This study aimed to investigate different types of glasses based on the 46V₂O₅-46P₂O₅-(8-x) B₂O₃-xCuO system in terms of their nuclear radiation shielding properties. Accordingly, five different CuO-doped vanadate glasses were investigated extensively to determine the necessary gamma shielding parameters along with effective conductivity at 300,000 and buildup factors. Phy-x PSD software was used for determination of these vital parameters. Furthermore, these parameters, such as half value layer, tenth value layer, and mean free path were investigated in a broad energy range between 0.015 and 15 MeV. The results revealed that the amount of CuO reinforced in each sample plays an essential role in determination of the shielding abilities of the samples. The sample with the highest CuO content had the highest linear attenuation coefficient and mass attenuation coefficient values. Additionally, the lowest mean free path, half value layer, and tenth value layer values were recorded for glass sample VPCu8. There was an inverse relation between the effective conductivity and effective atomic number and photon energy; that is, as energy increases, the effective conductivity and effective atomic number decreased rapidly, especially in the regions of low energy. Glass sample VPCu8 reported the highest values for both parameters. Moreover, glass sample VPCu8 had the lowest exposure buildup factor and energy absorption buildup factor values. Our findings showed that CuO-reinforced vanadate glass composition, namely 46V₂O₅-46P₂O₅-8CuO, with a glass density of 2.9235 g/cm³, was reported to have superior gamma ray attenuation properties. These results would be helpful for scientists in determining the most appropriate additive rare earth type, as well as the most appropriate glass composition, to offer shielding characteristics similar to those described above, taking into consideration the criteria for usage and the needs of the community. The results of this research will be useful to the scientific community in evaluating the prospective characteristics of CuO-doped glass systems and related glass compositions. CuO-doped glass systems and associated glass compositions have a wide range of properties.

There is a rising demand for advanced new materials in food packaging to meet the growing economic and sustainability requirements. Natural fibers have excellent mechanical and thermal isolation properties and lower production costs than synthetic fibers, making them suitable candidates for the development of sustainable food packaging. Other characteristics of natural fibers, i.e., low cost, easy availability, and low impact on the environment, making these materials a promising option for food packaging. The primary focus of this study is to utilize multivariable analysis, an analytic hierarchy process and a multi-criteria decision analysis to select appropriate natural fiber reinforcement for food packaging from commonly used plant fibers (coir, date palm, hemp, sisal, jute, flax, corn stalk, banana, bamboo, cotton). The multivariable selection system is used to compare crucial food packaging materials’ requirements and production parameters gathered different properties including density, Young modulus, elongation to break, moisture content, thermal conductivity, cost, availability, etc, to help identify appropriate natural fibers. From the results, selecting the most appropriate natural fiber depends on the design requirements, cost, and availability; all these parameters are also affected by the geological conditions and customer needs. Single parameter comparison is used to compare the investigated natural fiber; then analytic hierarchy process is used to rank the highest priority parameters for the natural fiber selection process. The results showed that density (22%), cost (13.6%), moisture content (11.7%), thermal conductivity (10.7%), elongation at break (7.7%), and Young modulus (7.4%) are rated in the order of priority. Hemp, banana and sisal fibers are ranked as the best choices for the food packaging by the multi-criteria decision analysis, i.e. TOPSIS. Examples are presented considering the multivariable analysis using radar charts to identify the best natural fibers source for countries such as Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India. Date palm is a preferred natural fiber source for food packaging reinforcement in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, whereas bamboo and jute are better choices for India and Bangladesh.

In the present work, Cerium (IV)-Zirconium (IV) oxide nanoparticles (CeO₄ZrNPs) was successfully dispersed into Chitosan/15Gelatin nanocomposites with different quantities. The obtained chitosan-based nanocomposites represented remarkable improvements in structural, morphological, mechanical, and thermal properties. Roughness increased from 74 nm to 6.4 nm, Young’s Modulus enhanced from 1.36 GPa to 2.99 GPa. The influence of dispersed CeO₄ZrNPs contents on the phase transition temperature (T _g) and the non-isothermal degradation processes of chitosan-based nanocomposites were examined using Differential Scanning Galorimetry (DSC) with different heating rates. Kinetic parameters of the thermal degradation for chitosan-based nanocomposites were evaluated using Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS) and Kissenger (KIS) procedures. Chitosan-based nanocomposites showed an increase in the thermal degradation temperature with higher activation energies, indicating improved thermal stability. Thermal analysis demonstrated that chitosan-based nanocomposites became more ordered by increasing CeO₄ZrNPs as inferred from the negative entropy increase. Moreover, the degradation of chitosan-based nanocomposites has been described as a non-spontaneous process. The resulting information is particularly important in applications in which there is a need to obtain chitosan nanocomposites with improved mechanical and thermal properties such as food packing industry.

Recent advances in functionalized organic Spiro heterocyclic compounds composed of nitrogen bonded five- and six-membered rings have been made, establishing them as a synthetic target in organic-based biomedical applications. In this work, we report a synthesis of spirocyclic compounds under a one-pot reaction using 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition in a regio and diastereoselective manner. The higher atomic economy with higher yield (95%) and regio and stereoselectivity were achieved by a multi-component reaction of L-proline (1), Indenoquinoxaline (2), and the dipolarophile of malononitrile (3) solvents followed by reflux conditions. The reaction intermediate comprised azomethineylides derived from reactive primary amines, and the spiro derivatives were synthesized up to a ≈ 95% yield. The structural and characteristic chemical components of the as-prepared Spiro compounds were characterized by ¹H-NMR, FTIR, and Mass spectroscopy. The functionalized spiro-pyrrolizidines were found to be effective for biological uses by considering their in vitro screening and antimicrobial impacts. Spiro constituents were found to be much more effective for Gram-positive bacteria due to the stronger lipophilic character of the molecules, and they resulted feasible membrane permeation in a biological system. Based on the planarity geometry of the Spiro pyrrolizidines, meta-substitution possesses steric hindrance and hence shows less effectiveness compared to para-substitution on the same nucleus, which shows a marginal steric effect. The biological studies showed that the derived spiro heterocyclic systems have an inhibitory effect of 50%.