Mandalay University

The increasing demand in power of modern environmental and health sensors have spurred the development of ambient energy harvesting to reduce reliance in battery. Thermoelectric generators (TEGs) are a promising technology, which convert waste or body heat into electricity. However, their power output is severely limited by the thermal impedance mismatch, particularly between the human skin and TEG interface. This work introduces a novel approach to overcome this limitation by integrating a hydrogel into the TEG system. It has been revealed that the enthalpy from the hydrogel's water evaporation effectively achieves thermal impedance matching while simultaneously maximizing the heat flux. Furthermore, by optimizing the TEG's fill-factor, we increased the power density by nearly two orders of magnitude compared to conventional TEG systems. As a proof of concept, our device combined body heat with hydrogel evaporation using an optimized fill-factor of 0.48 (using 52 % less material). This setup achieved a power density of 150 mu Wcm-2, which was sufficient to power four wireless sensors. This work demonstrates a counter-intuitive synergistic benefit, that is achieving superior thermal matching while significantly reducing thermoelectric material usage. Our findings redefine optimization approach for TEGs and offer a viable pathway toward realizing off-grid, self-powered sensors.

The rise of flowering plants from the Late Cretaceous to early Palaeogene (approx. 100-50 Ma) triggered a macroecological transformation on land, propelling a sustained increase in biodiversity. While insect pollinators and herbivores played key roles in this shift, direct fossil evidence of insect pollination of gymnosperms remains scarce. Here, we report two exceedingly rare nitiduloid beetles (Coleoptera) in amber that bear dense coverings of Eucommiidites pollen, attributed to the extinct gymnosperm order Erdtmanithecales, providing direct evidence for insect pollination of extinct seed plants. The exceptional preservation in amber, combined with high-resolution morphological data derived from destructive (high-precision dissection) and non-destructive imaging (confocal laser scanning microscopy), enables unambiguous reconstruction of pollen transport and interactions between these beetles and their gymnosperm hosts. The co-occurrence of thrips (Thysanoptera) with similar pollen and associated pollen-laden coprolites suggests complex plant-insect interactions and convergent evolution of pollen-feeding behaviours. Together, these findings reveal a novel insect-mediated pollination mode that contributed to structuring the Mesozoic terrestrial biodiversity prior to the ecological dominance of flowering plants.

In this paper, dynamical properties and positive steady states of a diffusive predator-prey system with fear effect and Beddington-DeAngelis functional response subject to Neumann boundary conditions are investigated. Dynamical properties of time-dependent solutions and the stationary patterns induced by diffusion (Turing patterns) are presented.

This study bridges the gaps identified in the literature on authentic leadership, value congruence, and personal creativity in influencing employee performance in Islamic banking institutions in Indonesia. The research limits its scope to the instance of PT Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI) by involving a number of branch offices in the Surabaya area. While previous studies have confirmed the leadership-performance relationship, few have investigated the moderating role of authentic leadership on an Islamic banking context based on ethics and values rooted in Sharia principles. Using a quantitative approach with 98 participants from several BSI branches, data were examined using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results show that authentic leadership highly magnifies the role of value congruence and personal creativity towards Islamic banking performance. The novelty of this study relies on integrating Social Exchange Theory with Islamic values by focusing on achieving a balance between innovation and ethical compliance. In practice, the findings suggest that authentic leadership development programs in Islamic banking institutions need to be reinforced to produce innovation with ethics and to uphold organizational effectiveness.

Introduction: Beta-tricalcium phosphate (βTCP) has higher solubility than hydroxyapatite (HA), allowing it to be more easily resorbed and replaced by newly formed bone. This higher solubility enables the release of calcium and phosphate ions that play important roles in bone remodeling and osteoblast activity; however, excessive ion release may lead to cytotoxic effects. Limestone, mainly composed of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), can serve as a calcium source for the fabrication of βTCP. βTCP scaffolds can be combined with organic components such as chitosan and gelatin to form composite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the cytotoxicity of a β-tricalcium phosphate–chitosan–gelatin composite scaffold as a bone substitute. Methods: Type of research was experimental laboratory. Freeze-drying method was used to produce a composite scaffold which was divided into two groups: chitosan-gelatin scaffold as control group and βTCP-chitosan-gelatin scaffold (each group consisted of three samples) To evaluate cytotoxicity, composite scaffolds were tested on osteoblast cells and the MTT assay was measured and assessed based on time evaluation at 24 hours and 72 hours. Cytotoxicity was determined based on the percentage of viable cells obtained from the MTT assay. Results: Viable cells percentage on the chitosan-gelatin scaffold was 70.32% at 24 h and increased to 99.52% at 72 h. While on the chitosan-gelatin-βTCP scaffold there were 85.11% viable cells at 24 h and increased to 89.54% at 72 h. Statistical analysis using one-way ANOVA showed no significant difference among all groups (p>0.05). However, Fisher’s LSD test indicated a significant difference in cell viability between 24 hours and 72 hours within the chitosan gelatin group. Conclusion: The βTCP-chitosan-gelatin composite scaffold demonstrated no cytotoxic effect on osteoblast cells, indicating its biocompatibility and potential suitability as a bone substitute material.