Khan Karim, Muhammad Fahim, Jan Sher Khan, Rizwan Akram, Saima Rafique, Mozaffar Hussain, Muhammad Raza Hussain, Junaid Ahmed Khan
{"title":"Structural and thermoelectric properties of Ag doped (Ca2Co2O5)","authors":"Khan Karim, Muhammad Fahim, Jan Sher Khan, Rizwan Akram, Saima Rafique, Mozaffar Hussain, Muhammad Raza Hussain, Junaid Ahmed Khan","doi":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100410","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100410","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Phase controlled silver doped calcium cobalt oxide Ca<sub>2</sub>Co<sub>2-x</sub>Ag<sub>x</sub>O<sub>5</sub>, x = (0,0.04,0.08,0.12), was synthesized in the present work by the sol-gel method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the synthesis of pure Ca<sub>2</sub>Co<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub> and the doping of silver in orthorhombic calcium cobalt oxide. Theoretical modeling of XRD verified the doping, with both experimental and theoretical results indicating peak shifting toward lower angle. To check the morphology and nano-scale porosity of the sintered samples, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed. Silver doping significantly increased electrical conductivity due to an increase in carrier concentration, which was optimum at x = 0.12. Alongside this, composition exhibited a notable reduction in thermal conductivity due to defects in the crystal structure. Moreover, the Seebeck coefficient was slightly decreased due to an increase in the charge carrier. As a result, in the current study, the thermoelectric figure of merit (<em>zT</em>) demonstrated a notable enhancement of 29 % as compared to pure Ca<sub>2</sub>Co<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub> at 820 K.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17848,"journal":{"name":"Kuwait Journal of Science","volume":"52 3","pages":"Article 100410"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143716099","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ulung Jantama Wisha , Yusuf Jati Wijaya , Yukiharu Hisaki
{"title":"Water quality in the macro-tidal Kampar estuary, Indonesia: Real-time measurement during significant tidal bore passages","authors":"Ulung Jantama Wisha , Yusuf Jati Wijaya , Yukiharu Hisaki","doi":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100409","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100409","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The limited environmental study in the tidal bore-affected estuaries raises a big question about the significant influence of tidal bore on increasing the risk of water quality degradation and eutrophication in the estuarine area. This study attempts to determine the influence of the flood-ebb cycle on the water quality and nutrient variability in the Kampar estuary. We employed the water quality index (WQI) and eutrophication index (EI) to examine the water quality and trophic status within the bore-affected Kampar estuary. Statistical-based assessments were also performed. The results show that temperature, salinity, pH, and dissolved oxygen (DO) were more variable as the bore propagated. While considerable N- and P-nutrients and chlorophyll-a concentration characterized the study area with a seesaw mechanism, resulting in poor water quality (WQI <50) and high eutrophication level (EI > 1.5) downstream. However, the eutrophication is also high upstream despite the moderate water quality. The EI variation significantly correlates with the flood-ebb cycles indicated by the variation in tidal bore height (<em>r</em> = 0.65 and PC1 loading value of about 0.4), and these factors most likely characterize the estuarine zone. The tendency of riverine water acidification (pH ≤ 5) during the ebb tide is of particular concern in the study area, indicating the tremendous anthropogenic contributions to deteriorating the water condition. Regular monitoring and more aggressive action are needed to control water pollution in the Kampar River for sustainable water resources.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17848,"journal":{"name":"Kuwait Journal of Science","volume":"52 3","pages":"Article 100409"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143698130","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Molecular cloning, characterization and expression analysis of cinnamate 4-hydroxylase (C4H) from Ferula pseudalliacea","authors":"Pegah Shahidi , Bahman Bahramnejad , Yavar Vafaee , Dara Dastan , Parviz Heidari","doi":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100407","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100407","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cinnamate 4-hydroxylase (C4H) is a key enzyme in the phenylpropanoid pathway, catalyzing the hydroxylation of trans-cinnamic acid to p-coumaric acid. However, there is very limited information on the function of C4H in medicinal plants. In the present study, the C4H gene from the <em>Ferula pseudalliacea</em> genome (named FpC4H) was cloned and characterized. Besides, the expression levels of <em>FpC4H</em> in the roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and immature fruits