Titanium alloys are widely used for biomedical implants due to their favorable mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, and biocompatibility; however, their high stiffness relative to bone can lead to stress shielding. This study developed porous Ti-10Zr-xNb alloys (x = 5, 10, 15, 20 wt %) via powder metallurgy using 600 MPa cold compaction, followed by high-vacuum sealed sintering to reduce stiffness through controlled porosity. All alloys exhibited a biphasic α + β microstructure, with the β phase fraction increasing with the Nb content. The Ti-10Zr-20Nb alloy achieved the highest mechanical performance, with a compressive strength of 844.70 ± 20.92 MPa and an elastic modulus of 32.51 ± 1.52 GPa, within the modulus range of cortical bone. Electrochemical tests (OCP, EIS, PDP) conducted in simulated body fluid revealed a gradual decline in corrosion resistance with the increasing Nb content despite nearly constant porosity levels. This behavior is attributed to Nb-induced β phase stabilization and its likely influence on passive film defect chemistry, which may promote defect-assisted charge transport and reduce the barrier effectiveness of the passive film under porous conditions. Among the compositions, Ti-10Zr-5Nb exhibited the highest corrosion resistance, with Ecorr = -0.0361 V and Icorr = 17.24 μA/cm2, whereas alloys with a higher Nb content showed more negative corrosion potentials and elevated corrosion currents. Overall, Ti-10Zr-20Nb offers the best mechanical compatibility for orthopedic load-bearing implants, whereas Ti-10Zr-5Nb provides favorable electrochemical stability for dental environments.

Polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) is widely being used in dentistry, while it has limited mechanical strength. Herein, PMMA composites were fabricated using heat cure technique within a system [(95-x) PMMA + 5 ZrO2 + x TiO2] (x = 8, 6, 4 and 2 wt%) and thoroughly characterized using density measurements, XRD, FTIR, SEM, EDAX, compression tests, 3-point bending, tribological, and hardness tests respectively. Moreover density, crystallite size, percentage of crystallinity, compressive strength, Young's modulus, flexural strength, flexural modulus, modulus of resilience, modulus of toughness, and brittleness coefficient were determined. Composite contains 5 wt% ZrO2 and 2 wt% TiO2 referred as ZPT2 exhibited the maximum compressive strength. Additionally, flexural strength and flexural modulus were found to be highest for ZPT2. The friction coefficient and hardness were found to be the lowest for ZPT2. In MTT (3-[4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2, 5- diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay, MG-63 osteoblast cells were exposed to various concentrations (5-30 mu g/ml) of the compounds for 24 h. The results indicated that no significant cytotoxicity was observed for ZPT2. According to the results of the dye exclusion experiment, DAPI (4, 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole), and DCFH-DA (2, 7-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate) staining, ZPT2 did not exhibit cellular damage, genotoxicity and reduced ROS (reactive oxygen species) production at lower concentrations. The combined biological results suggest that oral administration of the ZPT2 sample does not exhibit cytotoxicity and genotoxicity that makes it valuable for dentistry.

This study presents the development of Al-TiB2 functionally graded composites fabricated via centrifugal casting at mould speeds of 1000, 1100, and 1200 rpm for automotive applications. The influence of mould speed during fabrication on mechanical, tribological, and corrosion properties of the material was systematically investigated. Sliding wear was assessed under dry conditions using a pin-on-disc tribometer against EN31 steel at 160 rpm under loads of 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 N. Worn surfaces were examined to correlate microstructure with performance. Corrosion behaviour was evaluated through potentiodynamic polarization in 3.5% NaCl solution. Results indicate that TiB2 reinforcement significantly enhances tensile strength, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance. The composite produced at 1100 rpm exhibited the highest ultimate tensile strength of 271 MPa, an elastic modulus of 85.65 GPa, the lowest friction coefficient of 0.39, the lowest wear volume of 0.42 mm(3), and the lowest corrosion rate of 0.0003 mm/year among the tested samples. Composites fabricated at 1100 rpm show better properties in terms of tensile strength, corrosion, and wear resistance due to better reinforcement particle distribution with no agglomeration. These findings demonstrate that centrifugal casting provides controlled microstructural refinement, resulting in Al-TiB2 composites with superior mechanical and anticorrosive performance, making them promising candidates for advanced automotive components.

