This work investigates the use of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) as a high-refractive-index material for quarter-wave distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) in photonic applications. In comparison to Si3N4, a-Si:H enables enhanced optical confinement, broader omnidirectional reflectance, and improved figures of merit, including higher Purcell and quality factors, while minimizing mirror complexity. To evaluate the practical impact of these advantages, a theoretical comparison is conducted between Fabry–Pérot cavities based on a-Si:H/SiO2 and Si3N4/SiO2 DBRs, examining resonance shifts as functions of cavity refractive index (1.0–3.0) and temperature (0–250 °C). The numerical results indicate that Si3N4/SiO2 planar Bragg caviti

Hybrid architecture of ZnO nanorods/graphene oxide ZnO-NRs@GO synthesized by electrostatic self-assembly methods. The morphological, optical and luminescence characteristics of ZnO-NRs@GO and ZnO-NRs thin films have been described by FESEM, TEM, HRTEM, and AFM, which refers to graphene oxide have been coated ZnO-NRs with five layers. Here we synthesis ZnO-NRs@GO by simple, cheap and environmentally friendly method, which made it favorable for huge -scale preparation in many applications such as photocatalyst. ZnO-NRs@GO was applied as a photocatalyst Rodamin 6 G (R6G) dye from water using 532 nm diode laser-induced photocatalytic process. Overall degradation of R6G/ ZnO-NRs@GO was achieved after 90 minutes of laser irradiation while it ne

The novel Vierordt’s approach, or simultaneous equation method, was created and validated for the concurrent determination of vincristine sulfate (VCS) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) in pure solutions utilizing UV spectrophotometry. It is simple, precise, economical, rapid, reliable, and accurate. This method depends on measuring absorbance at two wavelengths, 296 nm and 278 nm, which correspond to the λ_max of VCS and BSA in deionized water, respectively. The calibration curves of VCS and BSA are linear at concentration ranges of 10–60 μg/mL and 200–1600 μg/mL, with correlation coefficient values (R²) of 1 and 0.999, respectively. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LO

Gender and culture are among the factors that influence the process of understanding and interpreting different types of communication, especially images. The current study, which is a part of a master’s thesis, aims at investigating the role of gender and culture in interpreting and understanding the caricatures that deal with women’s issues in Arab societies. To this end, the researchers adopted Barthes’ (1957) concepts of denotation and connotation in his theory of mythologies in addition to Langacker’s (1987) theory of (Domains). The research concludes that the female subjects have better cognitive abilities in investing the signs within the selected caricatures. The other factor the study reached to is that the respondents

Osteoporosis is a prevalent systemic metabolic disorder characterized by a reduction in bone mass and bone density, damage in microstructure of bone tissue, and raised bone fragility causing of fracture susceptibility. This study included 189 Iraqi adults aged 45–75 years, evaluating serum levels TGF-β3 and WNT5A across three groups: healthy individuals (n = 31) as control, those with primary osteoporosis/osteopenia (n = 61), and with comorbidity-related osteoporosis (linked to β-thalassemia, parathyroid disorders or diabetes; n = 97). Among those, β-thalassemia-associated osteoporosis patients showed the most distinct decrease in bone mineral density (0.57 ± 0.078 g/cm², p < 0.0001) along with marked increases in WNT5A (0.89 ± 0.68

Introduction. The coexistence of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is commonly observed, primarily due to overlapping risk factors like smoking and environmental exposures. This dual diagnosis introduces complex clinical scenarios, often associated with worsened outcomes and heightened vulnerability to treatment-related side effects. Immune checkpoint inhibitors, especially atezolizumab, have emerged as pivotal agents in enhancing clinical outcomes for individuals diagnosed with NSCLC. Recent evidence suggests that atezolizumab remains effective and well-tolerated in NSCLC patients with coexisting COPD. This review evaluates the efficacy and safety of atezolizumab in NSCLC patients with coex

Developing routes to produce cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) from high-lignin wood residues is essential for expanding sustainable nanocellulose feedstocks. In this work, Meranti (Shorea sp.) sawdust was valorized into CNCs by integrating ammonium persulfate (APS) pretreatment with subsequent sulfuric acid hydrolysis. To establish a severity map and define an operating window, APS pretreatment severity was systematically varied by adjusting APS concentration and the sawdust-to-APS (solid-to-liquid) ratio, and its influence on CNC structural properties was evaluated. APS pretreatment partially disrupted and oxidized the lignocellulosic matrix, enabling acid hydrolysis to liberate crystalline cellulose domains. XRD analysis confirmed th