Environmental contamination of arsenic: pathway analysis through water-soil-feed-livestock in Nadia District (India) and potential human health risk.

This study investigated arsenic (As) concentrations in diverse environmental components and their potential impact on the health risks faced by residents of the arsenic (As)-contaminated Nadia district in West Bengal, India. A random selection of 182 cattle and 255 goats from 40 livestock farmers in the district revealed that both animals and humans were naturally exposed to elevated arsenic levels through contaminated drinking water, foods, grasses, concentrate feeds, various fodder tree leaves, and other food/feed resources. The mean As concentration in roughages (483.18 µg/kg DM) was significantly higher (p < 0.001) than in tree leaves (391.53 µg/kg DM), and concentrate feed/ingredients (186.66 µg/kg DM). Pond water exhibited higher arsenic levels (106.11 µg/L) compared to shallow tube well water (47.96 µg/L) and deep tube well water/tap water (10.64 µg/L and 10.04 µg/L, respectively). The mean arsenic concentration in soils DM of fodder fields, crop fields, and grassland was 10.25, 10.58, and 10.20 mg/kg, respectively. It was observed that protein-rich feeds had lower levels of arsenic accumulation (p < 0.048), while fiber-rich feeds containing more cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin had higher arsenic levels (p < 0.017). Goats consumed 73.46% more arsenic per kg body weight compared to dairy cows. Although chronic and sub-chronic arsenic exposure in the district did not typically manifest symptoms or visible signs in ruminant animals, concentrations in the hair and feces of both cattle and goats exceeded normal values. Cattle feces had significantly higher arsenic (410.43 µg/kg DM) levels (p < 0.001) than goat feces (227.00 µg/kg DM), and arsenic concentration in cattle hair (1917.74 µg/kg DM) was also significantly greater (p < 0.001) than goat hair (1435.74 µg/kg DM). Arsenic levels in milk samples from both species were below 10 µg/kg. Liver (356.02 µg/kg DM) and kidney (317.22 µg/kg DM) contained significantly higher (p < 0.001) levels of arsenic compared to muscle (204.23 µg/kg DM), and bone (161.98 µg/kg DM) in local meat-type adult male goats. The skin accumulated the highest amount of arsenic (576.24 µg/kg DM) among the non-edible parts of the goat carcass. The cumulative cancer risk value for adults was 4.96 × 10-3, exceeding the threshold value (1 × 10-6). This suggests a significant risk of cancer development for the population in arsenic-affected areas. Non-cancer risks (hazard indexes) were estimated at 11.01 for adults. Our observations revealed that the highest bioaccumulation of arsenic occurred in the hair of cows, and goats in the examined localities. The biotransformation factor (BTF) for hair was much higher compared to other excreted samples from both species. The calculated BTF followed the order: hair > feces > milk for cows and goats. Livestock farmers in Nadia district are advised to carefully select feed resources, prioritizing those high in crude protein and low in neutral detergent fiber, and they should provide drinking water from deep aquifers to ensure the safety of milk and meat for human consumption.

Prediction of fetal brain gestational age using multihead attention with Xception.

Accurate gestational age (GA) prediction is crucial for monitoring fetal development and ensuring optimal prenatal care. Traditional methods often face challenges in terms of precision and prediction efficiency. In this context, leveraging modern deep learning (DL) techniques is a promising solution. This paper introduces a novel DL approach for GA prediction using fetal brain images obtained via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which combines the strength of the Xception pretrained model with a multihead attention (MHA) mechanism. The proposed model was trained on a diverse dataset comprising 52,900 fetal brain images from 741 patients. The images encompass a GA ranging from 19 to 39 weeks. These pretrained models served as feature extraction components during the training process. The extracted features were subsequently used as the inputs of different configurable MHAs, which produced GA predictions in days. The proposed model achieved promising results with 8 attention heads, 32 dimensionality of the key space and 32 dimensionality of the value space, with an R-squared (R2) value of 96.5 %, a mean absolute error (MAE) of 3.80 days, and a Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) of 98.50 % for the test set. Additionally, the 5-fold cross-validation results reinforce the model's reliability, with an average R2 of 95.94 %, an MAE of 3.61 days, and a PCC of 98.02 %. The proposed model excels in different anatomical views, notably the axial and sagittal views. A comparative analysis of multiple planes and a single plane highlights the effectiveness of the proposed model against other state-of-the-art (SOTA) models reported in the literature. The proposed model could help clinicians accurately predict GA.

