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Radio Frequency (RF) sputtered germanium (Ge) thin films were deposited on glass substrate at in situ annealing temperatures of 400, 450, 500, 550, and 600 °C. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy revealed that the Ge films were initially amorphous but transformed to polycrystalline after annealing at 450 °C. Further annealing up to 600 °C resulted in improved crystallinity. Strain studies of the films using XRD and Raman showed compressive (out‐of‐plane) and tensile (in‐plane) strains, respectively, throughout all the annealing temperatures. The surface morphology of the films was recorded using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), which showed grain growth with annealing temperatures. The optical energy gap evaluated from absorption spectra for crystalline films decreased with annealing temperature, indicating improvement in crystallinity of films. The resistivity of the films deduced using current‐voltage measurements was found to decrease with annealing temperature, which can be attributed to enhancement in grain size. This study establishes a correlation between strain, grain size, optical energy gap, and electrical resistivity with temperature for Ge films deposited on glass substrates. Thus, the present study provides insights into variation in physical and electrical properties of films with in situ annealing temperature for their applicability in optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate action plans are essential for climate mitigation and adaptation as well as to achieve climate and development goals like the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, the development and implementation of climate action plans at multiple levels involve decision-making processes. In this article, we examine the barriers and opportunities to decision-making in climate action plans for adaptation at three different governance levels in India: national, sub-national and local. Through a literature review and analysis of case studies, we find that lack of usable climate information, institutional weaknesses and capacity of actors are critical barriers to decision-making at all three levels in India. We recommend that providing usable and accessible climate information, creating evidence and knowledge on adaptation, strengthening the science-policy interface and institutional mechanisms, as well as building the capacities of actors can contribute to better decision-making and achieving targeted climate action plans and SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) and the Internet of Things (IoT) have emerged as transforming technologies, bringing the potential to revolutionize a wide range of industries such as environmental monitoring, agriculture, manufacturing, smart health, home automation, wildlife monitoring, and surveillance. Population expansion, changes in the climate, and resource constraints all offer problems to modern IoT applications. To solve these issues, the integration of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) and the Internet of Things (IoT) has come forth as a game-changing solution. For example, in agricultural environment, IoT-based WSN has been utilized to monitor yield conditions and automate agriculture precision through different sensors. These sensors are used in agriculture environments to boost productivity through intelligent agricultural decisions and to collect data on crop health, soil moisture, temperature monitoring, and irrigation. However, sensors have finite and non-rechargeable batteries, and memory capabilities, which might have a negative impact on network performance. When a network is distributed over a vast area, the performance of WSN-assisted IoT suffers. As a result, building a stable and energy-efficient routing infrastructure is quite challenging in order to extend network lifetime. To address energy-related issues in scalable WSN-IoT environments for future IoT applications, this research proposes EEDC: An Energy Efficient Data Communication scheme by utilizing "Region based Hierarchical Clustering for Efficient Routing (RHCER)"—a multi-tier clustering framework for energy-aware routing decisions. The sensors deployed for IoT application data collection acquire important data and select cluster heads based on a multi-criteria decision function. Further, to ensure efficient long-distance communication along with even load distribution across all network nodes, a subdivision technique was employed in each tier of the proposed framework. The proposed routing protocol aims to provide network load balancing and convert communicating over long distances into shortened multi-hop distance communications, hence enhancing network lifetime.The performance of EEDC is compared to that of some existing energy-efficient protocols for various parameters. The simulation results show that the suggested methodology reduces energy usage by almost 31% in sensor nodes and provides almost 38% improved packet drop ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB) is due to variation in the COL7A1 gene. The clinical phenotype and severity depends on the type of variation and domain of the affected protein. Objectives: To characterize the spectrum of COL7A1 variations in a cohort of DEB patients from India, to correlate these findings with clinical phenotypes and to establish a genotype-phenotype correlation. Methods: This was a retrospective, observational study involving patients with DEB diagnosed on the basis of clinical manifestations, Immuno-fluorescence antigen mapping (IFM) and genetic analysis. A genotype-phenotype correlation was attempted and observations were further explained using IFM on skin biopsies and molecular dynamic simulations. Descriptive statistics were performed using SPSS version 20.0 with P values of <0.05 considered significant. Results: We report 68 unrelated Indian DEB patients classified as RDEB-Intermediate (RDEB-I), RDEB-Severe (RDEB-S) or DDEB based on the EB diagnostic matrix, immunofluorescence antigen mapping and genetic data. Of 68 DEB patients, 59 (86.76%) were inherited in a recessive pattern (RDEB) and 9 (13.24%) in a dominant pattern (DDEB). Limbal stem cell deficiency was seen in four cases of RDEB-S very early in the course of the disease. A total of 88 variants were detected of which 66 were novel. There were no hotspots and recurrent variations were seen in a very small group of patients. We found a high frequency of compound heterozygotes (CH) in RDEB patients born out of non-consanguineous marriage. RDEB patients older than two years who had oral mucosal involvement, and/or deformities, were more likely to have esophageal involvement. Genotype phenotype correlation showed a higher frequency of extracutaneous manifestations and deformities in patients with Premature Termination Codons (PTCs) than in patients with other variations. Molecular simulation studies in patients with missense mutations showed severe phenotype when they were localized in interrupted regions of GLY-X-Y repeats. Conclusion: This large study of DEB patients in South Asia adds to the continually expanding genetic database of this condition. This study has