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Introduction: Malaria poses a serious issue for pregnant women in African regions. It is crucial to comprehend the various factors that impact receiving IPTp during ANC checkups. These are important for the well-being of both pregnant mothers and their unborn children. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the determinants of IPTp coverage among women in Cameroon, Guinea, Mali, and Nigeria. Methodology: This cross-sectional study utilized secondary data from the Malaria Indicator Surveys (MIS) across Cameroon, Guinea, Mali, and Nigeria, focusing on women who received IPTp during pregnancy with IPTp categorized dichotomously as "Yes" for ANC visits and "No" for other visits. Chi-squared tests were used to assess associations, and binary logistic regression was conducted to calculate adjusted odds ratios, confidence intervals, and p-values. Results were summarized in tables. Results: We found IPTp coverage during ANC visits was highest in Cameroon (98.6%), followed by Guinea (97.7%), Mali (97.1%), and lowest in Nigeria (95.5%). In Guinea, rural women were less likely to receive IPTp than urban women (AOR: 0.16, 95% CI: 0.07–0.41, p<0.001). In Mali, women who received 3 or more doses were less likely to receive IPTp at ANC (AOR: 0.48, p<0.01). In Nigeria, personal transport increased IPTp uptake (AOR: 1.88, p<0.01). In Cameroon, malaria prevention messages improved IPTp coverage (AOR: 3.12, p<0.05). Conclusions: This study highlights significant disparities in IPTp uptake, with rural Mali and Guinea facing lower coverage. In Nigeria, personal transport improved IPTp uptake. Targeted interventions are needed to improve ANC services and ensure equitable IPTp access across the study regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatitis-E virus (HEV), an etiologic agent of acute inflammatory liver disease, is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in South Asia. HEV is considered endemic in Nepal; but data on population-level infection transmission is sparse. Methods: We conducted a longitudinal serosurvey in central Nepal to assess HEV exposure. At each visit, capillary blood samples were collected and analyzed for the presence of anti-HEV IgG antibodies. The study took place between February 2019 and April 2021, with up to 4 visits per participant approximately 6 months apart. Results: We collected 2513 samples from 923 participants aged 0–25 years, finding a seroprevalence of 4.8% and a seroincidence rate of 10.9 per 1000 person-years. Young adults and individuals consuming surface water faced the highest incidence of infection. Geospatial analysis identified potential HEV clusters, suggesting a need for targeted interventions. Significance: Our findings demonstrate that HEV is endemic in Nepal and that the risk of infection increases with age. Author summary: Hepatitis-E virus (HEV) is an infectious cause of acute liver disease and is primarily transmitted through contaminated food and water. It has emerged as a leading cause of acute clinical hepatitis in South Asia. Pregnant women face the highest risk of complications and mortality. To better understand the impact of HEV in Nepal, we conducted a two-year cohort study in the Kathmandu Valley region. We collected dried blood spots from participants every 6 months and tested the samples to detect past and new infections of HEV. Our study, involving 923 individuals, revealed that 4.8% had IgG antibodies against HEV, indicating past exposure. Each year, about 11 in 1000 people between the ages of 1 and 25 years are newly exposed to the virus. The highest infection rates were among young adults and those using untreated surface water. Our study mapped the distribution of HEV, identifying specific areas with higher infection rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The causative agents of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome remain unknown in 68–75% of the cases. In Nepal, the cases are tested only for Japanese encephalitis, which constitutes only about 15% of the cases. However, there could be several organisms, including vaccine-preventable etiologies that cause acute encephalitis, when identified could direct public health efforts for prevention, including addressing gaps in vaccine coverage. Objectives: This study employs metagenomic next-generation-sequencing in the investigation of underlying causative etiologies contributing to acute encephalitis syndrome in Nepal. Methods: In this study, we investigated 90, Japanese-encephalitis-negative, banked cerebrospinal fluid samples that were collected as part of a national surveillance network in 2016 and 2017. Randomization was done to include three age groups (< 5-years; 5-14-years; >15-years). Only some metadata (age and gender) were available. The investigation was performed in two batches which included total nucleic-acid extraction, followed