Fabrication of Hybrid Epoxy Composites (Joint Compound Adhesive) for Aluminum Substrate Applications and Their Evaluation for Mechanical Properties.

This research endeavor deals with the development of an epoxy hybrid nanocomposite using aliphatic diglycidyl ether of a bisphenol A (DGEBA) epoxy matrix. The formulation used the stoichiometric ratio of the curing agent and incorporated nanopigments such as zirconium and silica, along with other microfillers. We incorporated Zr and SiO2 nanoparticles and various other additives in the epoxy matrix and ensured homogeneous dispersion by using sonication methodology along with silane as a coupling agent. Aluminum molds were utilized to fabricate dumbbell-shaped ASTM standard samples for the testing of mechanical properties. The adhesive properties were evaluated through standard lap shear tests. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was utilized to analyze the cross-linking reaction of the epoxy moiety and the polyamidoamine adduct curing agent. Further characterization using field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy confirmed the presence and uniform dispersion of the fillers and nanopigments. The results showed good enhancements in ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, and elastic modulus of 95.3, 162.1, and 425.4%, respectively, compared to formulations using only SiO2. The addition of ZrO2 and SiO2, along with various microfillers, such as talc and aluminum silicate, led to significant improvements in the mechanical properties. This study demonstrates the synergistic efficiency of combining SiO2 and ZrO2 along with microfillers, such as talc and aluminum silicate, in epoxy resin for diverse applications in the construction industry, where mechanical strength and substrate adhesion are crucial.

Cyanobacterial Ampholyte Hydrogels Developed by the Cationization of Sulfated Polysaccharides and Their Cell-Compatibility.

Sacran is a cyanobacterial supergiant polysaccharide with carboxylate and sulfate groups that exhibits antiallergic and antiinflammatory properties. However, its high anionic functions restrict cell compatibility. Quaternary ammonium groups were substituted to form sacran ampholytes, and the cell compatibility of the cationized sacran hydrogels was evaluated. The cationization process involved the reaction of N-(3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl)trimethylammonium chloride with the primary amine or hydroxyl groups of sacran. The degree of cationization ranged from 32 to 87% for sugar residues. Hydrogels of sacran ampholytes were prepared by annealing their dried sheets by thermal cross-linking; these hydrogels exhibited anisotropic expansion properties. The water contact angle on the hydrogels decreased from 26.5 to 15.3° with an increase in the degree of cationization, thereby enhancing hydrophilicity. The IC50 values of sacran ampholytes decreased with an increased degree of cationization, resulting in a reduction in cytotoxicity toward the L-929 mouse fibroblast cell line. This reduction was associated with an increase in the cell proliferation density after 3 days of incubation. Scanning electron microscopy images showed fibroblast intercellular connections. Therefore, the sacran ampholyte hydrogel exhibited increased hydrophilicity and cell compatibility, which is beneficial for various biomedical applications.

Impedance matching in optically induced dielectrophoresis: Effect of medium conductivity on trapping force.

An impedance analysis for optically induced dielectrophoresis is presented. A circuit model is developed for this purpose. The model parameters are fully defined in terms of the geometrical and material properties of the system. It is shown that trapping force can only be generated when the material properties follow certain impedance matching conditions. The impedance match factor is introduced to succinctly quantify the phenomenon. It is used to calculate bounds on the allowed electrical conductivity of the suspension medium. Results from the proposed model are found to be in good agreement with full-wave numerical simulations. By computing the acceptable set of material parameters with little computational cost, the presented analysis can streamline ODEP system design for various applications.

Specialized nutritious foods and behavior change communication interventions during the first 1000 d of life to prevent stunting: a quasi-experimental study in Afghanistan.

