The effects of Zn2+ stress on seed germination, seedling growth and chlorophyll content were studied in order to better understand the effect of heavy metal Zn on the growth and development of green plants. The concentration gradient of Zn2+ was 20, 50,100,150,200,300,500,700mg / L, and deionized water was used as control. The results showed that under the Zn2+ stress condition, the germination index of the rhubarb seeds increased with the increase of Zn2+ concentration. Germination potential, germination rate and germination index were the highest when Zn2+concentration was 100mg / L, the conductivity was the lowest at zinc concentration of 100mg / L, the root length, stem length and chlorophyll content of Zn2+ gradually reduced. The results showed that the amount of Zn2+ could promote seed germination, but the root length, bud length and chlorophyll content of seedlings could be affected by different degrees. The zinc fertilizer should be used in the production.

Alginate-silver nanocomposites in the form of spherical beads and films were prepared using a green approach by using the aqueous extract of Ajwa date seeds. The nanocomposites were fabricated by in situ reduction and gelation by ionotropic crosslinking using calcium ions in solution. The rich phytochemicals of the date seed extract played a dual role as a reducing and stabilizing agent in the synthesis of silver nanoparticles. The formation of silver nanoparticles was studied using UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, and a distinct surface plasmon resonance peak at 421 nm characteristic of silver nanoparticles confirmed the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles. The morphology of the nanocomposite beads and film was compact, with an even distribution of silver nanoclusters. The catalytic property of the nanocomposite beads was evaluated for the degradation of 2-nitrophenol in the presence of sodium borohydride. The degradation followed pseudo-first-order kinetics with a rate constant of 1.40 × 10⁻³ s⁻¹ at 23 ℃ and an activation energy of 18.45 kJ mol⁻¹. The thermodynamic parameters, such as changes in enthalpy and entropy, were evaluated to be 15.22 kJ mol⁻¹ and −197.50 J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹, respectively. The nanocomposite exhibited properties against three clinically important pathogens (gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria).

Modelling and simulation have now become standard methods that serve to cut the economic costs of R&D for novel advanced systems. This paper introduces the study of modelling and simulation of the infrared thermography process to detect defects in the hydroelectric penstock. A 3-D penstock model was built in ANSYS version 19.2.0. Flat bottom holes of different sizes and depths were created on the inner surface of the model as an optimal scenario to represent the subsurface defect in the penstock. The FEM was applied to mimic the heat transfer in the proposed model. The model’s outer surface was excited at multiple excitation frequencies by a sinusoidal heat flux, and the thermal response of the model was presented in the form of thermal images to show the temperature contrast due to the presence of defects. The harmonic approximation method was applied to calculate the phase angle, and its relationship with respect to defect depth and defect size was also studied. The results confirmed that the FEM model has led to a better understanding of lock-in infrared thermography and can be used to detect subsurface defects in the hydroelectric penstock.

Objective: To evaluate the ponticulus posticus according to the skeletal relationship found in strict lateral radiographs at the Centro Dental Docente of the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia during the period 2015–2017, using the classification according to the degree of mineralization described by Selby and Steiner’s skeletal relationship classification. Material and methods: It was performed on digital strict lateral radiographs using a 20-inch screen using the SIDEXIS XG program, observing the degree of mineralization of the ponticulus posticus: without evidence of the bony spicule over the vertebral artery = absent bridge, when spicule formation and/or calcification was noted or evident in the middle of the bridge or incompletely = partial bridge, when the bony arch was evident finished visualizing = complete bridge and the classification of the skeletal relationship by measuring the ANB angle: Class I = 0–4°; Class II = >4° and Class III = <0°: the statistical analysis was done with the SPSS V program.22.0 for Windows using the Chi-square tests. Results: Of the 925 digital strict lateral radiographs evaluated, 283 radiographs were found to present ponticulus posticus and the highest frequency was found in the absent type (69.4%), the partial type (17.1%) and the complete type (13.5%). The ponticulus posticus was present in 25.1% of the female and 38.4% of the male. The skeletal relationship associated with ponticulus posticus was present in Class II (19.1%), Class I (10.4%) and Class III (1.1%). Conclusions: The ponticulus posticus is an anatomical variant present in 30.6% of cases. No statistically significant difference was found between the presence of ponticulus posticus and skeletal relationship or sex.

Land use or land cover (LU/LC) mapping serves as a kind of basic information for land resource study. Detecting and analyzing the quantitative changes along the earth’s surface has become necessary and advantageous because it can result in proper planning, which would ultimately result in improvement in infrastructure development, economic and industrial growth. The LU/LC pattern in Madurai City, Tamil Nadu, has undergone a significant change over the past two decades due to accelerated urbanization. In this study, LU/LC change dynamics were investigated by the combined use of satellite remote sensing and geographical information system. To understand the LU/LC change in Madurai City, different land use categories and their spatial as well as temporal variability have been studied over a period of seven years (1999-2006), by analyzing Landsat images for the years 1999 and 2006 respectively with the help of ArcGIS 9.3 and ERDAS Imagine 9.1 software. This results show that geospatial technology is able to effectively capture the spatio-temporal trend of the landscape patterns associated with urbanization in this region.

Nomophobia, the anxiety experienced when individuals are separated from their mobile phones, is becoming increasingly prevalent in modern workplaces. This study investigates the role of organizational commitment in mitigating nomophobia, with a focus on the mediating influence of the ethical environment. Data were collected from 600 participants and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The findings show that a strong sense of organizational commitment significantly reduces nomophobia among employees. Additionally, an ethical environment within organizations further mitigates this anxiety by fostering a workplace culture that encourages psychological well-being. This research provides practical insights for organizations looking to reduce the psychological strain associated with digital dependency, emphasizing the importance of both commitment and a strong ethical climate.