direct implications on management as this group of patients can be screened early and managed appropriately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With continents and oceans in-between, sibling authors, one from a BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) nation and other from a G7 (Canada, England, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United States) nation, propose christening bipolar disorder of publishing biomedical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic exposure to Ultraviolet B radiation (UV‐B) evokes a myriad of toxic signalling events in the irradiated skin. One of such response is ER stress, which is known to exacerbate photodamage responses. Also, recent literature has highlighted the adverse impact of environmental toxicants on mitochondrial dynamics and mitophagy. Impaired mitochondrial dynamics escalates oxidative damage and causes apoptosis. There have been evidences that support crosstalk between ER stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. However, mechanistic clarification is still needed to verify the interactions between UPR responses and mitochondrial dynamics impairment in UV‐B‐induced photodamage models. Lastly, plant‐based natural agents have garnered attention as therapeutic agents against skin photodamage. Thus, gaining mechanistic insights of plant‐based natural agents is required for their application and feasibility in clinical settings. With this aim in view, this study was performed in primary human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) and Balb/C mice. Different parameters regarding mitochondrial dynamics, ER stress, intracellular damage and histological damage were analyzed using western blot, rt‐PCR and microscopy. We demonstrated that UV‐B exposure leads to induction of UPR responses, upregulation of Drp‐1 and inhibition of mitophagy. Further, 4‐PBA treatment leads to reversal of these noxious stimuli in irradiated HDF cells, thereby, indicating an upstream role of UPR induction in mitophagy inhibition. Also, we explored the therapeutic effect of Rosmarinic acid (RA) against ER stress and impaired mitophagy in photodamage models. RA prevents intracellular damage via alleviation of ER stress and mitophagic responses in HDFs and irradiated Balb/C mice skin. The current study summarizes the mechanistic insights into UVB‐mediated intracellular damage and role of natural plant‐based agent (RA) in ameliorating these toxic responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vehicular Content Networks (VCNs) represent key empowering solution for content distribution in fully distributed manner for vehicular infotainment applications. In VCN, both on board unit (OBU) of each vehicle and road side units (RSUs) facilitate content caching to support timely content delivery for moving vehicles when requested. However, due to limited caching capacity available at both RSUs and OBUs, only selected content can be cached. Moreover, the contents being demanded in vehicular infotainment applications are transient in nature. The transient content caching in vehicular content networks with the use of edge communication for delay free services is fundamental issue and need to get addressed (Yang et al. in ICC 2022-IEEE international conference on communications. IEEE, pp 1–6, 2022). Therefore, this study focuses on edge communication in VCNs by firstly organizing a region based classification for vehicular network components including RSUs and OBUs. Secondly, a theoretical model is designed for each vehicle to decide its content fetching location (i.e. either RSU or OBU) in current region or neighboring region. Further, the caching of transient contents inside vehicular network components (such as RSU, OBU) is based on content caching probability. Finally, the proposed scheme is evaluated under different network condition in Icarus simulator for various performance parameters. The simulation results proved outstanding performance of the proposed approach over various state of art caching strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oblique ion beam induced spontaneous patterning opens up a simple and inexpensive route to fabricate useful nanoscale textured materials that have important implications in biosensors, optoelectronic devices, templates for liquid crystal orientation, etc. In this regard, the evolution of patterns over high density polyethylene surfaces induced by 100 keV Ar+ irradiation at off normal incidences of 30°, 40°, and 50° with a fluence of 5 × 1016 Ar+ cm−2 has been investigated. Structural modifications have been analyzed using high resolution X-ray diffraction. An increase in crystallite size and a decrease in parameters such as dislocation density (δ), microstrain (ϵ), and distortion (g) have been observed after oblique Ar+ irradiation with an increase in the angle of incidence from 30° to 40°. Atomic force microscopy analysis revealed that the wavelength of ripplelike patterns decreases from 3.19 μm to 2.51 μm, while its amplitude increases from 77.4 nm to 101 nm with an increase in the angle of incidence from 30° to 40°. Similarly, with an increase of oblique incidence to 40°, the root mean square (Rq) and average surface roughness (Rav) have been found to increase. These results are accredited to the curvature dependent sputtering and smoothing processes at oblique incidences. The possible correlation between ion beam sputtering induced patterning and the structural modification in the matrix has been established and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evolutionary processes have evolved plants to cope with several different natural stresses. Basic physiological activities of crop plants are significantly harmed by these stresses, reducing productivity and eventually leading to death. The recent advancements in high-throughput sequencing of transcriptome and expression profiling with NGS techniques lead to the innovation of various RNAs which do not code for proteins, more specifically long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), undergirding regulate growth, development, and the plant defence mechanism transcriptionally under stress situations. LncRNAs are a diverse set of RNAs that play key roles in various biological processes at the level of transcription, post-transcription, and epigenetics. These are thought to serve crucial functions in plant immunity and response to changes in the environment. In plants, however, just a few lncRNAs have been functionally identified. In this review, we will address recent advancements in comprehending lncRNA regulatory functions, focusing on the expanding involvement of lncRNAs in modulating environmental stress responsiveness in plants. • Long non coding RNA, Abiotic and Biotic stress, stress regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We apply the deformation scheme to the classical Ricker map and obtain a q-deformed Ricker map, namely, q-Ricker map. The aim of the paper is to investigate the nonlinear dynamics, bifurcation structure, and topological entropy of q-Ricker map. In particular, we show that q-Ricker map proclaims many exciting phenomena that are remarkable in one-dimensional dynamical