Connect with us

Technology

Eco-friendly aluminium surfaces show promise for industrial, biomedical uses – The Times of India

Published

on

Eco-friendly aluminium surfaces show promise for industrial, biomedical uses – The Times of India


BENGALURU: A team of Indian researchers has developed a bioinspired aluminium surface with properties that could benefit industries ranging from marine engineering to food packaging and healthcare.
The findings, published in ‘Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces’, highlight how mimicking structures found in nature, such as lotus leaves and insect wings — can yield multifunctional surfaces that repel water, resist corrosion and bacteria, and clean themselves with minimal water.
Led by Harpreet S Grewal, the team from Shiv Nadar University in Delhi-NCR created micro-and-nanostructured aluminium surfaces using a low-cost and environmentally friendly process. The method, which involves imprinting aluminium sheets with micro-patterns and then immersing them in hot water, resulted in two distinct surfaces: “Nano” and “Hierarchy”.
These surfaces were then coated with a fluorinated silane compound to reduce surface energy and enhance water repellency. Tests showed that these treated surfaces could achieve extreme water-repelling (superhydrophobic) or water-attracting (superhydrophilic) states, depending on the treatment.
The “Nano” surface, for example, exhibited a contact angle of 163 degree, indicating water droplets roll off easily. Such characteristics are particularly useful in applications where cleanliness or moisture avoidance is crucial.
One key application explored was corrosion resistance in marine environments. When tested in saline conditions, the nanostructured surfaces showed significantly reduced corrosion current density, as much as 40 times lower than untreated aluminium, suggesting that these surfaces could extend the lifespan of metal components in seawater.
The researchers also evaluated self-cleaning and antibacterial properties. Surfaces with nanostructures required minimal water to remove chalk dust and resisted staining from common liquids like milk and coffee.
When exposed to E coli bacteria, the superhydrophilic nanostructured aluminium showed the greatest antibacterial effect, apparently due to the physical rupture of bacterial membranes upon contact with the densely packed nanoscale features.
“The dense nanoflakes act almost like a bed of spikes,” Grewal told TOI, explaining how the surface deforms and pierces bacterial cells, thereby reducing biofilm formation without the need for chemical disinfectants. Notably, the fabrication method avoids the use of hazardous chemicals and is designed to be scalable, an important consideration for industrial adoption.
“We’ve demonstrated a practical route to multifunctional aluminium surfaces using common materials and straightforward processing,” said co-author Priya Mandal. Beyond marine and food industries, such surfaces could be adapted for biomedical tools, electronics, or packaging materials where contamination control is critical.
Their work was supported by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), India. Further development will focus on testing durability in real-world conditions and scaling up production for commercial use.





Source link

Continue Reading
Comments

Technology

Amazon Sale 2025 brings the hottest deals on the best soundbar on top picks from JBL, Sony, boAt and other top brands

Published

on

Amazon Sale 2025 brings the hottest deals on the best soundbar on top picks from JBL, Sony, boAt and other top brands