The tribocorrosion behavior of implant materials plays a critical role in their long-term performance, especially in harsh physiological environments. This study investigates the tribocorrosion response of three commonly used metallic biomaterials: stainless steel 316L (SS 316L), commercially pure titanium (cpTi), and Ti-6Al-4V alloy, all annealed at 900 °C for 2 hours. These tests were performed in simulated body fluid (SBF) at 37 °C to mimic human physiological conditions. Open-circuit potential (OCP) and potentiodynamic polarization (PDP) tribocorrosion tests were conducted to analyze the corrosion potential, current density, wear rate, and passivation behavior. Upon initiation of mechanical wear, the OCP dropped significantly, indicating passive film breakdown: from 172, 621, and 488 mV to − 347, − 1020, and − 930 mV for SS 316L, cpTi, and Ti-6Al-4V, respectively. SS 316L showed the lowest wear volume (0.008914 mm3) under OCP conditions, which increased significantly to 0.192778 mm3 under PDP, accompanied by pitting corrosion. In contrast, Ti-6Al-4V alloy displayed a decrease in wear volume from 0.33 mm3 in OCP to 0.30 mm3 in PDP under similar conditions. These findings highlight the superior tribocorrosion resistance and biocompatibility of titanium-based materials over SS 316L, affirming their greater suitability for biomedical implant applications in corrosive physiological environments.

This study presents the development of Al–TiB2 functionally graded composites fabricated via centrifugal casting at mould speeds of 1000, 1100, and 1200 rpm for automotive applications. The influence of mould speed during fabrication on mechanical, tribological, and corrosion properties of the material was systematically investigated. Sliding wear was assessed under dry conditions using a pin-on-disc tribometer against EN31 steel at 160 rpm under loads of 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 N. Worn surfaces were examined to correlate microstructure with performance. Corrosion behaviour was evaluated through potentiodynamic polarization in 3.5

Pure HAp and silver nanoparticles were synthesized via a microwave irradiation and green methods, while novel composites of HAp–TiC–Ag were fabricated by a scalable solid-state reaction method to improve their mechanical and biological performance.

The present study demonstrates the development of novel Ti-xZr (x = 5, 10, 15 and 20 wt.

This research emphasizes the development of biocompatible Ti-xNb (0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 wt.%) alloys through powder metallurgy to attain a lower elastic modulus, high strength, low wear, and high corrosion resistance appropriate for biomedical implants. The developed alloys were comprehensively analyzed through microstructural, physical, mechanical, electrochemical, biological, and tribological investigations to assess their suitability by comparing their properties with commercially pure titanium (cpTi). The outcomes demonstrate, powder metallurgy is an effective route for developing Ti-Nb alloys with several desirable properties. Incorporating niobium (Nb) into titanium (Ti) introduces the beta phase within the alloys, which increases with Nb concentration and contributes to decreasing the elastic modulus to as low as 43.47 +/- 4.9 GPa. All Ti-Nb alloys exhibits higher hardness and compressive strength than cpTi, with values of 403.23 +/- 21.38 HV and 1322.45 +/- 25.64 MPa obtained for the Ti-10Nb alloy. A lower concentration of Nb shows comparable corrosion resistance of the Ti-Nb alloys to cpTi, whereas a higher Nb concentration is unfavorable. Furthermore, the tribological findings demonstrate superior antifriction and antiwear properties in all Ti-Nb alloys compared to cpTi. Notably, Ti-10Nb displays outstanding wear resistance with a 41.82% lower friction coefficient in dry conditions and 31.11% in simulated body fluid (SBF), along with 81.08% reduction in wear volume in dry conditions and 63.11% in SBF compared to cpTi. Among all developed alloys, Ti-10Nb exhibits various desired properties, suggesting its potential as an alternative to cpTi for biomedical implant applications.