BACKGROUND: Considerable evidence supports the effectiveness of nutritional supplementation with or without nutrition education in preventing stunting in developing countries, but evidence from Afghanistan is scarce. OBJECTIVES: This project aimed to assess the effectiveness of specialized nutritious food (SNF), social and behavior change communication (SBCC) intervention to prevent stunting among children under 2 y during the first 1000 d of life in Badakhshan, Afghanistan. METHODS: We used a community-based quasi-experimental pre-post study design with a control group. Pregnant and lactating women received a monthly ration of 7.5 kg of super cereal (250 g/d) during pregnancy and the first 6 mo of breastfeeding. Children aged 6-23 mo received 30 sachets of medium-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplement (50 g/sachet/d) monthly. We compared pre- and postintervention assessments of the intervention and control groups to isolate the effect of the intervention on key study outcomes at the endline by difference-in-differences (DID) estimates. RESULTS: A total of 2928 and 3205 households were surveyed at baseline and endline. DID estimates adjusted for child, maternal, and household characteristics indicated a significant reduction in stunting (DID: -5% (95% confidence interval [CI]: -9.9, -0.2) and underweight (DID: -4.6% (95% CI: -8.6, -0.5) among children <2 y of age. However, DID estimates for wasting among children in the intervention and control groups were not significantly different (DID: -1.7 (95% CI: -5.1, 1.6). Furthermore, exposure to the SBCC messages was associated with improvements in the early initiation of breastfeeding (DID: 19.6% (95% CI: 15.6, 23.6), exclusive breastfeeding under 6 mo (DID: 11.0% (95% CI: 2.3, 19.7), minimum meal frequency (DID: 23% (95% CI: 17.7, 28.2), and minimum acceptable diet (DID: 13% (95% CI: 9.8, 16.3). CONCLUSIONS: The provision of SNF in combination with SBCC during the first 1000 d of life was associated with reduction in stunting and underweight and improvements in infant and young child feeding practices among children under 2 y of age. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT04581993.

Dielectrophoretic bead-droplet reactor for solid-phase synthesis.

Solid-phase synthesis underpins many advances in synthetic and combinatorial chemistry, biology, and material science. The immobilization of a reacting species on the solid support makes interfacing of reagents an important challenge in this approach. In traditional synthesis columns, this leads to reaction errors that limit the product yield and necessitates excess consumption of the mobile reagent phase. Although droplet microfluidics can mitigate these problems, its adoption is fundamentally limited by the inability to controllably interface microbeads and reagent droplets. Here, we introduce Dielectrophoretic Bead-Droplet Reactor as a physical method to implement solid-phase synthesis on individual functionalized microbeads by encapsulating and ejecting them from microdroplets by tuning the supply voltage. Proof-of-concept demonstration of the enzymatic coupling of fluorescently labeled nucleotides onto the bead using this reactor yielded a 3.2-fold higher fidelity over columns through precise interfacing of individual microreactors and beads. Our work combines microparticle manipulation and droplet microfluidics to address a long-standing problem in solid-phase synthesis with potentially wide-ranging implications.

Prevalence of Hypertension and Diabetes in Severe COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study from Single Center, Kabul.

Introduction: Previous studies have reported an association between certain medical conditions, such as hypertension and diabetes, and severe COVID-19. Objective: To determine the prevalence of hypertension and diabetes among severe COVID-19 patients who were admitted to the only specialized center for COVID-19 in Kabul, Afghan-Japan Hospital Kabul, Afghanistan. Methods: A cross-sectional design was utilized, including 202 patients, admitted to Afghan-Japan Hospital during the first six months of 2022. Medical records of patients tested positive for COVID-19 via Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with oxygen saturation levels below 90% at the time of admission were included in the study. Age, sex, and the presence of hypertension and diabetes were the studied variables. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis. Results: The median age of the patients were 63 (IQR=54.75-75) years. Males and females each accounting for 50% of the total, and the majority of the patients (50.5%) were in the age group 60-79. Of 202 patients, 143 (70.8%) had hypertension, 42 (20.8%) had diabetes, 147 patients (72.77%) had at least one of these comorbidities. Fifty-five patients (27.22%) were without diabetes and without hypertension. The prevalence of hypertension and diabetes was higher among female, ie, 57.1% and 54.5% respectively. Patients in the 40-59 year old group had the highest rate of hypertension (75.6%). The highest prevalence of diabetes was seen in the 60-79 year old group. Conclusion: The study found a higher prevalence of hypertension in severe COVID-19 cases compared to global reports and the general adult population in Afghanistan. The relationship between hypertension and COVID-19 risk needs further investigation. The prevalence of diabetes was also higher, consistent with findings from other countries.

Structural Analyses of Polysaccharides Extracted from Cyanobacterial Extracellular Gels and Oriented Liquid Crystalline Microfiber Processing by Poly(vinyl alcohol)-Assisted Electrospinning.