systems, such as the presence of coexisting attractors, physically non-observable chaos, hydra paradox, bubbling effect, and extinction. We discuss fold and flip bifurcations and further the presence of stochastically stable chaos. Finally, we show that a certain amount of deformation in the system can keep it in equilibrium; however, excessive deformation causes extinction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation is the leading cause of premature skin aging and skin cancer. UVB mediated mitochondrial dysfunction has been identified as one of the causative factors of UVB induced oxidative imbalance and apoptosis. Here, we report that UVB leads to mitochondrial fragmentation by causing imbalance in the markers regulating mitochondrial dynamics, which further contributes to ROS imbalance and activation of mitochondrial apoptotic signals. Several studies have demonstrated natural products as inhibitors of mitochondrial fission. However, to our knowledge, not much evidence has been gathered regarding utilization of Rosmarinic acid (RA) against UVB orchestrated mitochondrial fragmentation responses. Thus, in our study, we present the evidence of the efficacy of RA as a modulator of mitochondrial dynamics in UVB irradiated skin cells to prevent oxidative imbalance and apoptosis thereby preventing UVB induced photodamage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wound healing is a highly coordinated and dynamic process of tissue repair after injury. The global burden of disease associated with wounds, both acute and chronic, is a significantly rising health concern. Upon skin wounding, neurons have the ability to sense the disruption to mediate the release of neurotransmitters into the wound microenvironment. Serotonin that has long been recognised as a potential vasoconstrictor is now also being contemplated to play a role in re-epithelialisation of wounds. While the role of neuropeptides in stimulating diabetic wound healing is being increasingly emphasised, on the other hand, dopamine is being widely studied for its dual role in mediating both pro- and antiangiogenic effects at the site of the wounds. Similarly, epinephrine levels that are known to be elevated during stress is now recognised as a contributing factor towards delayed wound closure, thereby serving as an inhibitor of wound healing. Thus, each neurotransmitter regulates wound repair and their active regeneration in a typical way. Strengthening our understanding of the molecular pathways via which the neurotransmitter modulates the immune system to control wound healing can yield potential therapeutic measures. Further investigations regarding the safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness of these processes are a prerequisite for their possible translation into clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skin is a dynamic interface between the external environment and internal organs. It has high turnover that allows the renewal of dead skin cells, thus maintaining a healthy skin homeostasis. Mitochondria fulfills all the energy needs for these cells. In addition, mitochondria are an active source of free radicals that have been determined as crucially important in skin health and disease. The common notion of limited role of mitochondria as merely the cellular powerhouse has drastically changed. Several extracellular stressors have proved to induce impairment in the dynamic properties of mitochondria such as fusion and fission, which further leads to an activation of selective autophagic response known as mitophagy. Altered mitochondrial dynamics have been lately associated with skin photodamage and cutaneous manifestations of several diseased states, thereby suggesting it to be an effective therapeutic target. This review summarizes the molecular mechanisms involved with impaired mitochondrial dynamics and its potential role in skin health and disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In pandemic situations, it is essential that the limited resources are used judiciously to achieve most benefits. Prediction of the disease severity at the earliest will help in better allocation, thus, positively affecting prognosis and treatment. Aim and objective: To investigate patient characteristics and specific biomarkers as possible early predictors of disease severity of SARS-COV-2 infection. Materials and methods: Retrospective single-centric observational study conducted at 70-bedded intensive care unit of tertiary care hospital at Haryana, India. 100 consecutive RT-PCR positive coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) adult patients. Demographics, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (Apache-II) score, and Inflammatory markers were compared with respect to oxygenation defect (PaO2/FiO2 ratio: <300 or ≥300 mm Hg), need of invasive ventilation, ICU length of stay and 28-day mortality. Findings: Mean age was significantly more in lower PF ratio group (58.01 ± 15.33 vs 50.97 ± 13.78, p = 0.023) whereas sex ratio was comparable among patients in two groups. Significantly, higher APACHE-II score (p ≤0.001) and presence of hypertension (43.54% vs 23.68%; p = 0·045) in low PF ratio group along with higher C-reactive protein (171.78 ± 124.45 vs 101.52 ± 88.70), IL-6 (173.51 vs 53.18) and ferritin (1677.60 ± 2271.13 vs 643.54 ± 718.68) levels. Procalcitonin, lactate dehydrogenase, and creatine phosphokinase (CPK) levels were not significant. Interpretation: Age and APACHE II score and among laboratory parameters CRP, ferritin, and IL-6 levels were significantly higher in low PF ratio group, patients requiring invasive ventilation and in mortality group. Use of this triad (CRP, ferritin, and IL-6 levels) at admission may predict the disease severity early in the course. Addition of APACHE-II may further improve the accuracy of the score. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Sore throat is a common complaint to both laryngeal mask airway (LMA) insertion and endotracheal tube intubation. Its incidence in LMA has been found to vary between 5.8% and 34%. Administration of medicated lozenges in the preoperative period is also a route available for the prevention of postoperative sore throat (POST). Aim: The aim of this double-blinded randomized controlled study was to evaluate the efficacy of turmeric-based lozenges given preoperatively in patients undergoing general anesthesia (GA) under LMA insertion for the prevention of POST. Settings and Design: This study was conducted at the Department of Anaesthesiology, Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences, Swami Rama Himalayan University, Swami Rama Nagar, Dehradun, over a period of 12 months. Subjects and Methods: Two hundred and fifty patients of the American Society of Anesthesiologists classes I and II posted for elective surgeries under GA with insertion of LMA were included in our study. Randomization was done by the sealed envelope technique. Turmeric extract with menthol and eucalyptus oil lozenges was given in Group A (n = 125), while plain turmeric extract with orange flavor lozenges was given in Group B (n = 125) 30 min preoperatively. The patients were assessed for POST in the recovery room post-LMA removal at 30 min, 6 h, 12 h, and 24 h. Statistical Analysis: The data were analyzed using Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, and Student's t-test. