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Measuring the Impact of a Science & Technology Communication Workshop on Participants’ Attitudes
No full text36-52Effective science communication is crucial for public
engagement, policy influence, and research support, yet many
scientists struggle to convey complex concepts to non-expert
audiences. To address this challenge, the Council of Scientific and
Industrial Research-National Institute of Science Communication
Policy Research, in collaboration with Global Health Strategies,
conducted a Science & Technology Communication workshop in
June 2024. This study evaluates the workshop’s impact through
pre and post-workshop surveys based on Social Cognitive Career
Theory (SCCT), assessing participants' confidence, skills, and
perceptions in science communication abilities, particularly in
writing, verbal engagement, and social media use. Participants
reported increased confidence, a greater appreciation for science
communication, and an intention to integrate these skills into their
careers. Interactive elements such as group discussions and handson
exercises were especially effective. The workshop exceeded
expectations, highlighting the need for continued training and
support to sustain skill development and long-term engagement in
science communication
Thermal and electrical properties of multi-layer knitted fabric assemblies for protective clothing
No full text70-76This study investigates the thermal comfort properties of knitted fabrics by analysing key parameters such as thermal conductivity, thermal resistance, and surface and volume resistivity. Single- and multi-layer fabric assemblies, comprising wool/acrylic blends with varying ratios and polypropylene fabrics with different filament counts, are examined in combination with lightweight 100% cotton and breathable fabrics. The influence of these variables on the thermal and electrical properties of knitted fabrics is systematically evaluated. The aim is to establish relationships between the thermal insulation and electrical properties of single-layer and multilayer fabric assemblies. The findings reveal that the highest thermal resistance is observed in CP9B (a three-layer assembly comprising cotton fabric, polypropylene pile-knitted fabric and breathable fabric). The highest surface and volume resistivity values are recorded in sample CP1B
Genomic and structural studies on S-Glutathione transferases to confer herbicide tolerance in rice through computational approach
No full text533-543The usage of herbicides is essential to sustain agricultural productivity throughout the world. Plants have natural
mechanisms to detoxify herbicides where the most important steps are catalyzed by certain enzymes such as cytochrome
P450 mono-oxygenases (CYPs) (catalyze oxidation reactions) and glutathione transferases (GSTs) (conjugate electrophilic
herbicides with the tripeptide glutathione (GSH). The GST/GSH system has been found to play a major role in the
detoxification of several classes of herbicides and therefore in the herbicide-resistance mechanism of weeds. GST structures
have been determined experimentally in Zea mays, Arabidopsis thaliana, Glycine max, etc. that provide structural and
functional insights on xenobiotics detoxification on rice. There is a lot of unexplored space regarding the structure and
ligand binding specificity of rice GSTs in plants. In this study, we have analyzed the rice GSTs of various classes and have
modeled their structure to understand their conserved nature. It is important to understand the similarity and their interaction
pattern with herbicides observed among the diverse class of GSTs expressed in the rice. Rice genomic data available in
public databases were used to predict the conserved and variable regions in rice GSTs. Sequence-wise comparison of 79
GST sequences categorized all the seven GST classes separately and no similarity between them was observed. Structure
comparison reported similarity between the Phi and Theta classes having the least RMSD value of 1.195Åwhereas the Dhar
and Phi classes were highly diverging with the highest RMSD value of 3.051Å. The docking result showed the higher
affinity of glutathione, and chlorsulfuron herbicide towards ZETA protein compared to other GST classes. Further alanine
mutation analysis reported the higher binding efficiency upon mutating ARG 24 and TYR 102 amino acids towards the
binding of chlorsulfuron herbicide, respectively. Molecular dynamics simulation using GROMACS was successful in
capturing the dynamics of the alanine mutated Zeta-Chlorsulfuron complexes, and the stable behavior of the complex may
have implications for the herbicide detoxification process
Performance evaluation of woven fabrics made from recycled PET and recycled cotton fibres
No full text31-40This study investigates the performance properties of woven fabrics produced using rotor yarns in both weft and warp directions, which contain recycled polyethylene terephthalate (r-PET) fibres from PET bottles and recycled cotton fibres
(r-CO) from cotton clothing wastes in different blend ratios. Additionally, fabrics are produced using weft and warp yarns composed of virgin fibres, including 100% virgin cotton (CO), 100% virgin polyester (PET), and a 50/50% CO/r-CO blend, to enable performance comparisons. Samples containing recycled fibres exhibit higher yarn unevenness, thick places and neps values, along with lower breaking strength, tear strength, relative water vapour permeability, air permeability compared to their virgin counterparts. Among samples composed entirely of 100% recycled fibres, an increasing r-CO fibre ratio corresponds to greater unevenness, thick places and neps values, while air permeability and thermal resistance decrease. However, noconsistent trend emerges in breaking strength, elongation, tear strength, abrasion resistance, or relative water vapour permeability, depending on fibre blend ratios
Theoretical Investigation of Relativistic Electrons in DT, D3He, and P11B Fusion Plasma using ICF Approach
No full text212-223The study of ICF is important and requires a long time due to the various physical phenomena. One of the phenomena is
the interaction potentials between ions and electrons that can provide the possibility of studding the fusion plasma more
accurate. Dynamic properties of dense plasma enables us to evaluate the thermonuclear reaction parameters more accurately.
In general, in this work we were able to investigate the role of relativistic electrons in DT, D3He, and P11B fusion plasma
using ICF approach in terms of temperature, distance, and Lorentz factor. The results of our calculations show that the
calculated parameters in our work for the DT fusion fuel are in good agreement with the results of other groups, which
shows the validity of our research work. While for the parameters belong to D3He and p11B fuels no references were found
for comparison, because they have been studied for the first time by the authors of this article. It is hoped that this work can
be a foundation for further research of aneutronic fuels
Operation of Dual MPPT Enabled Hybrid Microgrid under Variable Irradiation Conditions and its Positive Impact on Stability of AC Conventional Grid
No full text339-353The growing population, technological advancements, and heightened economic activities drive a greater demand for
energy within the AC conventional grid. However, this energy demand can be met by utilizing renewable energy sources
such as solar, wind, and biomass. These alternative energy sources generate electricity influenced by varying input factors,
such as solar irradiation and temperature for photovoltaic systems, as well as wind speed and pitch angle for wind turbines.
Among these factors, solar irradiance is the most unpredictable, affected by numerous environmental influences such as air
pollution, cloud cover, and changing weather patterns. As a result, photovoltaic arrays have a significant impact on energy
production, thereby affecting the stability of the traditional AC grid as it seeks to meet the increasing power demand. This
paper proposes a solution to enhance the stability of the AC conventional grid through a novel hybrid microgrid that
integrates dual MPPT-enabled photovoltaic and wind turbine generators, particularly during peak load conditions