Sacran is a supergiant cyanobacterial polysaccharide that forms mesogenic supercoil rods that exhibit liquid crystalline (LC) gels at deficient concentrations of around 0.5 wt%, and has several bioactive stimuli-responsive functions. Here, we attempted to form oriented microfibers of sacran by electrospinning, following structural analyses of the sacran rods. A heterogeneous acid-hydrolysis method using a protonated cation-exchange resin was adopted to examine the short-time exposition of concentrated acid to sacran rods. From the supernatant, the oligomeric fraction that was soluble in water and methanol was isolated. The oligomeric fraction had a main sugar ratio of α-Glc:ß-Glc:α-Xyl:ß-Xyl:α-Rha of 2:5:1.5:1.5:4 (Glc:Xyl:Rha = 7 (=4 + 3):3:4), and it was speculated that the sacran structure includes rhamnoglucan and xyloglucan (4:3), which are generally rigid enough to exhibit LC. To make oriented microfibers of LC sacran, solubility testing was performed on sacran to find good new solvents of polyhydroxy alcohols such as ethylene glycol, 1,2-propanediol, and glycerol. The oriented film was prepared from a sacran aqueous solution where calcium compound particles deposited on the film are different from polyhydroxy alcohol solutions. Although sacran could not form microfibers by itself, polymer composite microfibers of sacran with poly(vinyl alcohol) were prepared by electrospinning. Cross-polarizing microscopy revealed the molecular orientation of the microfibers.

Eco-friendly synthesis of an α-Fe2O3/rGO nanocomposite and its application in high-performance asymmetric supercapacitors.

This work presents an innovative and environmentally friendly biological synthesis approach for producing α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles (NPs) and the successful synthesis of α-Fe2O3/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposites (NCs). This novel synthesis route utilizes freshly extracted albumin, serving as both a reducing agent and a stabilizing agent, rendering it eco-friendly, cost-effective, and sustainable. A combination of characterization techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) was employed to predict and confirm the formation of the as-synthesized α-Fe2O3 NPs and α-Fe2O3/rGO NCs. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) verified the anisotropic nature of the synthesized nanoparticles. To gain insight into the enhanced capacitance of the α-Fe2O3/rGO NCs, a series of electrochemical tests, namely cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and stability assessments, were conducted in a conventional three-electrode configuration. Furthermore, a two-electrode asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) device was fabricated to assess the practical viability of this material. The α-Fe2O3/rGO NCs exhibited a remarkable potential window of 2 V in an aqueous electrolyte, coupled with exceptional cycling stability. Even after undergoing 10 000 cycles, the capacitive retention exceeded 100%, underlining the promising potential of this material for advanced energy storage applications.

Noninvasive and Continuous Monitoring of On-Chip Stem Cell Osteogenesis Using a Reusable Electrochemical Immunobiosensor.

Noninvasive monitoring of biofabricated tissues during the biomanufacturing process is needed to obtain reproducible, healthy, and functional tissues. Measuring the levels of biomarkers secreted from tissues is a promising strategy to understand the status of tissues during biofabrication. Continuous and real-time information from cultivated tissues enables users to achieve scalable manufacturing. Label-free biosensors are promising candidates for detecting cell secretomes since they can be noninvasive and do not require labor-intensive processes such as cell lysing. Moreover, most conventional monitoring techniques are single-use, conducted at the end of the fabrication process, and, challengingly, are not permissive to in-line and continual detection. To address these challenges, we developed a noninvasive and continual monitoring platform to evaluate the status of cells during the biofabrication process, with a particular focus on monitoring the transient processes that stem cells go through during in vitro differentiation over extended periods. We designed and evaluated a reusable electrochemical immunosensor with the capacity for detecting trace amounts of secreted osteogenic markers, such as osteopontin (OPN). The sensor has a low limit of detection (LOD), high sensitivity, and outstanding selectivity in complex biological media. We used this OPN immunosensor to continuously monitor on-chip osteogenesis of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) cultured 2D and 3D hydrogel constructs inside a microfluidic bioreactor for more than a month and were able to observe changing levels of OPN secretion during culture. The proposed platform can potentially be adopted for monitoring a variety of biological applications and further developed into a fully automated system for applications in advanced cellular biomanufacturing.

Metal-Assisted Injection Spinning of Ultra Strong Fibers from Megamolecular LC Polysaccharides.

