renewable energy. A qualitative and comparative legal research design has been applied, incorporating an extensive literature review, examination of both domestic and international energy legislation, thematic coding, and a synthesis of findings. In this essay, applied publicly available materials, legislative acts, and scientific publications have been applied to draw general conclusions. Evidence shows that regulatory inconsistencies continue to hinder the use of renewable energy, and loopholes in the protection of infrastructure expose countries to security risks. Nations that successfully adopted and incorporated their legal procedures into the new circumstances are more successful in diversifying energy supply, abusing of geopolitical risks, and facilitating technological changes. Strengthening and harmonizing energy laws ensures resilience, independence, and stability in global energy governance systems.

This paper explores the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, focusing on the West Bank and Gaza after 1967. It employs a qualitative research approach, analyzing primary and secondary sources to examine the legal ramifications of Israel’s ongoing occupation and settlement expansion, which violate international law. The findings highlight that, despite various international resolutions, Israel continues its unlawful presence. Key legal rulings, such as the International Court of Justice’s decision of July 19, 2024 and a UN General Assembly resolution in September 2024, reaffirm the illegality of Israel’s actions. Nonetheless, Israel has ignored these calls for withdrawal and persists in expanding settlements. The paper argues that the UN member states must enforce international legal rulings and hold Israel accountable through international courts. It advocates for the imposition of economic and diplomatic sanctions by the UN Security Council to curb settlement expansion and dismantle existing illegal settlements, emphasizing the need for coordinated international efforts to achieve justice for Palestine.

Objective: To examine published qualitative studies that can inform occupational therapists about potential intervention targets to improve health outcomes in homeless communities. Methods: A search was conducted for pertinent studies in the following databases: PubMed, Ovid, and CINAHL. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed to extract relevant data. Only research published after 2011 in English-language peer-reviewed journals was included. Twelve of the 1,162 identified articles satisfied the requirements for inclusion. Results: Individuals experiencing homelessness had higher levels of food insecurity, mental health conditions, and inadequate management of chronic conditions than those with a stable residence, all of which were successfully treated through occupational therapy. Conclusion: The scope of practice of occupational therapists allows for holistic treatment approaches to address the biopsychosocial health of homeless individuals at all levels of need and suggests that occupational therapy intervention initiatives are appropriate to address occupational justice for this population

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) have a strong and stable near-infrared (nIR) fluorescence that can be used to selectively detect target analytes, even at the single molecule level, through changes in either their fluorescence intensity or emission peak wavelength. SWNTs have been employed as NIR optical sensors for detecting a variety of analytes. However, high costs, long fabrication times, and poor distributions limit the current methods for immobilizing SWNT sensors on solid substrates. Recently, our group reported a protocol for SWNT immobilization with high fluorescence yield, longevity, fluorescence distribution, and sensor response, unfortunately this process takes 5 days to complete. Herein we report an improved method to immobilize SWNT sensors that only takes 2 days and results in higher fluorescence intensity while maintaining a high level of SWNT distribution. We performed surface morphology and chemical composition tests on the original and new synthesis methods and compared the sensor response rates. The development of this new method of attaching SWNT sensors to a platform allows for creation of a sensing system in just 2 days without sacrificing the advantageous characteristics of the original, 5-day platforms.

Carbon fibers of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) type were coated with nickel nanoparticles using a chemical reduction method in alkaline hydrazine bath. The carbon fibers were firstly heated at 400 °C and then chemically treated in hydrochloric acid followed by nitric acid to clean, remove any foreign particles and functionalized its graphitic surfaces by introducing some functional groups. The functionalized carbon fibers were coated with nickel to produce 10 wt% Cf/Ni nanocomposites. The uncoated heat treated and the nickel coated carbon fibers were investigated by SEM, EDS, FTIR and XRD to characterize the particle size, morphology, chemical composition and the crystal structure of the investigated materials. The nickel nanoparticles were successfully deposited as homogeneous layer on the surface of the functionalized carbon fibers. Also, the deposited nickel nanoparticles have quazi-spherical shape and 128–225 nm median particle size. The untreated and the heat treated as well as the 10 wt% Cf/Ni nanocomposite particles were further reinforced in ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) polymer separately by melt blending technique to prepare 0.5 wt% Cf-EVA polymer matrix stretchable conductive composites. The microstructures of the prepared polymer composites were investigated using optical microscope. The carbon fibers as well as the nickel coated one were homogenously distributed in the polymer matrix. The obtained samples were analyzed by TGA. The addition of the nickel coated carbon fibers to the EVA was improved the thermal stability by increasing the thermal decomposition temperature Tmax1 and Tmax2. The electrical and the mechanical properties of the obtained 10 wt% Cf/Ni nanocomposites as well as the 0.5 wt% Cf-EVA stretchable conductive composites were evaluated by measuring its thermal stability by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), electrical resistivity by four probe method and tensile properties. The electrical resistivity of the fibers was decreased by coating with nickel and the 10 wt% Cf/Ni nanocomposites has lower resistivity than the carbon fibers itself. Also, the electrical resistivity of the neat EVA is decreased from 3.2 × 1010 to 1.4 × 104 Ω cm in case of the reinforced 0.5 wt% Cf/Ni-EVA polymer composite. However, the ultimate elongation and the Young’s modulus of the neat EVA polymer was increased by reinforcing with carbon fibers and its nickel composite.