by individual library preparation (DNA and RNA) and sequencing on Illumina iSeq100. The genomic data were interpreted using Chan Zuckerberg-ID and confirmed with polymerase-chain-reaction. Results: Human-alphaherpes-virus 2 and Enterovirus-B were seen in two samples. These hits were confirmed by qPCR and semi-nested PCR respectively. Most of the other samples were marred by low abundance of pathogen, possible freeze-thaw cycles, lack of process controls and associated clinical metadata. Conclusion: From this study, two documented causative agents were revealed through metagenomic next-generation-sequencing. Insufficiency of clinical metadata, process controls, low pathogen abundance and absence of standard procedures to collect and store samples in nucleic-acid protectants could have impeded the study and incorporated ambiguity while correlating the identified hits to infection. Therefore, there is need of standardized procedures for sample collection, inclusion of process controls and clinical metadata. Despite challenging conditions, this study highlights the usefulness of mNGS to investigate diseases with unknown etiologies and guide development of adequate clinical-management-algorithms and outbreak investigations in Nepal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The classical renin angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS), as well as the recently described counter‐regulatory or non‐canonical RAAS have been well characterized for their role in cardiovascular homeostasis. Moreover, extensive research has been conducted over the past decades on both paracrine and the endocrine roles of local RAAS in various metabolic regulations and in chronic diseases. Clinical evidence from patients on RAAS blockers as well as pre‐clinical studies using rodent models of genetic manipulations of RAAS genes documented that this system may play important roles in the interplay between metabolic diseases and cancer, namely breast cancer. Some of these studies suggest potential therapeutic applications and repurposing of RAAS inhibitors for these diseases. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms by which RAAS is involved in the pathogenesis of metabolic diseases such as obesity and type‐2 diabetes as well as the role of this system in the initiation, expansion and/or progression of breast cancer, especially in the context of metabolic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glucose mainly serves as an energy source, highly crucial for development and respiration. Dysregulation can result in diabetes mellitus and related complications. In the current study, Erythrina suberosa sawdust-deposited manganese dioxide nanoparticles (MnO2 NPs) were used for colorimetric glucose detection. Sawdust-deposited MnO2 NPs were synthesized using Dalbergia sissoo extract and characterized with different analytical techniques such as XRD, FTIR, EDX, SEM, and UV–Vis spectrophotometer. Various functional groups in FTIR spectrum of MnO2 were reported such as –OH, Mn–O, and –OH coupled with Mn. XRD spectrum showed that the particles were in orthorhombic phase with a particle size of 38 nm. SEM analysis showed that the particles are dispersed homogenously on the surface of sawdust. EDX analysis showed the presence of various elements in the synthesized platform at different ratios. Color change from colorless to blue–green was noticed by the addition of glucose with the naked eye and analyzed confirmed by a UV–Vis spectrophotometer. To achieve optimum results, various parameters were optimized, such as nanoparticles loading, TMB concentration, pH, and incubation time. The proposed sensor's limit of detection and limit of quantification were calculated to be 1.8 × 10–8 M and 6.25 × 10–8 M, respectively, with a linear range of 1 × 10–9–3.6 × 10–7 M and an R2 value of 0.9992. The reaction time of the suggested sensor for glucose sensing was just 150 s. The proposed sensor has also been used for the detection of glucose in the urine samples of diabetic patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the use of iodine(III)-mediated ring-contraction reactions in both halogenated and non-halogenated solvents. The study compares the yields of ring-contraction reactions using different solvents and investigates the behavior of different derivatives of 1,2-dihydronaphthalene. The results show that using halogenated solvents leads to higher yields. The article also provides a detailed account of the synthesis and purification of various organic compounds, including their yields, physical properties, and spectroscopic data. Additionally, it provides information on the synthesis and characterization of three specific compounds, along with supporting information for further reference. [Extracted from the article]