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The turmeric lozenges containing 6.4 mg eucalyptus oil and 6.3 mg menthol oil along with turmeric extract 100 mg significantly reduced the incidence of POST across all time intervals (P < 0.05) as compared to orange-flavored plain turmeric lozenges containing turmeric extract 100 mg. Conclusions: POST was reduced with preoperatively administered eucalyptus oil and menthol oil containing turmeric lozenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 15-year-old healthy boy presented with multiple eruptive brown-colored to hyperpigmented papules all over the body for 1 year. His serum lipids were normal, and HIV serology was negative. Biopsy revealed hyperplastic epidermis along with an ill-defined lesion in the dermis that was composed of spindle-shaped fibroblastic cells and multiple cholesterol clefts within foamy macrophages. A diagnosis of cholesterotic dermatofibroma was made. The case is unusual for the young age of presentation and the presence of multiple eruptive papules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we show that the q-deformation scheme applied on both sides of the difference equation of the logistic map is topologically conjugate to the canonical logistic map and therefore there is no dynamical changes by this q-deformation. We propose a correction on this q-deformation scheme and apply it on the logistic map to describe the dynamical changes. We illustrate the Parrondo's paradox by assuming chaotic region as the gain. Further, we compute the topological entropy in the parameter plane and show the existence of Li-Yorke chaos. Finally, we show that in the neighbourhood of a particular parameter value, q-logistic map has stochastically stable chaos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Clinical Scoring System for Pediatric Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease Hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD), a viral exanthem that commonly affects children, is caused by Coxsackie virus (CV) A16 and Enterovirus 71. The optimal cutoff score was 7 which meant that a score of 7 or more was suggestive of HFMD while a score <7 could be considered as non-HFMD.[2] One often comes across atypical presentations of HFMD in practice. Patients were then divided into the HFMD (1094 patients) group or non-HFMD (341 patients) group based on a positive or a negative result from the assay, respectively. [Extracted from the article]

A case study of a 70-year-old retired man with no known co-morbidities presented with a slowly progressive area of ulceration over the right shin of a 1-year duration. Topics include the patient was diagnosed as having chromoblastomycosis (CBM) with the typical ‘sclerotic bodies' in histology; and secondary ulceration of the exophytic or verrucous growths is a common complication regarding the number of cases with ulcerative morphology.

Retinoic acid-inducible gene I-like receptors (RLRs) are important cytosolic pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that sense viral RNA before mounting a response leading to the activation of type I IFNs. Several viral infections induce epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), even as its significance remains unclear. Here, we show that EMT or an EMT-like process is a general response to viral infections. Our studies identify a previously unknown mechanism of regulation of an important EMT-transcription factor (EMT-TF) Snail during RNA viral infections and describe its possible implication. RNA viral infections, poly(I·C) transfection, and ectopic expression of RLR components induced Snail levels, indicating that RLR pathway could regulate its expression. Detailed examination using mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein knockout (MAVS-KO) cells established that MAVS is essential in this regulation. We identified two interferon-stimulated response elements (ISREs) in the SNAI1 promoter region and demonstrated that they are important in its transcriptional activation by phosphorylated IRF3. Increasing the levels of Snail activated RLR pathway and dramatically limited replication of the RNA viruses dengue virus, Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), and vesicular stomatitis virus, pointing to their antiviral functions. Knockdown of Snail resulted in a considerable increase in the JEV titer, validating its antiviral functions. Finally, transforming growth factor ß-mediated IFNB activation was dependent on Snail levels, confirming its important role in type I IFN activation. Thus, EMT-TF Snail is transcriptionally coregulated with type I IFN by RLRs and, in turn, promotes the RLR pathway, further strengthening the antiviral state in the cell. Our work identified an interesting mechanism of regulation of Snail that demonstrates potential coregulation of multiple innate antiviral pathways triggered by RLRs. Identification of antiviral functions of Snail also provides an opportunity to expand the sphere of RLR signaling. IMPORTANCE RLRs sense viral genomic RNA or the doublestranded RNA intermediates and trigger the activation of type I IFNs. Snail transcription factor, commonly associated with epithelialmesenchymal transition (EMT), has been reported to facilitate EMT in several viral infections. Many of these reports are based on oncoviruses, leading to the speculation that EMT induced during infection is an important factor in the oncogenesis triggered by these infections. However, our studies reveal that EMT or EMT-like processes during viral infections have important functions in antiviral response. We have characterized a new mechanism of transcriptional regulation of Snail by IRF3 through interferon-stimulated response elements in their promoters, and this finding could have importance in nonviral contexts as well. We also identify that EMT-TF Snail promotes antiviral status of the infected cells through the RLR pathway. This study characterizes a new regulatory mechanism of activation of Snail and establishes its unidentified function in antiviral response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Present study focuses on the bioinformatics characterization. • Phylogenetic analysis highlighted evolutionary relatedness, with ARF and REM forming prominent clades. • This study provides valuable insights into the B3 DNA superfamily in bitter gourd. The present study focuses on the bioinformatics characterization of the B3 DNA superfamily in bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) and explores its expression patterns in different tissues, development stages, and under biotic stresses. Through a comprehensive approach, this study aimed to identify, classify, and understand the properties of B3 genes in bitter gourd. The objectives encompassed gene identification, domain confirmation, physicochemical characterization, subcellular localization prediction, genomic organization analysis, gene duplication events, conserved motif identification, gene architecture analysis, phylogenetic connections, promoter regions' cis-acting