Boat Aavante Bar 3600 Bluetooth Soundbar w/ 500W RMS Signature Sound,5.1 Channel Surround Sound,BTv5.3, Wall Mountable Design,Bass&Treble Controls&Master Remote Control(Premium Black) View Details
amazonLogo
JBL Bar 800 Pro, 7.1 (5.1.2) Channel Truly Wireless Soundbar with True Dolby Atmos® 3D Surround Sound, 10” Down-Firing Wireless Subwoofer, PureVoice, HDMI eARC, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi & Optical Input (720W) View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
amazon basics Soundbar with Wired Subwoofer, 90W RMS, 2.1 Channel, Remote Control, BT v5.3, HDMI (ARC Cable), Optical, Aux, USB, Compatible with TV, Smart Phones, Tablets, PCs (Black) View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
ZEBRONICS Juke BAR 9510WS PRO Dolby 5.1 Soundbar, Dolby Audio, 600 Watts, Wireless (Dual Rear Satellites & 6.5 Subwoofer), Triple Driver Soundbar, Bluetooth v5.1 | HDMI (ARC) | Optical | USB | AUX View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
Portronics Decibel 23 16W Wireless Bluetooth Soundbar with LED Lights, Upto 5Hours Playback Sound, Bass Mode, Built in Mic, USB Port, 3.5mm AUX Port, Bluetooth 5.3v, Type C Charging (Black) View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
JBL Cinema SB241, Dolby Digital Soundbar with Wired Subwoofer for Extra Deep Bass, 2.1 Channel Home Theatre with Remote, HDMI ARC, Bluetooth & Optical Connectivity (110W) View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
JBL Cinema SB271, Dolby Digital Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer for Extra Deep Bass, 2.1 Channel Home Theatre with Remote, HDMI ARC, Bluetooth & Optical Connectivity (220W) View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
JBL Cinema SB510, Dolby Audio Soundbar with Built-in Subwoofer, 3.1 Channel, Center Channel for Superior Voice Clarity, HDMI eARC, Bluetooth & Optical Connectivity (200W) View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
JBL Cinema SB590 Deep Bass, Dolby Atmos Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer for Extra Deep Bass, 3.1 Channel, Center channel for superior voice clarity, HDMI eARC, Bluetooth & Optical Connectivity (440W) View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
JBL Newly Launched Cinema SB560, Dolby Audio Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer for Extra Deep Bass, 3.1 Channel, Center Channel for Superior Voice Clarity, HDMI eARC, Bluetooth Connectivity (250W) View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
JBL Bar 500 Pro Dolby Atmos® Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer, 5.1 Channel, 3D Surround, Multibeam™, HDMI eARC with 4K Dolby Vision Pass-Through, One App, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi & Optical Input (590W) View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
JBL Cinema SB190 Deep Bass, Dolby Atmos Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer for Extra Deep Bass, 2.1 Channel with Remote, Sound Mode for Voice Clarity, HDMI eARC, Bluetooth & Optical Connectivity (380W) View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
JBL Bar 2.1 Deep Bass (MK2), Soundbar with 6.5” Down-Firing Wireless Subwoofer, 2.1 Channel, Built-in Dolby Digital, Bluetooth, HDMI & Optical Connectivity (300W) View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
Boat Aavante Bar Orion Plus Bluetooth 2.1-Channel Soundbar with 160 W Signature Sound, BT v5.3, Multi-Compatibility, Attractive Design, EQ Modes & Master Remote Control(Midnight Black) View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
boAt Aavante Bar A1040 Bluetooth 2.1 Channel Soundbar with 50 W Signature Sound, Bluetooth v5.3, Multi-Compatibility & Master Remote Control (Premium Black) View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
Boat Aavante Bar Groove Bluetooth 2.0 Channel Soundbar with 16 W RMS Output, Multiple Connectivity Modes, Up to 6 hrs Playtime, Bluetooth v5.0 & USB Type-C Port(Premium Black) View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
boAt Aavante Bar Quake, Wired Subwoofer, 200W RMS Signature Sound, 2.1CH, Multiple Ports, Bass & Treble Controls, 4 EQ Modes, Bluetooth Sound bar, Home Theatre Soundbar Speaker (Midnight Black) View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
Boat Aavante Bar 490 Bluetooth Soundbar 10W RMS Signature Sound,2.0 Channel,BTv5.1,Dual Full-Range Drivers, AUX, TF Card, USB, Upto 7 Hrs Playback,Built-in Mic,TWS Feature(Classic Black) View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