The most common denture material used for dentistry is poly-methyl-methacrylate (PMMA). Usually, the polymeric PMMA material has numerous biological, mechanical and cost-effective shortcomings. Hence, to resolve such types of drawbacks, attempts have been made to investigate fillers of the PMMA like alumina (Al 2 O 3 ), silica (SiO 2 ), zirconia (ZrO 2 ) etc. For the enhancement of the PMMA properties a suitable additive is required for its orthopedic applications. Herein, the main motive of this study was to synthesize a magnesium oxide (MgO) reinforced polymer-based hybrid nano-composites by using heat cure method with superior optical, biological and mechanical characteristics. For the structural and vibrational studies of the composites, XRD and FT-IR were carried out. Herein, the percentage of crystallinity for all the fabricated composites were also calculated and found to be 14.79–30.31. Various physical and optical parameters such as density, band gap, Urbach energy, cutoff energy, cutoff wavelength, steepness parameter, electron–phonon interaction, refractive index, and optical dielectric constant were also studied and their values are found to be in the range of 1.21–1.394 g/cm 3 , 5.44–5.48 eV, 0.167–0.027 eV, 5.68 eV, 218 nm, 0.156–0.962, 4.273–0.693, 1.937–1.932, and 3.752–3.731 respectively. To evaluate the mechanical properties like compressive strength, flexural strength, and fracture toughness of the composites a Universal Testing Machine (UTM) was used and their values were 60.3 and 101 MPa, 78 and 40.3 MPa, 5.85 and 9.8 MPa-m 1/2 respectively. Tribological tests of the composites were also carried out. In order to check the toxicity, MTT assay was also carried out for the PM0 and PM15 [(x)MgO + (100 − x) (C 5 O 2 H 8 ) n ] (x = 0 and 15) composites. This study provides a comprehensive insight into the structural, physical, optical, and biological features of the fabricated PMMA-MgO composites, highlighting the potential of the PM15 composite with its enhanced density, mechanical strength, and excellent biocompatibility for denture applications.

The body fluid plays a vital role in the degradation of metallic bio-implant during motion. The present investigation evaluates the tribological behavior of austenitic stainless steel (SS 316L), commercially pure titanium (cPTi), and grade 5 titanium (Ti6Al4V) in different body fluids like artificial saliva (AS), phosphate buffer solution (PBS), ringer's solution (RS), and simulated body fluid (SBF). The chemical composition of all these solutions is nearly the same as human body fluid. The wear rate and coefficient of friction (cof) were evaluated for each sample in wet conditions against a zirconia ball of diameter 10 mm at a constant load of 10 N. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image of the worn surface is used for wear rate calculation. Ti6Al4V showed the lowest cof in the ringer solution and the highest in SBF. The average cof value against the counterpart of SS 316L, cPTi, and Ti6Al4V increases in SBF. All three samples showed more than 0.61 cof in artificial saliva. The cof value under PBS shows a moderate result for all the samples at constant load. This study reveals the application of these implant materials at a specific location according to the body fluid concentration.

Queues are a typical occurrence in everyday life, particularly during peak hours in Fair Price Shops (FPS), government offices, banks, post offices, super markets, hospitals, and clinics. The arrival rate, service rate, and server usage all play a role in the queueing process of any system. We expect a balance between waiting time and server utilization in an effective system, with the ideal being less waiting time and maximum server utilization. This paper investigates efficient queue management in FPS using M/M/C queueing model. The major goal of this research is to minimize customer waiting time in the FPS with the minimal number of servers. It demonstrates the application of the simulation modelling as a method for optimizing the number of servers in a specific FPS in Kerala, India. The model was developed to provide the outcomes of system parameters like arrival rate, waiting time and server utilization.

Titanium and its alloys are used to make dental implants because of its low density, high strength, and corrosion resistance. This paper describes the development of a potential biomaterial Ti-10Nb by powder metallurgy utilizing four different compaction pressures and analyses its microstructural, physical, mechanical, electrochemical, biological, and tribological behavior under various situations. The alloys were fabricated using four different compaction pressures, that is, 600, 650, 700, and 750 MPa, and sintered in a vacuum atmosphere at 1000°C for 1.5 h. The density of the samples was measured using Archimedes principle. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy were used to investigate the phase composition and microstructure, and a profilometer was used to examine the surface roughness of various samples. Vickers hardness tester was used to evaluate hardness, and a universal testing machine was used for compression testing. Corrosion and wear behavior were examined using a potentiostat and a Bio-Tribometer, respectively. This Ti-10Nb alloys consist of α + β phase, and have 16% highest porosity in sample compacted at 600 MPa. The samples compacted at 750 MPa achieved highest hardness, yield strength, compressive strength, and elastic modulus of 450 ± 29.72 HV, 718.22 ± 16.37 MPa, 1543.59 ± 24.37 MPa, and 41.27 ± 3.29 GPa, respectively. In addition, it also possesses highest corrosion and wear resistance with lowest icorr of 0.3954 ± 0.008 μA/cm2 and wear volume of (31.25 ± 0.206) × 10-3  mm3 . These results indicate that the developed alloys have a variety of desirable properties, including high hardness, adequate compressive strength, good corrosion and wear resistance, apatite-forming capability, and a low elastic modulus, which is advantageous for avoiding stress shielding. Therefore, it may be recommended to use it as a dental implant material.