Despite enormous popularity of graphene oxide (GO) several open questions remain regarding the structure and properties of this material. One of those questions is the role of a graphite precursor on the properties of GO product. In this study, we investigate the oxidation process and the structure of GO products, made from the four different graphite precursors: synthetic graphite, two natural flaky graphites, and expanded graphite. The highest rate of the oxidation reaction was registered for the small particle size synthetic graphite. Thermal expansion of natural flaky graphite did not significantly affect the rate of the reaction. The nature of the graphite precursor does not notably affect the chemical composition of the synthesized GO products. However, it affects stability of respective aqueous dispersions. The solutions of the three GO samples, prepared from the natural graphite sources demonstrate excellent stability due to complete exfoliation of GO to single-atomic-layer sheets. GO from synthetic graphite forms unstable dispersions due to the presence of numerous multi-layered particles. This, in turn, is explained by the presence of not fully graphitized, amorphous inclusions in synthetic graphite. Our observations suggest that synthetic graphite should not be used as GO precursor when the ability to completely exfoliate and the stability of dispersions are critical for intended applications.

In the current study, the epoxy material was mixed with 10%, and 30% weight percent carbon material as filler in different thicknesses (1 cm, 1.5 cm, and 2 cm). Transmission electron microscope (TEM) measurements showed the average size of the nano-carbon was 20 nm with a standard deviation of 5 nm. The morphology of samples was examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which showed the flatness of the epoxy surface, and when the content of carbon increases, the connection between the epoxy array and carbon increases. The compression test indicates the effect of nano-size on enhancing the mechanical properties of the studied samples. To survey the shielding properties of the epoxy/carbon composites using gamma-rays emitted from Am-241, Ba-133, Cs-137, Co-60, and Eu-152 sources, which covered a wide range of energies from 0.059 up to 1.408 MeV, the gamma intensity was measured using the NaI (Tl) detector. The linear and mass attenuation coefficients were calculated by obtaining the area under each peak of the energy spectrum observed from Genie 2000 software in the presence and absence of the sample. The experimental results obtained were compared theoretically with XCOM software. The comparison examined the validity of experimental results where the relative division rate ranged between 0.02 and 2%. Also, the measurement of the relative division rate between linear attenuation coefficients of microand nano-composites was found to range from 0.9 to 21% The other shielding parameters are calculated at the same range of energy, such as a half-value layer (HVL), mean free path (MFP), tenth-value layer (TVL), effective atomic number (Zeff), and the buildup factors (EBF and EABF). The data revealed a consistent reduction in the particle size of the shielding material across various weight percentages, resulting in enhanced radiation shielding capabilities. The sample that contains 30% nano-carbon has the lowest values of TVL (29.4 cm) and HVL (8.85 cm); moreover, it has the highest value of the linear attenuation coefficient (LAC), which makes it the best in its ability to attenuate radiation.

Vespa mandarinia (Vespidae: Hymenoptera) is one of the two largest true hornets known to science. The species is a noted predator of social Hymenoptera and a significant pest of managed honey bees in its native range, but is also known to feed on a wide variety of other species when available. Most of the prey records for V. mandarinia are derived from visual observations in Japan, with sparse observations from other parts of its native range. A population of V. mandarinia was detected in North America in 2019 and five nests were removed between 2019 and 2021. We extracted DNA from larval meconia from four nests collected in Washington State, USA, and amplified the CO1 region to determine the potential prey base. We compared these with sequences generated from three nests in the Republic of Korea, and with prey pellets collected from foraging hornets at several locations in Korea. Results indicate that the prey base was much wider in the ROK than the USA, although social Hymenoptera were the most abundant and common prey items in both regions. Prey range seems to be bound by an intersection of organism size and local biodiversity, with little evidence to suggest that the latter is a limiting factor in colony success.