Boat Aavante Bar Mystiq Soundbar with 100W RMS Boat Signature Sound, 2.1 CH,Multi-Connectivity Modes,BT v5.3,Wired Subwoofer,EQ Modes,Bass & Treble Control & Remote Control(Pitch Black) View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
Sony HT-S2000 5.1ch Dolby Atmos Compact Soundbar Home Theatre System with SA-SW3 Wireless Subwoofer and SA-RS3S Rear Speaker(Dolby Atmos/DTSX, Bluetooth Connectivity, HDMI, Optical,HEC App Control) View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 8(HT-A8000) with 360 SSM,IMAX,Dolby Atmos/DTSx Premium Soundbar Home Theatre System with subwoofer SW5 & Rear Speaker SA-RS5-Black View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
Sony HT-A3000 5.1.ch 360 SSM and Dolby Atmos Soundbar Home Theatre System with Wireless subwoofer SA-SW3 and Rear Speaker SA-RS3S(Hi Res & 360 Reality Audio, Bluetooth,Google/Alexa) View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
Sony New Launch BRAVIA Theatre Bar 8 Premium Soundbar Home Theatre System for TV with 360 SSM,IMAX,Dolby Atmos/DTSx (HT-A8000) with subwoofer SW5 & Rear Speaker SA-RS3-Black View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
Sony New Launch BRAVIA Theatre BAR 9 Premium Soundbar Home Theatre System for TV with 360 Spatial Sound Mapping, IMAX,Dolby Atmos/DTSx (HT-A9000) with subwoofer SW5 & Rear Speaker SA-RS3S-Black View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
Sony HT-S40R Real 5.1ch Dolby Audio Soundbar for TV with Subwoofer & Wireless Rear Speakers, 5.1ch Home Theatre System (600W, Bluetooth & USB Connectivity, HDMI & Optical Connectivity, Sound Mode) View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
Sonos Ray – Small Soundbar for TV with Bluetooth, WiFi, Apple Airplay, Spotify Connect (Black) View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
Sonos Arc – The Premium Hdmi Soundbar with Dolby Atmos (White) View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
Small Soundbar for TV with Bluetooth, WiFi, Apple Airplay, Spotify Connect (White) View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
Sonos Beam 2 Wireless Soundbar (Black) View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
Sonos Beam 2 Wireless Soundbar (White) View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
LG SNC4R 420W 4.1 Channel Wireless Subwoofer and Rear Speaker, Wow Interface, Rear Surround Sound Home Theater Soundbar with USB & Bluetooth Connectivity (Black) View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
LG SQ75TR, 600W, 5.1.1Ch Home Theater Soundbar with Dolby Atmos, Center Up-Firing Speaker, AI Sound Pro, Wow Synergy, Wireless Subwoofer, Rear Speaker Inbuilt Receiver, QNED Matching Bracket Inside View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
LG SG10TY 420W 3.1 Channel Dolby Atmos, Wow Synergy, AI Room Calibration Pro, Triple Level Spatial Sound & Smart Up-Mixer Soundbar with HDMI, Wi-Fi, USB & Bluetooth Connectivity (Black) View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
LG S95TR 810W 9.1.5 Channel Dolby Atmos, True Wireless Triple Up-Firing Speaker with Up-Firing Rear Speaker, Home Theater Soundbar with HDMI, Wi-Fi, USB & Bluetooth Connectivity (Black) View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
ZEBRONICS JUKE BAR 9900 Soundbar, 725 Watts, DTS X, Dolby Atmos, 7.2.2 (5.2.4), 2x Wireless (Subwoofer & Satellites), BT v5.3 | HDMI eARC | Optical IN | AUX | USB, RGB LED, Wireless UHF Mic, Deep Bass View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
ZEBRONICS JUKE BAR 8700 PRO 200W Dolby Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer, Supports Bluetooth, HDMI (ARC), AUX, Dolby Audio, LED Display, Wall Mountable, Virtual 5.1 and Dual Driver View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
ZEBRONICS VITA BAR 201, Wireless Bluetooth Soundbar, 30 Watts, Upto 8 Hours Playback, Powerful Dual Drivers, Dual Passive Radiators, LED Indicator, BTv5.3 | USB | AUX View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
ZEBRONICS Juke BAR 7600 Soundbar, 300 Watts, 5.1 Surround, Dual Rear Satellites, Triple Driver Soundbar, 6.5 Subwoofer, Bluetooth | HDMI (ARC) | Optical | USB | AUX View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo
ZEBRONICS Juke BAR 3903 Soundbar, 80 Watts, Virtual 5.1 Surround, Dual Driver Soundbar, 4.5 Subwoofer, Bluetooth v5.1 | HDMI (ARC) | USB | AUX, Wall Mountable View Details checkDetails
amazonLogo