The molecular orientation of liquid crystalline (LC) hydrogels has the potential to induce a range of functionalities that can deliver great mechanical strength. Sacran is a supergiant LC polysaccharide isolated from the cyanobacterium Aphanothece sacrum with a high amount of anionic functional groups such as sulfates and carboxylates. In this article, ultra-strong sacran hydrogels and their dried fibers were produced by cross-linking under injection flow with trivalent metal ions such as Al3+, Cr3+, Fe3+, In3+, and rare-earth metal ions such Er3+ and Sr3+. Crossed-polarizing microscopy and X-ray diffraction imaging revealed a uniaxial molecular orientation in the LC gel fiber, resulting in outstanding mechanical characteristics.

Metabolism of Tembotrione, a Triketone Herbicide, confers Differential Sensitivity in Winter Wheat (Triticum aestivum).

Tembotrione is a triketone herbicide widely used for broad-spectrum weed control in corn but not registered for use in wheat. A wide collection of spring, winter, and EMS-derived mutant lines of wheat was evaluated for their response to tembotrione treatment. Two winter wheat (WW) genotypes (WW-1 and WW-2) were found to be least sensitive to this herbicide, surviving >6 times the field recommended dose (92 g ai ha-1) compared to the most sensitive genotype (WW-24). Further, HPLC analysis using [14C] tembotrione suggested that both WW-1 and WW-2 metabolized tembotrione rapidly to nontoxic metabolites. Pretreatment with a P450 inhibitor (malathion) followed by tembotrione application increased the sensitivity of WW-1 and WW-2 genotypes to this herbicide, suggesting likely involvement of P450 enzymes in metabolizing tembotrione similar to corn. Overall, our results suggest that the genotypes WW-1 and WW-2 can potentially be used to develop tembotrione-resistant wheat varieties.

Conch Shell (Turbinella pyrum) Powder: A Potential Marine Biological Source of Calcium and Some Trace Minerals for Growing Crossbred Calves.

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of feeding conch shell (Turbinella pyrum) powder (either fresh or calcined) as a marine organic source of calcium (Ca) supplemented in the diet of crossbred calves on voluntary intake, growth performance, and blood biochemistry in growing crossbred Jersey calves. A growth trial of 90 days was conducted on 15 Jersey crossbred female calves (Av. weight, 70.68 ± 2.90 kg; Av. age, 197.73 ± 12.40 days), equally divided into three groups of 5 animals each, i.e., control (T0), treatment 1 (T1), and treatment 2 (T2). All animals were fed total mixed ration (TMR) prepared with a concentrate mixture, chaffed paddy straw, and green fodder at the ratio of 40:30:30 on DM basis. Calves under the control group were fed with TMR containing a standard mineral mixture having dicalcium phosphate (DCP) as a Ca source. Calves under T1 group were supplemented with TMR containing fresh conch shell powder (FCSP), and T2 calves were fed with TMR containing conch shell calcined powder (CSCP) as Ca source. We observed 11.66% increase (p < 0.01) in Ca concentration in CSCP compared to FCSP. The concentration of minerals like Mg, Co, Mn, and Fe was enhanced in CSCP compared to the FCSP. However, the calcination process of fresh conch shell powder (FCSP) reduced the concentration of Cu, and Zn. The Ca/P ratio was estimated as 2.11, 2.06, and 2.10 in T0, T1, and T2 diets, which could be considered ideal for calf ration. Calves under T1, and T2 groups consumed significantly (p < 0.001) greater amounts (g/kg W0.75) of DM and CP compared to T0. However, increased voluntary intake did not translate into increased body weight gain (kg), and feed conversion ratio (kg DMI/kg gain) in T1 and T2 groups in comparison to T0. We observed similar blood glucose, urea, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine transaminase (ALT) concentration among the three treatments. Ca, and P levels in blood plasma were also identical among the three groups. The digestibility of Ca was increased significantly (p = 0.01) in FCSP (T1)- and CSCP (T2)-treated calves compared to control (T0) calves. Similarly, T1 and T2 enhanced P digestibility compared to T0. This first report with short-term experimentation depicted some promising scope for the use of locally available conch shell powder (fresh or calcined form) as a potential source of Ca for feeding to livestock, because these new sources of Ca did not affect intake, digestibility of Ca and P, growth performance, blood chemistry, and liver enzymes negatively in weaned crossbred calves.

