The exponential rise in the production of plastic and the consequential surge in plastic waste have led the scientists and researchers look out for innovative and sustainable means to reuse/recycle the plastic waste in order to reduce its negative impact on environment. Construction material, converting waste plastic into fuel, household goods, fabric and clothing are some of the sectors where waste plastic is emerging as a viable option. Out of these, construction material modified with plastic waste has garnered lot of attention. Modification of construction material with plastic waste serves a dual purpose. It reduces the amount of plastic waste going to landfills or litter and secondly lessens the use of mined construction materials, thereby mitigating the negative impact of construction industry on environment. This paper summarizes the developments with regard to the use of plastic waste as a constituent of construction material. Inclusion of plastic waste as a binder, aggregate, fine aggregate, modifier or substitute of cement and sand in the manufacturing of bricks, tiles, concrete and roads has been comprehensively reviewed. Also, the influence of addition of plastic waste on strength properties, water absorption, durability, etc. has been thoroughly discussed. The research studies considered for this review have been categorized based on whether they dealt with the use of plastic waste for bricks and tiles or in concrete for road construction.

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Nowadays, despite enormous scientific advances, viral diseases remain the leading cause of morbidity worldwide, and their potential to spread is escalating, eventually turning into pandemics. Nutrition can play a major role in supporting the immune system of the body and for the optimal functioning of the cells of the immune system. A healthy diet encompassing vitamins, multi-nutrient supplements, functional foods, nutraceuticals, and probiotics can play a pivotal role in combating several viral invasions in addition to strengthening the immune system. This review provides comprehensive information on diet-based scientific recommendations, evidence, and worldwide case studies in light of the current pandemic and also with a particular focus on virus-induced respiratory tract infections. After reviewing the immune potential of nutraceuticals based on the lab studies and on human studies, it was concluded that bioactive compounds such as nutraceuticals, vitamins, and functional foods (honey, berries, etc.) with proven antiviral efficacy, in addition to pharmaceutical medication or alone as dietary supplements, can prove instrumental in treating a range of virus-induced infections in addition to strengthening the immune system. Milk proteins and peptides can also act as adjuvants for the design of more potent novel antiviral drugs.

Room temperature ionic liquid 2,3-dimethyl-1-hexylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethane sulfonyl)imide (DMHxImTFSI) has been synthesized and used in the preparation of polymer gel electrolytes containing polymethylmethacrylate and propylene carbonate (PC). The onset of ion diffusional motion has been studied by (1)H and (19)F NMR spectroscopy and the results obtained for ionic liquid, liquid electrolytes, and polymer gel electrolytes have been correlated with the ionic conductivity results for these electrolytes in the 100-400 K temperature range. The temperature at which (1)H and (19)F NMR lines show motional narrowing and hence ion diffusional motion starts has been found to be closely related to the temperature at which a large increase in ionic conductivity has been observed for these electrolytes. Polymer gel electrolytes have high ionic conductivity over a wide range of temperatures. Thermogravimetric analysis/differential scanning calorimetry studies show that the ionic liquid (DMHxImTFSI) used in the present study is thermally stable up to 400 degrees C, whereas the addition of PC lowers the thermal stability of polymer gel electrolytes containing the ionic liquid. Different electrolytes have been observed to show high ionic conductivity in different range of temperatures, which can be helpful in the design of polymer gel electrolytes for specific applications.

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