Cage farming in brackishwater resources is an emerging activity in India. Scientific planning and implementation would promote livelihood enhancement and sustainable development for the coastal community. Lagoons and backwaters are often developed for tourism and water sports activities. Identification of potential cage farming locations would improve aqua tourism and generate additional revenue for the fisherman. Hence, this study aims to locate viable cage farming locations in the Muttukadu brackishwater ecosystem, one of the most important lagoon systems on the east coast of Chengalpattu district, Tamil Nadu, for aqua tourism development. Water quality, environmental, and accessibility factors were considered the main factors for identifying suitable cage farming sites. Fourteen designated sampling points covering the lagoon were identified, and water samples were collected and analyzed at monthly intervals from December 2019 to January 2022. Each factor was further sub-classified and ranked by assigning appropriate weightage using the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP), one of the multiple-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods. For sustainable farming, it is important to consider ecologically sensitive areas and other constraining factors. ArcGIS Pro was used to map all the factors for identifying potential cage farming sites. The result shows the potential area available for cage farming development is about 11.52 ha, out of which 0.93 ha is highly suitable, and 10.59 ha is moderately suitable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key Clinical Message: Clinicians in tuberculosis and dengue endemic regions should have heightened vigilance for drug‐induced liver injury (DILI) overlapping with active infections, enabling prompt recognition and life‐saving conservative management. Severe dengue and drug‐induced liver injury (DILI) are significant independent risk factors for acute liver failure. The co‐occurrence of these conditions significantly complicates clinical management. Here, we describe the case of a 21‐year‐old Nepali female who developed acute liver failure during antitubercular therapy (ATT). The patient, presenting with fever and nausea after 3 weeks of ATT, subsequently received a diagnosis of severe dengue. Laboratory evidence indicated markedly elevated transaminases (AST 4335 U/L, ALT 1958 U/L), total bilirubin (72 μmol/L), and INR (>5). Prompt discontinuation of first‐line ATT, initiation of a modified ATT regimen, and N‐acetylcysteine (NAC) infusion facilitated the patient's recovery after a week of intensive care. This case underscores the potential for synergistic hepatotoxicity in regions where multiple endemic illnesses coincide. Early recognition of DILI, cessation of offending agents, and comprehensive intensive care are crucial interventions. While the definitive efficacy of NAC remains under investigation, its timely administration in these complex cases warrants exploration for its potential lifesaving benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, elastic optical networks (EONs) are required to accommodate traffic with different service priorities. For example, mission‐critical applications such as industrial internet, smart grids, and remote surgery require an ultra‐reliable low‐latency communication system. The novel impairment‐aware resource allocation scheme proposed here prioritises traffic. It satisfies the quality and latency requirements of mission‐critical traffic while causing minimum disruptions to other forms of low‐priority traffic connections. The results obtained for 6‐node and 14‐node networks under various traffic distribution environments indicate that the proposed algorithm achieves higher spectral efficiency, reduces spectrum fragmentation, and causes minimal disruptions over the benchmark algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An uracil-azo derivative of quinoline, 1,3-dimethyl-5-(8′-quinolinyl-azo)-6-aminouracil (H2L, 1), was synthesized and then converted into its atropisomers, 1,3-dimethyl-8-(8′-quinolinyl)azaxanthine (α-atropisomer (2) and β-atropisomer (3)). It is indeed a notable accomplishment that the atropisomers were synthesized selectively under dissimilar reaction conditions. Additionally, an axially elongated 5-coordinated distorted square pyramidal copper(II)-complex, [CuII(HL)(H2O)2]NO3 (4), was synthesized from H2L, where it acts as a tridentate ligand. Single crystals of compounds 2–4 were analyzed for their stereochemical characterization. The compounds (2 and 3) belong to the same space group P21 with Z = 2. Based on a torsional angle about N3–N2–C1–C9, which is 48.7(2)° for the α-atropisomer (2) and −48.7(2)° for the β-atropisomer (3), respectively, they are revealed to be atropisomers. According to TD-DFT analysis, the α-atropisomer (2) is 0.05 kcal mol−1 more energetically stable than the β-atropisomer (3). The 5-coordinated Cu1 centre adopts a distorted square pyramidal geometry (space group P21/n, Z = 4), wherein the