regulatory components, and RNA sequencing-based expression profiling. The results revealed 51 B3 genes in bitter gourd, classified into ARF, REM, LAV, and RAV classes. The genes exhibited distinct conserved domains, physicochemical features, and subcellular localizations. Gene structure analysis indicated variations in exon-intron patterns within classes. ARF genes showed upregulation in tissue development and biotic stress, while REM genes exhibited consistent low expression. This study provides valuable insights into the B3 DNA superfamily in bitter gourd, shedding light on its genomic characteristics and expression profiles, which can be crucial for future research on gene function and crop improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Priming with ALA enhanced UV-B tolerance level in Cajanus cajan seedlings. • ALA upregulates enzymatic antioxidant activities. • ALA enhanced gas exchance parameters hence it may improve crop productivity of Cajanus cajan, even under UV-B stress. • Moreover, this article also emphasized on the cost effectiveness of the use of ALA through priming. The objective of this study is to investigate whether pre-treatment (priming) of chlorophyll precursor 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) assumes a huge part in moderating harms caused by UV-B exposure on two varieties of Cajanus cajan L. seedlings namely BAHAR and KB-17. Healthy seeds were primed with two doses of ALA (lower dose: ALA 1 ; 25µM and higher dose: ALA 2 ; 100 µM) for 24 h at 25±2 °C and thereafter 17-day old seedlings were exposed to an enhanced dose of UV-B radiation i.e. 2.2 kJ m−2d−1. Results showed that UV-B exposure significantly declined growth attributes, photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, b and carotenoids contents), photosynthetic gas exchange characteristics (A, Ci, Gs, E, and WUE). This decrease was also accompanied by the accumulation of reactive oxygen species: superoxide radical (SOR; O₂˙ˉ), hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2), and lipid peroxidation (MDA contents). The antioxidative enzyme activities: catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione- S -transferase (GST), and peroxidase (POD) and non-enzymatic antioxidants: total phenolics content (TPC) and total flavonoids content (TFC) were increased. On contrary to this, damaging effects of UV-B radiations were markedly alleviated with the exogenous application (priming) of ALA by enhancing plant growth and growth-regulating parameters. Furthermore, ALA application decreased the UV-B induced oxidative stress in Cajanus cajan L. seedlings by further improving the activity of enzymatic and the contents of non-enzymatic antioxidants of test plant defense system. Furthermore, priming with ALA decreased the germination time and increased the germination index which additionally served as a significant purpose behind the improvement in the harvest quality and amount. The BAHAR variety of Cajanus cajan was discovered to be more tolerant against UV-B stress due to its more efficient defense system with a higher rate of antioxidant enzyme activities. On the other hand, KB-17 variety of Cajanus cajan was discovered to be sensitive against UV-B stress due to its feeble defense system with higher accumulation of reactive oxygen species. Thus, these findings suggest that priming of seeds with ALA act as a sustainable remedial strategy in reducing the hazardous effects of UV-B induced stress on crop productivity of Cajanus cajan seedlings by triggering the up-regulation of photosynthesis and antioxidant system to counterbalance the ROS-mediated damage to macromolecules. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This prospective randomised double-blind study was conducted to compare the effect of intravenous (IV) with intraperitoneal (IP) administration of clonidine with respect to analgesic efficacy and side effects. Methods: A total of 60 American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) physical status class I and II patients, aged 35–60 years, undergoing total abdominal hysterectomy, were randomly divided into 2 groups. Standard general anaesthesia technique was used. All the patients in group IV received 3 μg kg-1 of IV clonidine after resection of the uterus along with 0.25% bupivacaine (20 mL intraperitoneally and 10 mL as wound infiltration), whereas patients in group IP received 10 mL of normal saline intravenously and 3 μg kg-1 of clonidine mixed with 0.25% bupivacaine (20 mL intraperitoneally and 10 mL as wound infiltration). Postoperative analgesia was provided with IV diclofenac every 8 hours and IV fentanyl (1 μg kg-1) on demand. Pain at rest, opioid consumption, level of sedation and severity of nausea were recorded for 24 hours. The heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) were recorded at an interval of 15 minutes for 2 hours followed by routine hourly monitoring. Results: Both the groups were found to be similar with respect to demography and ASA physical status. The maximum pain was felt at 6 hours in both the groups. The mean visual analogue scale score at 6 hours (p=0.47) was comparable. However, patients in group IV had significantly higher sedation (p<0.001) and nausea (p=0.013) scores on arrival at post-anaesthesia care unit along with a significant reduction in HR (p=0.001) and BP (p=0001) for the first 2 hours postoperatively. Conclusion: Although IP clonidine is comparable with IV clonidine with respect to postoperative pain scores and supplementary opioid requirement, the side effects are significantly less with IP clonidine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It may appear to be a wordy jargon but moral compass, ethical compass and legal compass in artificial intelligence are nothing but about the bottom line and the bottom line is whether humans and their systems will co-exist with artificial intelligence or whether artificial intelligence will outlast (outlive) humans and their systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase-1 (NDM-1) has been known to hydrolyze nearly all β-lactam antibiotics, leading to a multidrug-resistant state. Hence, it is important to study its structure and function in relation to controlling infections caused by such resistant bacterial strains. Mutagenesis is one of the approaches used to explore it. No study has been performed to explore the role of non-active site residues in the enzyme activity. This study includes mutations of three non-active site residues to comprehend its structure and function simultaneously. Three non-active site laboratory mutants of NDM-1 were generated by site-directed mutagenesis. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of cefotaxime, cefoxitin, imipenem and meropenem were reduced by up to 4-fold for these mutants compared with wild-type. The hydrolytic activity of mutants was also found to be reduced. Mutants showed a significant change in secondary structure compared with wild-type, as determined by CD spectrophotometry. The catalytic properties and stability of these mutants were found to be reduced. Hence, it revealed an imperative role of non-active site residues in the enzymatic activity of NDM-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineered in vitro models of skeletal muscle are essential for efficiently screening drug safety and efficacy. However, conventional culture substrates poorly replicate physical features of native muscle and do not support long-term culture, which limits tissue maturity. Micromolded gelatin hydrogels cross-linked with microbial transglutaminase (gelatin-MTG hydrogels) have previously been shown to induce C21C2 myotube alignment and improve culture longevity. However, several properties of gelatin-MTG hydrogels have not been systematically characterized, such as changes in elastic modulus during incubation in culture-like conditions and their ability to support sarcomere maturation. In this study, various gelatin-MTG hydrogels were fabricated and incubated in ambient or culture-like conditions. Elastic modulus, mass, and transmittance were measured over a one- or two-week period. Compared to hydrogels in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) or ambient air, hydrogels in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) and 5% CO2 demonstrated the most stable elastic modulus. A subset of gelatin-MTG hydrogels was micromolded and seeded with C2C12 or primary chick myoblasts, which aligned and fused into multinucleated myotubes with relatively mature sarcomeres. These data are important for fabricating gelatin-MTG hydrogels with predictable and stable mechanical properties and highlight their advantages as culture substrates for engineering relatively mature and stable muscle tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon, the workhorse of semiconductor industry, is being exploited for various functional applications in numerous fields of nanotechnology. In this paper, we report the fabrication of depth controllable amorphous silicon (a-Si) layers under 80 keV Ar+ ion sputtering at off-normal ion incidences of 30°, 40° and 50° and crystallization of these amorphous Si(111) layers under thermal annealing. We find that the irradiated samples were not fully amorphized even for the lowest oblique incidence of 30°. Sputtering at off-normal incidences induces depth controllable surface amorphization in Si(111). Annealing at temperature of 1,073 K is characterized by formation of depth-varying buried amorphous layer due to defect recrystallization and damage recovery. Some remnant tensile stress has been observed for recrystallized samples even for lowest oblique incidence. The correlation of amorphization and stress due to sputtering induced by oblique incidence has been discussed systematically. The possible mechanism of recrystallization is discussed in terms of vacancies produced in sputtering dominated regime and their migration during annealing treatment. Our results reveal that with appropriate selection of oblique ion beam sputtering parameters, depth controllable surface amorphization and recrystallization may be fine-tuned to achieve co-existing amorphous and crystalline phases, playing a crucial role in fabrication of substrates for IC industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glutathione-S transferase (GST) is a most ancient protein superfamily of multipurpose roles and evolved principally from gene duplication of an ancestral GSH binding protein. They have implemented in diverse plant functions such as detoxification of xenobiotic, secondary metabolism, growth and development, and majorly against biotic and abiotic stresses. The vital structural features of GSTs like highly divergent functional topographies, conserved integrated architecture with separate binding pockets for substrates and ligand, the stringent structural fidelity with high Tm values (50º–60º), and stress-responsive cis-regulatory elements in the promoter region offer this protein as most flexible plant protein for plant breeding approaches, biotechnological applications, etc. This review article summarizes the recent information of GST evolution, and their distribution and structural features with emphasis on the assorted roles of Ser and Cys GSTs with the signature motifs in their active sites, alongside their recent biotechnological application in the area of agriculture, environment, and nanotechnology have been highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This audit was aimed at studying current practices regarding the use of stress ulcer prophylaxis (SUP) in the Indian critical care setup, with the background aim of raising awareness regarding the use and indications of SUP in critically ill patients. Materials and methods: After registering the trial with the clinical trial registry, India, a structured audit questionnaire containing 26 questions pertaining to SUP was distributed through electronic media among clinicians working in the intensive care units (ICUs) across India. Responses obtained were statistically analyzed. Results: The questionnaire was sent to 550 clinicians. Only 197 responded, of whom 91.4% were anesthesiologists, 5.6% were physicians, and 3% were intensivists. The audit revealed that 33% respondents were unaware of the existing SUP guidelines and around 32% did not have protocols for SUP in their ICU. Sixty-nine percent of respondents felt that all ICU patients must receive SUP and 44.7% opined that it should be started on ICU arrival. Almost 94% knew that early enteral feeding is protective against stress ulceration. Only 24.9% responders agreed that there must be clear indications for SUP, and most of them were unaware of all the potential side effects. Once initiated, 43.7% respondents would stop prophylaxis when no indication was left, whereas 69 respondents would stop on ICU discharge. Conclusion: There is a lack of awareness regarding initiation, choice of agent, adverse effects as well as termination of SUP in ICU and guidelines for the same. Institutional protocols should be in place and steps need to be taken to prevent unwarranted use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Si(111) substrates, having more atoms available at the surface, are currently being exploited for nano-device fabrication. Epitaxial recrystallization of Si(111) layers amorphized under 80 keV Ar+ ion sputtering at off-normal incidence of 50° with 1 × 1017 to 5 × 1017 Ar+cm−2 has been investigated. Good epitaxial recrystallization under thermal annealing treatment at 1123 K has been observed. RBS/C demonstrates nonlinear behavior of amorphized and recrystallized layer thickness with irradiation fluence. Considerable stress still remains in the recrystallized layers as revealed by Raman studies. The correlation of the induced stress with amorphization and recrystallization has been established and finally the recrystallization mechanism has been discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Graphene-like porous carbon nanostructure (BGBH-C-K) is prepared using the Bengal gram bean husk (BGBH) as agro-waste biomass via alkali-activation. Abundance of micropores in the BGBH-C-K furnished high pore volume (0.834 cm3.g−1) and surface area (1710 m2.g−1). The π-electron rich graphitic domains, remarkable textural properties, thorough distribution of micro and meso pores, and presence of oxygen functionalities as deduced by HRTEM, XPS, FTIR, and N 2 adsorption-desorption isotherm promise the potential of BGBH-C-K for adsorption of organic dyes. The experimental data revealed excellent adsorption capacity of BGBH-C-K for methylene blue (469 mg.g−1; cationic dye) and methyl orange (418 mg.g−1; anionic dye). The π-π interaction, hydrogen linkage, electrostatic interaction, and trapping of dye molecules on the structural defects facilitate the adsorption of organic dyes by the BGBH-C-K. The adsorption capacity and efficiency are collectively monitored by textural and chemical properties of adsorbents along with size, shape, and charge of dye molecules. The finding revealed the remarkable capability of BGBH-C-K as a dye scavenger for efficient removal from industrial wastewater. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Graphene-like porous carbon nanostructure is prepared using Bengal gram bean husk • Remarkable textural features including micro and mesopores exhibited excellent adsorption capacity for organic dyes • Adsorption pathways are addressed based on π-π interactions, hydrogen linkages, and electrostatic interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is a rare, highly malignant thyroid tumor with dismal prognosis. Osteoclastic giant cell variant of ATC is extremely rare and is characterized by the presence of a large number of multinucleated giant cells resembling osteoclasts. We report here this unusual variant in a 67-year-old female with a history of long-standing goiter of 13 years duration. Histologically, many multinucleated osteoclast-like giant cells were seen accompanying the malignant spindle cell component. Despite extensive sampling, no evidence of differentiated thyroid malignancy could be elucidated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Fast food diet (FFD) fed C57BL/6J mice exhibited steatosis in a time frame of eight weeks. • Co-administration of Thioacetamide (TH) accelerated FFD induced NASH histological characteristics in mice. • TH + FFD administered mice featured NASH associated prominent signs such as hepatic inflammation, fibrosis and collagen deposition. • This novel model potentiates rapid screening of novel anti-NASH and anti-liver fibrotic agents. Abstract There is an inadequacy of relevant animal models to study non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and fibrosis. Here, we co-administered thioacetamide (TH) along with fast food diet (FFD) to C57BL/6 J mice for eight weeks. The treatments were: a) standard chow, SC b) FFD c) FFD + TH [75 mg/kg], FTH d) SC + TH [150 mg/kg], STH for 8 weeks. In in-vitro model , Hep3B cells were exposed to palmitic acid (PA) and TH viz. PA (0.25 mM) + TH (25 mM), PA (0.5 mM) alone and TH (50 mM) alone for 12 h, later supernatant media was transferred to LX-2 cells, for another 12 h. Molecular and cellular events related to inflammation, fibrosis, collagen deposition were studied. The FTH mice featured hepatic inflammation, severe diffuse fibrosis, and collagen deposition, which were less severe in FF & STH groups. In FTH group the protein expressions of α-SMA, TGF-ß, Col1 A1, CYP2E1, were up-regulated as compared to the FF group. The in-vivo findings were complemented in the LX-2 and Hep3B cells. The protein expressions of inflammatory and cellular injury markers were significantly higher in PA + TH exposed LX-2 cells. This novel model manifested hepatic inflammation and fibrosis in just eight weeks, which may be exploited for rapid screening of novel anti-NAFLD and liver anti-fibrotic agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • We analyzed roles of government and NGOs in community forestry in India. • We found that convergence of the government and NGOs can produce synergies. • We found that NGOs direct communities to the resources provided by the government. Abstract Community forestry literature promotes the idea that self-governance and self-organization lead to successful forest governance. However, this assumption marginalizes the different roles that external agents can play in organizing the communities to form forest institutions, engage in different outreach and capacity building activities and serve as a source of different kinds of resources. Given the increasing visibility of government and non-governmental organizations in community-based natural resource management, we believe it is important to understand the specific roles and impacts that convergence of these actors have on community efforts in resource governance. In this study, we first investigate the roles of government and non-governmental organizations and then conduct a comparative analysis of those roles to demonstrate synergies that emerge between government and NGOs in local forest governance. We find that while the government mainly provided technical and financial support, it is the NGOs that directed the communities to those resources. Our conclusions highlight that although the government and NGOs work within certain constraints, their convergence can make up for each other's limitations and synergistically facilitate community efforts in forest governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper investigates the surface characteristics of nitrogen ion implanted CR- 39 polymer. The specimens were implanted with 100 keV N+ beam to various fluences of 1 × 1015, 1 × 1016 and 2 × 1016 ions cm−2. The ion implantation induced modifications in these specimens were analyzed by Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) and UV- Visible spectroscopy. RBS studies reveal that the structure of the virgin CR-39 specimen has been modified completely after N+ implantation. The spatial distribution in the form of carbonization, projected range, retained dose and atomic concentration of implanted nitrogen have been estimated using RBS spectra. RUMP analysis revealed that for the implanted specimen at fluence 2 × 1016 N+ cm−2, the carbon concentration increases from 32 at.% to 43 at.% and oxygen concentration from 19 at.% to 26 at.% respectively near the surface. This increase in the concentration of carbon points towards the carbonization in the implanted layers. Furthermore, UV–Visible transmission spectra demonstrate that for higher fluences, almost complete UV region is blocked; making CR-39 a viable functional material for UV blocking devices. Highlights • The surface characteristics of N+ implanted CR-39 polymer have been investigated using RBS and UV–Visible spectroscopy. • Spatial distribution in the form of carbonization, projected range, retained dose and atomic concentration of implanted nitrogen have been estimated. • RUMP analysis revealed that carbon concentration increases from 32 at.% to 43 at.% and oxygen concentration from 19 at.% to 26 at.