Interferon Lambda Signaling Restrains Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis.

IFN-λ is a type III interferon (IFN) with pleiotropic functions in modulating immune responses. To address its function in autoimmune neuroinflammation, we evaluated the development and progression of experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE) in IFNLR1KO (Ifnlr1-/-) and C57Bl/6 (WT) mice following immunization with MOG35-55 peptide. The results show that Ifnlr1-/-mice developed significantly more severe EAE than WT littermates with a similar day of onset, suggesting the potential of IFN-λ in reducing disease severity. We next interrogated whether IFN-λ differentially modulates EAE induced by encephalitogenic Th1 cells or Th17 cells. Encephalitogenic Th1 or Th17 generated from WT donors were transferred into WT or Ifnlr1-/-recipient mice. Whereas encephalitogenic Th1 cells induced more severe EAE in Ifnlr1-/- than WT recipients, the disease severity induced by encephalitogenic Th17 cells was similar. Additionally, in vitro experiments showed that Ifnlr1-/-macrophages promoted the expansion of myelin peptide-reactive Th17 cells but not Th1 cells. Early in the disease, the spinal cords of EAE mice displayed a significantly greater proportion of Ly6C-Ly6G+ cells with CXCR2+CD62Llo phenotype, indicating activated neutrophils. These findings suggest that IFN-λ signaling restrains activation and migration of neutrophils to the CNS, potentially attenuating neutrophil-mediated disease progression in autoimmune neuroinflammation. Recombinant IFN-λ can be used as a potential therapeutic target for treatment of patients with multiple sclerosis as it has fewer side effects due to the restricted expression of its receptor.

Common Reasons for Permanent Tooth Extraction and Its Correlation with Demographical Factors in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Objective: The aim of this survey was to investigate the main reasons for extraction of permanent teeth, and its correlation with age, gender, education level, smoking habits, and time of last dental visit, family income, and professions in Kabul, Afghanistan. Subjects and Methods: The study proposal was approved by Research Ethics Committee of Khatam AL Nabieen and was conducted over a period of 5 months; its population consisted 594 patients, aged 10-70 years, who underwent extraction. The frequency distribution was calculated using X2 test, ANOVA and t-test for differences in mean number of patients. Results: A total of 594 patients underwent extraction. The highest rate (53.8%) of extraction occurred for those 21-40 years old. Females compromised 51.3% of patients. Two hundred (33.6%) patients were uneducated. Tooth loss due to caries was 30.1%; patient-request was 18.3%; impacted teeth was 14.4%. Other causes were periodontal reasons, failed root canal therapy (RCT), Tooth mobility, and Root fractures. Conclusion: The result of this survey indicated that caries, patient request, and impaction were the leading reasons for tooth extraction. The majority of patients were uneducated, and had insufficient family income. Most of the patients were housewives and laborers.

Mouldable Conductive Plastic with Optimised Mechanical Properties.

This paper investigates making an injection mouldable conductive plastic formulation that aims for conductivity into the electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding range, with good mechanical properties (i.e., stiffness, strength, and impact resistance). While conductivity in the range (electrostatic charge dissipation) and EMI shielding have been attained by incorporating conductive fillers such as carbon black, metals powders, and new materials, such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), this often occurs with a drop in tensile strength, elongation-to-break resistance, and impact resistance. It is most often the case that the incorporation of high modulus fillers leads to an increase in modulus but a drop in strength and impact resistance. In this work, we have used short carbon fibres as the conductive filler and selected a 50/50 PBT/rPET (recycled PET) for the plastic matrix. Carbon fibres are cheaper than CNTs and graphenes. The PBT/rPET has low melt viscosity and crystallises sufficiently fast during injection moulding. To improve impact resistance, a styrene-ethylene-butadiene-styrene (SEBS) rubber toughening agent was added to the plastic. The PBT/rPET had very low-impact resistance and the SEBS provided rubber toughening to it; however, the rubber caused a drop in the tensile modulus and strength. The short carbon fibre restored the modulus and strength, which reached higher value than the PBT/rPET while providing the conductivity. Scanning electron microscope pictures showed quite good bonding of the current filler (CF) to the PBT/rPET. An injection mouldable conductive plastic with high conductivity and raised modulus, strength, and impact resistance could be made.