coordination sites were occupied by three-N and two O-donor atoms from the HL− moiety and the two H2O molecules, respectively. The polycrystalline sample of 4 was subjected to direct current (dc) variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility studies over the temperature range of 1.8–300 K. The magnetic study suggests that copper(II) ions in the crystal lattice have a weak antiferromagnetic interaction, demonstrating the complex to be a mononuclear species. According to the EPR study, the distorted square-pyramidal copper(II) complex may have a dx2−y2 orbital as a ground state. All the compounds have shown significant efficacy against the bacterial plant pathogen, Ralstonia solanacearum Smith. and the fungal plant pathogen, Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn., which cause bacterial wilting of solanaceous crops and sheath blight of rice, respectively. Besides, the atropisomers have demonstrated effectiveness against another bacterial plant pathogen, Xanthomonas oryzaepv. oryzae. that causes bacterial blight of rice. The atropisomers thus differ with respect to biological efficacy towards both bacterial and fungal diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A new type of viral pneumonia, which has been named Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) began in Wuhan, China in late 2019 and has spread across the world since then. It has claimed more than 370 million confirmed cases and over 5.6 million deaths have been reported globally by the end of January 2022. This study aimed to analyze the trends, highly-nuanced patterns, and related key results relative to COVID-19 epidemiology in Sri Lanka. Methods: Data on COVID-19 from March 2020 to January 2022 were obtained from published databases maintained by the Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry of Health in Sri Lanka and information regarding populations in administrative districts was obtained from the Department of Census and Statistics, Sri Lanka. Descriptive spatiotemporal analysis and autocorrelations were analyzed using SPSS statistical software. Results: In Sri Lanka, the first case of COVID-19 was a Chinese national and the first local case was identified in the second week of March. As of 31st of January 2022, a total of 610,103 COVID-19 cases had been recorded in the country, and 15,420 patients had died. At the beginning, the disease was mainly concentrated in the Western province and with time, it spread to other provinces. However, very low numbers of patients were identified in the North, Eastern, North Central, and Uva provinces until April 2021. The peak of COVID-19 occurred in August and September 2021 in all provinces in Sri Lanka. Then a decreasing trend of COVID-19 cases showed after September 2021. Conclusions: COVID-19 is an emerging public health problem in Western and Southern Sri Lanka where the population density is high. A decreasing trend of COVID-19 cases showed in all provinces after September 2021. Public awareness programs for the prevention and control of the disease in endemic regions are essential to reduce the incidence of this infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key Clinical Message: Abdominal pseudocyst is a rare complication of ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt placement. Ventriculopleural shunt (VPL) can be an effective treatment option for the recurrent complications of VP shunt failure. Abdominal pseudocyst (APC) is a rare complication of ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt placement for the treatment of congenital hydrocephalus. This case report presents a two‐and‐a‐half‐year‐old male child who underwent VP shunt placement for aqueductal stenosis‐related hydrocephalus. The patient subsequently developed recurrent shunt failure and an APC, which was managed initially by surgical excision of the cyst and repositioning of the catheter. However, shunt failure recurred. The patient underwent ventriculopleural (VPL) shunt conversion as a more viable option for recurrent blockage. Postoperatively, the patient developed respiratory distress with massive pleural effusion, which was treated with chest tube insertion. This case highlights the complexity of managing congenital hydrocephalus and its rare complication, APC. Prompt recognition and appropriate management of APC can lead to improved outcomes and minimize the need for invasive procedures. VPL shunt conversion can be considered an alternative treatment option when other treatments have failed. Further research is needed to establish guidelines for the management of APC and determine the long‐term effectiveness of VPL shunting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eye-tracking provides invaluable insight into the cognitive activities underlying a wide range of human behaviours. Identifying cognitive activities provides valuable perceptions of human learning patterns and