Source link

Continue Reading

Technology

Sigmund Freud for Beginners: Meet the man who invented your subconscious | – The Times of India

Published

on

Sigmund Freud for Beginners: Meet the man who invented your subconscious | – The Times of India


If Noam Chomsky is the Devil’s Accountant, then Sigmund Freud is the Architect of Dreams. Not the whimsical kind involving rainbows and flying cows, but the kind where you’re chasing your mother through a dark hallway while holding a cigar. And yes, it is just a cigar. Or is it?
Explaining Freud is like trying to explain cricket to an American. At first glance, it’s long, confusing, and seems to revolve around daddy issues. But if you sit with it long enough, you begin to realise the strange beauty of a man who single-handedly turned Western civilisation into a therapy session.

Freud – The Interpreter of Nightmares

Freud didn’t just invent psychoanalysis. He invented the modern notion of the self: that what we are is not just what we do, or say, or post on Instagram, but a bubbling cauldron of instincts, memories, and traumas buried beneath the surface. Born in 1856 in what is now the Czech Republic, Freud was a neurologist by training, but like all true revolutionaries, he broke his field before he built a new one.
What Copernicus did to the Earth, Freud did to the human ego: he displaced it from the centre. His claim? You are not the master of your own house. Your mind is not a palace but a haunted mansion, and the real decisions are made in the basement, by people you’ve never met, in languages you can’t speak.

The Ego, the Id, and the Oh-So-Fraught Superego

Freud’s most enduring contribution is the structural model of the psyche: the id, the ego, and the superego. If the human mind were a dysfunctional family dinner, the id would be the drunk uncle demanding cake, the superego would be the grandmother wagging her finger about cholesterol, and the ego would be the exhausted host trying to keep the peace.

  • Id: the primitive, instinctual part of the mind, all hunger, libido, and tantrum.
  • Superego: the internalised parent, full of shoulds, musts, and guilt trips.
  • Ego: the negotiator, stuck between your inner caveman and your inner priest.

Freud’s model of the psyche is often compared to Plato’s chariot allegory. The id is the wild black horse of passion pulling recklessly, the superego is the white horse of restraint tugging toward virtue, and the ego is the charioteer—struggling to keep both in check while trying not to crash into existential despair.
This model helped Freud explain why civilised people behave in very uncivilised ways—and why your dreams might involve inappropriate thoughts about your chemistry teacher.

PSYCHOTHERAPY – Sigmund Freud

Freudian Slips and Other Confessions

Freud was obsessed with the idea that everything we say accidentally is actually on purpose. You didn’t “accidentally” call your boss “mum.” That was your unconscious waving a little flag. These verbal misfires, known as Freudian slips, revealed the darker urges we tried to repress. And repression, for Freud, was the root of neurosis. Forgetfulness, phobias, even physical symptoms—all were expressions of unprocessed trauma lurking beneath consciousness. The mind, he said, was a battleground. And dreams? That was where the war played out.

The Talking Cure and the Couch Revolution

Freud’s great innovation was the couch—not just for naps, but for confessions. He developed psychoanalysis: a method that involved free association, dream interpretation, and long silences where your therapist waits for you to say something meaningful while billing you by the hour.
The “talking cure,” as it was called, wasn’t just about healing. It was about uncovering. Freud believed that to be free, you had to confront what you’d buried. Therapy wasn’t about fixing problems; it was about excavating them.

Freud – The Cultural Prophet

Though he began in medicine, Freud’s impact spilled far beyond psychiatry. His ideas shaped art, literature, feminism, cinema, and even politics. Think of Fight Club and Black Swan, or Hitchcock’s Psycho. Think of advertising’s obsession with desire, or politics’ manipulation of mass psychology. It’s all Freud, baby.
Where Marx saw class conflict and Darwin saw natural selection, Freud saw repression. Civilisation, he argued, was a trade-off. We get security, but we give up freedom. Our lusts are suppressed, our instincts caged, and the result is a society full of frustrated people dreaming of escape.
This was most memorably expressed in Civilisation and Its Discontents, where Freud argued that all of society’s order and beauty is built on top of a reservoir of rage and desire. If Chomsky was the prophet of logic, Freud was the prophet of libido.

Sex and Death: Freud’s Favourite Dinner Guests

Freud's favourite dinner guests

Freud’s theories inevitably return to two things: sex and death. Eros and Thanatos. The life drive and the death drive. He believed human behaviour was driven by the need to create and the urge to destroy. Love and aggression were two sides of the same coin, forever intertwined.
He scandalised Victorian Europe by suggesting that children were sexual beings (cue monocle drop) and that even the most upstanding citizen was full of shameful urges. His theory of the Oedipus complex—that boys experience unconscious sexual desire for their mothers and rivalry with their fathers—was less a literal claim and more a metaphor for how identity is formed through conflict and repression.
Still, it didn’t stop generations of undergraduates from looking at their parents weirdly for weeks after Psych 101.