were investigated via real-time PCR (polymerase chain reaction). FpC4H showed the most similarity with C4H proteins from <em>Daucus carota</em>. The results predicted that FpC4H, as well as its orthologs, is an unstable and hydrophilic protein. A high genetic distance was observed between FpC4H and C4H from monocots based on evolutionary analysis. A variable region related to the variable function of C4H was detected in the conserved domain region of C4H proteins. Protein structure analysis revealed that isoleucine and leucine residues are frequently present in the binding region of FpC4H, and two ion binding regions, cysteine258 and asparagine217, were identified in the 3D structure of FpC4H. Expression analysis revealed that the <em>FpC4H</em> gene is expressed in all organs of <em>F. pseudallicea</em>. A low expression level of <em>FpC4H</em> was recorded in leaves, and a high expression level was observed in flower. Based on the expression profile, FpC4H seems to be linked to a high content of phenolic compounds in flowers. In future studies related to metabolic engineering, <em>FpC4H</em> with a promoter linked to specific tissues (flowers and roots) could be investigated for improving the content of the phenolic compounds.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17848,"journal":{"name":"Kuwait Journal of Science","volume":"52 3","pages":"Article 100407"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143724931","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Improving kernel ridge regression for medical data classification based on meta-heuristic algorithms","authors":"Shaimaa Waleed Mahmood , Ghalya Tawfeeq Basheer , Zakariya Yahya Algamal","doi":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100408","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100408","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Kernel ridge regression (KRR) is a type of machine learning approach that integrates ridge regression with the kernel trick. However, the performance of KRR is sensitive to the values of the hyperparameters that characterize the kernel type. There is a large processing cost, memory expense, and low accuracy performance associated with the existing methods for obtaining these hyperparameter values. The development of meta-heuristic algorithms has helped in solving difficult issues. In this paper, the main improvement is included in the pelican optimization algorithm by applying elite opposite-based learning (EOBL) to improve population diversity in the search space for selecting the best hyperparameters. To confirm and validate the performance of the proposed improvement of KRR, 10 publicly available medical datasets were applied. Depending on several assessment criteria, the results demonstrated that the proposed improvement outperforms all baseline methods in terms of classification performance. The proposed approach has provided more than 92 % of overall accuracy in seven datasets. Of the three datasets, it achieved an overall result of 79 % in producing the highest classification accuracy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17848,"journal":{"name":"Kuwait Journal of Science","volume":"52 3","pages":"Article 100408"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143724930","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Microplastics' occurrence, distribution, and chemical toxicity in backwater sediments from Puducherry Coast, Southeast India","authors":"Supriya Varshini Datchanamourthy, Shailajha Natarajan, Srinivasamoorthy Krishnaraj, Vinnarasi Francis, Babu Chinnaiyan, Ponnumani Govindhan, Ramesh Kamalapathy, Gopalakrishnan Viswalingam","doi":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100406","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100406","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Microplastics (MPs) are degraded particles (≤5.0 mm) that originate from macro-sized plastics that significantly impact ecosystems due to their extensive fragmentation. These lighter particles, impacted by various environmental factors, become negatively buoyant and sink into sediments. In the current study, the vertical distribution of MPs from three distinct locations along the Puducherry coastal region, Ariyankuppam River Bridge (S1), Thengaithittu Fishing Harbor (S2), and Chunnambar Beach (S3), was investigated. The three sediment core samples ranging from 0 to 10 cm depth were bifurcated into five sub-samples of 2 cm intervals. The MPs exhibited a gradually decreasing abundance with increasing depth. Higher MPs were observed within the top 0–2 cm sediment samples. The average MP concentration in S<sub>1</sub>, S<sub>2</sub>, and S<sub>3</sub> sediments was 138.5 MP cm<sup>−2</sup>, 107.5 MP cm<sup>−2</sup>, and 118.0 MP cm<sup>−2</sup>, respectively. The most dominant MPs identified in sediments were fibers, fragments, and film with the major composition of polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The MPs exhibited morphological changes, including irregular cracks, micro-brittles, pores, and erosion-like amorphous characteristics, potentially threatening marine organisms. Samples from S1 had a high pollution risk index (1,25,230) and polymeric hazards. All the sampling sites recorded a high contamination factor (CF ≥ 6) of sediments due to high levels of MPs. The present study emphasizes the need for deeper sediment sampling to gain valuable insights into MPs within global budgets.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17848,"journal":{"name":"Kuwait Journal of Science","volume":"52 3","pages":"Article 100406"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143686319","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A. Abusam, H. Abdullah, M. Khajah, F. Al-Ajeel, A. Al-Haddad