The untreated effluent dropping into the environment from various textile industries is a major issue. To solve this problem, development of an efficient catalyst for the degradation of macro dye molecules has attracted extensive attention. This work is mainly focused on the synthesis of nickel–manganese sulfide decorated with rGO nanocomposite (Ni–Mn-S/rGO) as an effective visible photocatalyst for degradation of textile toxic macro molecule dye. A simple hydrothermal method was used to synthesize Ni–Mn-S wrapped with rGO. The prepared composites were characterized using various techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), Fourier transform infra-red spectrometer (FTIR), and ultra violet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy. The photocatalytic performance of nickel sulfide (NiS), manganese sulfide (MnS), nickel–manganese sulfide (Ni–Mn-S), and Ni–Mn-S/rGO nanocomposite was assessed by analyzing the removal of acid yellow (AY) and rose bengal (RB) dyes under natural sun light. Among these, the Ni–Mn-S/rGO nanocomposite showed the high photocatalytic degradation efficiency of AY and RB dyes (20 ppm concentration) with efficiency at 96.1 and 93.2%, respectively, within 150-min natural sunlight irradiation. The stability of photocatalyst was confirmed by cycle test; it showed stable degradation efficiency even after five cycles. This work confirms that it is an efficient approach for the dye degradation of textile dyes using sulfide-based Ni–Mn-S/rGO nanocomposite.

Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) along with carbon nanofibers and polyaniline composite have been explored as an electrochemical sensing platform in nitrite measurement at trace level. Owing to their topology, high surface area and porous structure, these metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) find widespread utility in different application domains. Nitrites are widely used as preservatives in dairy, meat products, and packaged food stuffs. They form N-nitrosamines, which are potential carcinogens and cause detrimental health effects. These ZIF-based MOFs along with carbon nanofibers and polyaniline have emerged as an efficient electrochemical sensing material. The composite has been characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and BET surface area studies. The electrochemical performance of the composite has been evaluated by forming as a thin film of composite on the surface of glassy carbon electrode and studying its impedance as well as electrochemical sensing behavior. The sensor exhibited good analytical response in nitrite measurement with a limit of detection of 8.1 μM. The developed sensing platform has been successfully applied to quantify the nitrite levels from water samples. The results obtained are in good agreement with the results of standard protocol.

The nanostructured dysprosium oxide ( Dy2O3) was synthesized by the co-precipitation method and incorporated with graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) using the ultrasonication method. The resultant product is denoted as Dy2O3/ g-C3N4 nanocomposite which was further used for electrochemical sensing of riboflavin (RF). The physicochemical properties of Dy2O3/ g-C3N4 nanocomposite were examined using several characterization techniques. The obtained results exhibit the nanocomposite formation with the preferred elemental compositions, functional groups, crystalline phase and desired surface morphology. The electrocatalytic performance of Dy2O3/ g-C3N4 nanocomposite was scrutinized with a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) via differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) techniques with the conventional three-electrode system. The modified electrode distributes more active surface area suggesting high electrocatalytic activity for the RF detection with two linear ranges (0.001–40 μM and 40–150 μM), a low detection limit of 48 nM and sound sensitivity (2.5261 μA μM−1 cm− 2). Further, the designed sensor possesses high selectivity, excellent stability, repeatability and reproducibility. Finally, the fabricated sensor was successfully estimated for the detection of RF in actual food sample analysis using honey and milk with better recovery.

In this research, in order to increase the oxidation resistance of graphite, kaolin and alumina powder with different ratios (26A-74S, 49A-51S, 72A-28S) and slurry method were used to create an aluminosilicate coating on the graphite substrate. In order to reduce the difference in the coefficients of thermal expansion of graphite with aluminosilicate coating, aluminum metaphosphate coating as an interlayer was prepared on the surface of graphite by cathodic electrochemical treatment. The isothermal oxidation test of the samples was carried out in air at a temperature of 1250 °C for 1, 3 and 5 h. The microstructure, chemical composition, and phase components of the coating were, respectively, analyzed by scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy-dispersive spectrometer and X-ray diffraction. The results indicated that, by increasing the withdrawal speed of the samples in slurry method, the amount of changes in the weight of the samples has increased and therefore had a direct effect on oxidation. In addition, it was approved that, at high-temperature oxidation, AlPO4 glass phase forms on aluminum metaphosphate interlayer which retards graphite oxidation. Along with aluminum metaphosphate, aluminosilicate coating also produces a glass phase which fills and seals the voids on the surface which prevents the oxygen to reach the surface of graphite. The created double-layer coating including an interlayer of aluminum metaphosphate + slurry coating prepared with the ratio of 26A-74S as the optimal coating in this research was able to increase the oxidation resistance of graphite by 73% at a temperature of 1250 °C.