Freud – The Flawed Genius

Let’s be clear: not everything Freud said has stood the test of time. Some of his theories—like penis envy or the seduction theory—have been widely discredited. Feminists have taken him to task. Neuroscientists have rolled their eyes. And even modern psychologists often treat him like a problematic grandfather: respected, but not to be left alone at parties.
Yet, like Shakespeare or Darwin, Freud’s shadow looms over everything that came after. Carl Jung, Jacques Lacan, Melanie Klein, Slavoj Žižek—they’re all riffing off Freud. Every time someone says “you’re projecting” or jokes about daddy issues, they’re paying homage to him.

Freud’s Final Years

Freud fled the Nazis in 1938 and spent his last days in London, dying a year later of jaw cancer after decades of cigar addiction. He asked for euthanasia, and his doctor obliged. A final act of control from a man obsessed with the things we cannot control.
His ashes are stored in a Grecian urn, which, in an almost too-symbolic twist, was nearly stolen in 2014. Even in death, Freud can’t catch a break from people wanting to steal his essence.

Freud’s Enduring Relevance

We live in a time of TikTok therapy, Instagram trauma, and dopamine detoxes. Freud might scoff at the pseudoscience of it all, but he’d also recognise the yearning beneath it. The desire to be understood. To be free. To turn chaos into meaning. As Chomsky gives us the tools to dissect language and power, Freud gives us the mirror. A cracked one, perhaps, but a mirror nonetheless. As Freud once wrote: “Being entirely honest with oneself is a good exercise.”
In 2025, amid AI hallucinations and algorithmic identities, it might be the best exercise of all.





Source link

Continue Reading

Technology

WWDC 2025: iOS 19, AI and iPadOS upgrades likely to be in focus

Published

on

WWDC 2025: iOS 19, AI and iPadOS upgrades likely to be in focus


Apple’s WWDC 2025 conference is fast approaching, and it’s confirmed to take place on June 9, 2025. Apple is anticipated to announce major updates to its software platforms, including iOS 19. There is also likely going to be a big focus on artificial intelligence. T

WWDC 2025 starts June 9, 2025.(Apple)

hat said, we now have further insight into what to expect at the event, thanks to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who reports that WWDC 2025 will likely revolve around three major themes. The first is redesigned operating systems, the second is the introduction of new Apple Intelligence features, and the third involves major upgrades to iPadOS. Here’s what you need to know

iOS 19 is expected to be a major redesign

Multiple reports so far have suggested that the update will feature translucent and transparent elements throughout the user interface, possibly even new app icons and animations. This shift in design is reportedly inspired by the visual language of visionOS, the software powering Apple’s mixed reality headset, the Vision Pro.

It remains to be seen whether these design elements will be carried over to other operating systems as well, including macOS, iPadOS, and watchOS.

Also Read: iPhone 17 Air likely to come with optional accessories for lasting battery life- Details

Apple to go big with Apple Intelligence?

Apple rolled out Apple Intelligence with iOS 18.1 back in October last year. Since then, it has released iterative updates with each iOS version, including iOS 18.2, iOS 18.3, and iOS 18.4.

However, some features were delayed, such as the revamped Siri experience. It remains to be seen what Apple Intelligence will bring at WWDC 2025, especially since the company needs to catch up with rivals like Google and OpenAI, who currently have a significant lead.

What about iPadOS?

iPadOS is no longer just a scaled-up version of iOS. That distinction became clearer a few years ago when Apple introduced a range of additional features specific to the platform, and renamed it.

However, many users still feel that iPadOS doesn’t offer the same level of productivity as macOS. For more intensive tasks, most users continue to prefer a full-fledged laptop like a MacBook. Given that iOS is set for a major upgrade this year, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary to expect that iPadOS will receive a major update as well. Imagine iPadOS more in line with macOS, enabling better productivity for users, that’s the possibility we are talking about.

MOBILE FINDER: iPhone 16 LATEST Price, Specs And More



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2025 Republic Diary. All rights reserved.