Mineral oil-based lubricants have lack of degradability, resulting in environmental hazards and natural loss when disposed of it in the environment. Therefore, replacing these mineral oil-based lubricants with renewable and biodegradable lubricants has become necessary due to various health issues and limited availability. The present work discusses the synthesis, antiwear, and antifriction behavior of vegetable oil-based nanolubricants. The two different nanoparticles, CuO and ZrO2, have been added separately with varying concentrations (0.25% as low, 0.50% as medium, and 0.75% w/w as high) as nanoadditive in two different vegetable-based base oils, i.e., sunflower and soybean oil. Formulation of these nanolubricants was carried out with a magnetic stirrer followed by ultrasonication for 1 h. Friction and wear behavior was investigated using four ball tester tribometer. All tests were conducted according to ASTM standards. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were used to examine worn surfaces. The results show that addition of CuO nanoparticles in both sunflower and soybean oil improved antifriction behavior with a reduction in coefficient of friction of 35.10% and 39.39%, respectively. Furthermore, addition of ZrO2 nanoparticles to soybean oil yields no improvement, whereas adding ZrO2 nanoparticles to sunflower oil yields a 27.64% reduction in coefficient of friction and 24% reduction in wear scar diameter, respectively.

Summary Astrocytes branch out and make contact at their interfaces. However, the ultrastructural interactions of astrocytes and astrocytes with their surroundings, including the spatial-location selectivity of astrocyte-synapse contacts, remain unknown. Here, the branching architecture of three neighboring astrocytes, their contact interfaces, and their surrounding neurites and synapses have been traced and 3D reconstructed using serial block-face scanning electron microscopy (SBF-SEM). Our reconstructions reveal extensive reflexive, loop-like processes that serve as scaffolds to neurites and give rise to spongiform astrocytic morphology. At the astrocyte-astrocyte interface, a cluster of process-process contacts were identified, which biophysically explains the existence of low inter-astrocytic electrical resistance. Additionally, we found that synapses uniformly made contact with the entire astrocyte, from soma to terminal processes, and can be ensheathed by two neighboring astrocytes. Lastly, in contrast to densely packed vesicles at the synaptic boutons, vesicle-like structures were scant within astrocytes. Together, these ultrastructural details should expand our understanding of functional astrocyte-astrocyte and astrocyte-neuron interactions.

Mathematical models for pollutant transport in semi-infinite aquifers are based on the advection-dispersion equation (ADE) and its variants. This study employs the ADE incorporating time-dependent dispersion and velocity and space-time dependent source and sink, expressed by one function. The dispersion theory allows mechanical dispersion to be directly proportional to seepage velocity. Initially the aquifer is assumed contaminant free and an additional source term is considered at the inlet boundary. A flux type boundary condition is considered in the semi-infinite part of the domain. Laplace transform technique (LTT) is then applied to obtain a closed form analytical solution. The effect of source/sink term as a function in the one-dimensional advection-dispersion equation is explained through the graphical representation for the set of input data based on similar data available in hydrological literature. Matlab software is used to obtain the graphical representation of the obtained solution. The obtained analytical solution of the proposed model may be helpful in the groundwater hydrology areas.

Aim To compare the periodontal status in relation to the lower anteriors of patients between labial and lingual orthodontic therapy. Materials and methods The study includes a total of 20 patients in the age group of 20-30 years. All the included patients were selected with limited lower anterior crowding within 0-8 mm. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups: labial (n=10) and lingual (n=10) fixed orthodontic therapy. The periodontal status was evaluated using three indices, plaque index, calculus index, and gingival index, at two different treatment intervals - the first month and the third month - of orthodontic treatment. Results The values of all the three indices at both time intervals were tabulated. There was no statistical significance when compared to the values in the first month. In the third month, all three indices were statistically significant for both labial and lingual therapy (p<0.001). The lingual appliance had more plaque and calculus accumulation. Conclusion Therefore, the study proves that the lingual surface of patients undergoing lingual orthodontic treatment exhibits more plaque and calculus deposition, thereby the weakening of the periodontal status.