% for fluence 2 × 1016 N+ cm−2 near the surface. • UV–Visible transmission spectra demonstrate the blockage of UV radiations; making CR-39 a viable functional material for UV blocking devices. • Nitrogen ion implantation results in the carbonization and oxygen redistribution in the modified layers of the CR-39 specimens; ascribed in terms of formation of carbon enriched clusters in the implanted layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine if the subjective improvements in daytime sleepiness, fatigue and depression experienced by patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy predict an objective improvement in vigilance, and whether patients with mild-to-moderate OSA differ from patients with severe OSA in this regard.Methods: A total of 182 patients underwent psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) testing and measurements of subjective daytime sleepiness, fatigue and depression at baseline and after a minimum of one month of adherent CPAP use at an adequate pressure.Results: Patients with both mild-to-moderate (n = 92) and severe (n = 90) OSA experienced improvements in subjective daytime sleepiness, fatigue and depression, but objective improvement in vigilance was only seen in patients with severe OSA. In patients with severe OSA, while a correlation was found between improvements in daytime sleepiness and some PVT parameters, changes in subjective daytime sleepiness, fatigue and depression scores were not predictive of objective improvement in vigilance while controlling for all these subjective symptoms and for age, gender, body mass index, apnea-hypopnea index/respiratory event index and total sleep time/total recording time with pulse oximetry below 90%.Conclusions: We found no predictive relationship between subjective improvements in daytime sleepiness, fatigue and depression and objective vigilance with CPAP use in patients with OSA. These results suggest that subjective complaints of daytime impairment and objective measures of vigilance in patients with OSA should be assessed separately while evaluating the efficacy of CPAP therapy on daytime functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extramammary Paget's disease is an intraepithelial neoplasm, usually found in areas rich in apocrine gland concentration. The clinical features, histopathology, immunohistochemistry and management details of five patients (F = 3, M = 2) have been described here. While a well-defined persistent plaque with crusting and erosion was the most common presentation, hyperpigmentation, hypopigmentation and depigmentation were also observed in two patients. Characteristic Paget's cells with cytokeratin 7 and EMA positivity were seen on histopathology examination. Authors conclude that pigmentary alterations may be under-reported in extra mammary Paget's disease in the skin of colour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ewing's sarcoma is a malignant, round cell tumor arising from the bones and primarily affecting children and adolescent, accounting for 3 % of all childhood malignancies. Although the long bones and the trunk are typically affected, rare cases of it involving isolated bones throughout the body have been reported. Involvement of the skull bones is rare, constituting 1-6 % of the total Ewing's sarcoma cases but those affecting the cranial bones are rarer still, constituting only 1 %. We describe an 8 months old infant having Ewing sarcoma, of the petrous and mastoid parts of temporal bone along with the occipital bone, whose clinical presentation mimicked mastoiditis with facial nerve palsy. We discuss the clinical and therapeutic course of an extensive primary Ewing sarcoma of the temporal bone, which was treated without performing surgery and review this entity's literature in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Software quality is one of the pivotal aspects of the software development industry which ensures product compliance to the requirement specification and standards. Conventional software development was mostly related with building desktop applications. The past decade has seen a proliferation of architectures, frameworks, and languages in software development. Software methodologies have shifted from building monolithic standalone applications to service-oriented, metric-driven, collaborative agile-based development of Web-based software. The work presented in this paper expounds the evident shift of quality models for conventional software to web-based software. It further suggests a π -model representation for quality criterion relationship interpretation for both types of software. The horizontal line of the π signifies the backbone of quality models with quality assessment parameters common to both kind of software whereas the two vertical pillars of the π depict the quality attributes specific to the software type. A comparison of some of the most prominent, free and open source web product performance tools is also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effect of 130 keV argon ion implantation on surface morphology and structural properties of polypropylene (PP) at various fluences have been studied using RBS and UV-Visible Spectroscopy techniques. It has been found that there is an increase in the carbon concentration from 33 at.% (virgin) to 46 at.% in near surface region of PP at 1 × 1016Ar+cm−2as per RUMP simulation. Also, composition, depth profiling, projected range have been investigated. The observed surface morphological changes points towards the carbonization in the implanted layer of specimen. These structural modifications have further been correlated with the increase in optical absorption and flattening of absorption edge as observed by UV-Visible Spectroscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Changing clinical practice is a difficult process, best illustrated by the time lag between evidence and use in practice and the extensive use of low-value care. Existing models mostly focus on the barriers to learning and implementing new knowledge. Changing clinical practice, however, includes not only the learning of new practices but also unlearning old and outmoded knowledge. There exists sparse literature regarding the unlearning that takes place at a physician level. Our research objective was to elucidate the experience of trying to abandon an outmoded clinical practice and its relation to learning a new one.Methods: We used a grounded theory-based qualitative approach to conduct our study. We conducted 30-min in-person interviews with 15 primary care physicians at the Cleveland VA Medical Center and its clinics. We used a semi-structured interview guide to standardize the interviews.Results: Our two findings include (1) practice change disturbs the status quo equilibrium. Establishing a new equilibrium that incorporates the change may be a struggle; and (2) part of the struggle to establish a new equilibrium incorporating a practice change involves both the "evidence" itself and tensions between evidence and context.Conclusions: Our findings provide evidence-based support for many of the empirical unlearning models that have been adapted to healthcare. Our findings differ from these empirical models in that they refute the static and unidirectional nature of change that previous models imply. Rather, our findings suggest that clinical practice is in a constant flux of change; each instance of unlearning and learning is merely a punctuation mark in this spectrum of change. We suggest that physician unlearning models be modified to reflect the constantly changing nature of clinical practice and demonstrate that change is a multi-directional process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]