{"title":"Generation rates of greywater in Kuwaiti residential apartments","authors":"A. Abusam, H. Abdullah, M. Khajah, F. Al-Ajeel, A. Al-Haddad","doi":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100405","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100405","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The generation rate of greywater is typically estimated from the results of questionnaire surveys that aim to obtain information about the frequency and duration of usage of sanitary appliances. However, this method is inaccurate and prone to human error. The purpose of this study is to present an innovative approach for estimating greywater generation rates from records of high-resolution flow meters used to measure household water consumption. Ultrasonic flowmeters and data loggers were installed in the main water supply pipes in bathrooms and kitchens on the roof of a three-apartment housing complex in Kuwait. Water consumption patterns were remotely monitored for nine months using data loggers that transmitted information every 5 s. The TraceWizard® software was used to break down the time series of water consumption into various usage events for toilets, showers, hand basins, and kitchen sinks based on predetermined water usage profiles (flow rates and durations). According to the results obtained, the average daily per capita water consumption was 238 L. Furthermore, black water, light greywater, and dark greywater represented 9 %, 50 %, and 34 % of the per capita water consumption, respectively. Additionally, the leaks and unclassified volumes of water used were 1 % and 6 %, respectively. Accurate information is essential for the development of successful greywater reuse projects that significantly reduce freshwater demand.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17848,"journal":{"name":"Kuwait Journal of Science","volume":"52 3","pages":"Article 100405"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143641738","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mahyuni Harahap , Vivi Purwandari , Devi Andiani Zebua , Nurkholidah Daulay , Suhut Alexander Situmorang , Yurika Almanda Perangin Angin , Amanda Jiamin Ong , Jonathan Siow , Ronn Goei , Alfred ling Yoong Tok , Saharman Gea
{"title":"Extraction and characterization of cellulose nanofibers from rice husk: Potential for electrospun PVA/CNF mat composites","authors":"Mahyuni Harahap , Vivi Purwandari , Devi Andiani Zebua , Nurkholidah Daulay , Suhut Alexander Situmorang , Yurika Almanda Perangin Angin , Amanda Jiamin Ong , Jonathan Siow , Ronn Goei , Alfred ling Yoong Tok , Saharman Gea","doi":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100403","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100403","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The current study examined the viability of synthesizing cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) from rice husk using acid hydrolysis 10 % HCl. The PVA polymer solution was enhanced with Triton x-100 as a surfactant and different amounts of CNF were introduced before the electrospinning procedure. The CNF extracted in this study had a diameter of 9.6 nm. It exhibited elongated, fibrous formations like a web, with a crystallinity level of 70 %. The negative charge from the CNF was introduced to augment the conductivity and viscosity of the rotating fluid. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) studies validated the interaction between PVA and CNFs throughout their mixing process. The use of CNF enhanced the thermal stability of the PVA nanofibrous composite. The PVA/CNF nanofibrous composite displayed smooth surfaces and potential for diverse medical applications, food packaging, and water purification.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17848,"journal":{"name":"Kuwait Journal of Science","volume":"52 3","pages":"Article 100403"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143642347","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
P. Guadarrama-Guzmán , S.B. Sujitha , M.P. Jonathan , P.D. Roy , Nagarajan Ramasamy , P.F. Rodríguez-Espinosa , Laura Arreola Mendoza , Lorena Elizabeth Campos Villegas