This study brings out the efficacy of the gravity and magnetic methods in delineating the subsurface features, such as fault/ tectonic contact and basin boundaries in parts of Singrauli and Sidhi districts of Madhya Pradesh (India). The Bouguer gravity and magnetic anomaly map, which was subjected to several filtering and processing techniques, clearly reflected the inferred structural features, which in turn correlate well with the geological features trending in E-W and NE-SW direction. Magnetic anomaly of higher amplitudes in the northwestern part, coincides with the presence of metabasalt, biotite schist and BIF, whereas in the northeastern part, it is due to the concentration of the magnetite grains in biotite schist and phyllite. The regional gravity low observed in central, northeastern and southwestern parts of the area is ascribed to sedimentary rocks belonging Gondwana formation. The residual gravity map shows several local gravity anomalies with amplitude and direction. Similarly, the residual magnetic anomalies reveal various shapes with the direction of extensions and orientations. The inferred boundary/ contact zone (F1-F1' and F3-F3') and faults like Amsi-Jiawan (F5-F5') and Jamui-Markundi (F6-F6'), are clearly brought out in the Total Horizontal Derivative (THDR) and Tilt derivative (TDR) maps of gravity data. The THDR of the magnetic data shows magnetic maxima over the Mahakoshal formation and also at various scattered locations in the northeastern and central parts of the map. The TDR of the magnetic data depicts anomalies close to zero magnetic values that coincide with edges or boundaries of the inferred faults like Amsi-Jiawan (F5-F5') and Jamui-Markundi (F6-F6'). The majority of Euler solutions fall at the contact between two litho-units faults/ contacts, with varying depth of 0.5 to 2.5km.

Electrochemical impedance analysis, in-situ dilatometry, in-situ electrochemical calorimetry and ex-situ SEM have been shown to be effective diagnostics for studying formation of lithium dendrites in cells. Effect of lithium polysulfides present in the electrolyte in a Li–S cell, on the suppression of fine-dispersed heterogenous non-planar lithium dendrite precipitations during cycling of lithium symmetric cells was studied in accelerated DC cycling tests by a combination of the above techniques. It is shown that deliberate incorporation of lithium polysulfides in electrolyte solutions leads to decreasing rate of accumulation of fine-dispersed lithium (dendrite precipitations) on the surface of a lithium electrode which results in increasing the cycle life of lithium symmetric cells by 200–250% in accelerated tests, thus enhancing safety. It is demonstrated that electrochemical dilatometry and EC calorimetry are sensitive to changes on the surface of lithium electrode and can be used for early identification of dendrite formation during cycling of lithium electrodes. In-situ electrochemical dilatometry can not only identify formation of Li dendrites at early stages but also quantify the growth rate. The presence of high surface area lithium is more corrosive towards the electrolyte and can be monitored by the use of in-situ EC calorimetry for heat generation by corrosion during a cycle. Cycle life is limited by evenness/continuity of electrolyte solution in cell, which must essentially fill internal volume of the cell (all the pores without leaving any “dry area”).

Steroidal glycoalkaloids, a category of glycosidic ingradients are originated from nitrogen-containing steroids. Structurally it includes of C27 cholestane skeleton to that 1 to 5 sugar moieties are hooked up at the 3-OH region of the aglycone part. Solasodine, in most of the solanaceous plants occurs as an aglycone a region of glycoalkloids, like solasonine, solamargine etc. Solasodine is employed as a hormone precursor within the steroid drug business for the manufacturing corticosteroids, anabolic steroids, antifertility drugs etc. Isolated Solasodine from solanum plants exploits its medicinal properties such as anticonvulsant, CNS depressant, antioxidant, cytotoxic, antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory, antiatherosclerotic, antimicrobial, and antiobesity activity, etc. In acut toxicity study, LD50 of Solasodine was found to be 1500 mg/kg after intraperitoneal administration and 2000 mg/kg, after oral administration in rats. Present review has set about to bring updated information regarding to pharmacological activities of solasodine, which may be helpful to researchers to explore a new bioactive molecules for various therapeutic application.