{"title":"Sedimentary and geochemical characterization of the sediments of the Boca Paila Lagoon system, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico","authors":"P. Guadarrama-Guzmán , S.B. Sujitha , M.P. Jonathan , P.D. Roy , Nagarajan Ramasamy , P.F. Rodríguez-Espinosa , Laura Arreola Mendoza , Lorena Elizabeth Campos Villegas","doi":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100394","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100394","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this paper, we investigated the Boca Paila lagoon system that comprises the Campechen (CP), Boca Paila (BP) and San Martin (SM) lagoons along the eastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico to document the distribution and provenance of sediments. Henceforth, forty-one surface sediment samples were collected to analyze the geochemical, petrographical, carbonate content, magnetic susceptibility, and textural parameters. The average concentration of sand was found to be 88.26 % (BP), 81.64 % (CP), and 89.47 % (SM), depicting the fact that sand predominates in shallow water bodies with moderate to high energy environments. Petrography results revealed that the sediments majorly contained micritized bioclasts and calcite crystals formed from the recrystallization of carbonate mud or the direct precipitation of calcite in quiet water environment with minimal mud winnowing within the deposition basin. The major and trace element geochemistry revealed high concentrations of Ca (33.01 %), Mg (1.33 %), and Sr (3493.51 ppm) and the mineralogy was mainly composed of calcite and aragonite. In this study, trace element concentrations followed an order of (all values in ppm): Sr (3493.51) < Rb (13.12) < U (9.49) < Y (4.91) < Cd (2.5) and Mo (2.3). Likewise, elemental ratios (Ti/K, Sr/Ca, Fe/Ca, Ca/S) indicated the biogenic origin of the sediments with low inputs of terrigenous continental weathering. Although the sand grains are predominantly limestone, they are transported from shorter distances and are chemically less mature. This study enhances our comprehension of the lagoon system and offers crucial data for geochemical surveys in regions with similar geological features.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17848,"journal":{"name":"Kuwait Journal of Science","volume":"52 3","pages":"Article 100394"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143715951","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Functionalized textile microplastics: A closer look at the issues, strategy, and legislation on the microplastic reduction","authors":"Aravin Prince Periyasamy","doi":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100395","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100395","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The problem of microplastic pollution has become more prominent as a worldwide concern. This article provides a thorough analysis of the various routes by which microplastics originating from textiles are released into the environment, encompassing soil, air, and water. This review paper provides a succinct summary of the current use of hazardous and toxic substances (such as per polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), chlorine, bromine, phosphorous, halogen-based chemicals, and various formaldehyde compounds), as well as dyes (which frequently contain heavy metals like lead, arsenic, chromium, nickel, copper, cadmium, mercury, and zinc), and nanomaterials in the textile production process. Additionally, the paper examines the role of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) and the development of its resolutions on marine plastic pollution to tackle the issue of reducing microplastics in textiles. Though there is a dearth of comprehensive coverage on this topic, this paper provides an overview of the legislative and regulatory measures implemented by different countries in response to the issue of microplastic generation and focuses on textile origin.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17848,"journal":{"name":"Kuwait Journal of Science","volume":"52 3","pages":"Article 100395"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143627810","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Commutant properties of w-core inverses","authors":"Chengcheng Wang , Huihui Zhu , Julio Benítez","doi":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100390","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.kjs.2025.100390","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this paper, we investigate commutant properties of the <span><math><mi>w</mi></math></span>-core inverse in a <span><math><mo>∗</mo></math></span>-semigroup. Among these, it is shown that <figure><img></figure> if and only if <span><math><mi>a</mi></math></span> is equal projection (EP) with <figure><img></figure> , where <span><math><mi>a</mi></math></span> and <span><math><mi>w</mi></math></span> are elements of a <span><math><mo>∗</mo></math></span>-semigroup. As applications, equivalent conditions such that a core invertible element is an EP element are given. Then, commutant properties of the <span><math><mi>w</mi></math></span>-core inverse for complex matrices are correspondingly given. Finally, some results on double commutants and the reverse order law for <span><math><mi>w</mi></math></span>-core inverses are given.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17848,"journal":{"name":"Kuwait Journal of Science","volume":"52 2","pages":"Article 100390"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143580067","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}