signs of cognitive diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and autism. Also, mobile devices have changed the way that we experience daily life and become a pervasive part. This systematic review provides a detailed analysis of mobile device eye-tracking technology reported in 36 studies published in high-ranked scientific journals from 2010 to 2020 (September), along with several reports from grey literature. The review provides in-depth analysis on algorithms, additional apparatus, calibration methods, computational systems, and metrics applied tomeasure the performance of the proposed solutions. Also, the review presents a comprehensive classification of mobile device eye-tracking applications used across various domains such as healthcare, education, road safety, news, and human authentication. We have outlined the shortcomings identified in the literature and the limitations of the current mobile device eye-tracking technologies, such as using the frontfacing mobile camera. Further, we have proposed an edge computing driven eye-tracking solution to achieve the real-time eye-tracking experience. Based on the findings, the article outlines various research gaps and future opportunities that are expected to be of significant value for improving the work in the eye-tracking domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a by-product of oxidase-catalyzed reactions that serves as a signaling molecule and can cause DNA and protein damage. This leads to an increase in our susceptibility toward various kinds of diseases including diabetes mellitus and hypertension, The novelty of this work lies in the synergistic effect of all three components of the Ag-Fe2O3-IL composite for the colorimetric detection of H2O2. Silver-doped iron oxide nanostructures (Ag-Fe2O3 NS) were synthesized and then coated with ionic liquid (IL) having peculiar characteristics of aromaticity and conductivity to enhance their properties. The prepared Ag-Fe2O3 nanoparticles were characterized through spectroscopic techniques namely FTIR, XRD, SEM and EDX. The characterized Ag-Fe2O3 NS and 3, 3', 5, 5' Tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) solutions were employed for the colorimetric sensing of H2O2. To optimize the proposed sensor different reaction conditions including (a) amount of Ag-Fe2O3NS/IL (b) TMB, (c) pH, (d) H2O2 concentration and (e) incubation time were optimized. At optimum conditions, the desired sensor showed a wide linear range 1 × 10−9–3.2 × 10−7 M, a lower limit of quantification 3.20 × 10−7 M, and a limit of detection 1.07 × 10−8 M with a 0.9996 R2 value. The selectivity of the proposed sensor was compared with the potential interfering species and the incubation time was just 5 min. Additionally, the sensor was effectively applied for detecting hydrogen peroxide in the urine samples of diabetes mellitus patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Challenging differential diagnosis Background: Cat scratch disease (CSD) is a self-limited infection caused by Bartonella henselae that causes lymphadenitis, fevers, skin changes at the inoculation site, headache, nausea, and ocular symptoms. Bartonella neuroretinitis is a form of CSD that presents with ocular symptoms, such as a central scotoma, rather than the typical lymph-adenopathy of CSD. Bartonella neuroretinitis is the most common cause of infectious neuroretinitis leading to painless vision loss. Symptoms can mimic the more common optic neuritis, which can lead to under-diagnosis. Early diagnosis of Bartonella neuroretinitis and initiation of appropriate treatment is crucial to prevent vision loss and shorten recovery time. Case Report: A 47-year-old man presented to the Emergency Department with nonspecific symptoms of headache, fevers, and visual changes. He was noted to have adopted a cat 2 months prior to presentation. A dilated fundus examination revealed grade 3 optic disc edema with small disc hemorrhages bilaterally without lymphadenopathy, and Bartonella henselae serologies returned positive for the disease. The patient was treated with doxycycline and rifampin at discharge. At his follow-up outpatient ophthalmology visit, the patient had symptomatically improved vision, with dilated fundus examination supporting reduced optic disc edema in the right eye. Conclusions: Early recognition and treatment of Bartonella neuroretinitis is essential to prevent vision loss and shorten re- covery time. The current standard of treatment is doxycycline and rifampin for 4 to 6 weeks, and a growing body of literature indicates the supplementation of corticosteroids with these antibiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To identify the posterior ethmomaxillary (PEM) cells on computed tomographic scans for complete sinus clearance during endoscopic sinus surgery to prevent disease recurrence. Prospective single institution study. MAA ENT Hospitals Pvt. Ltd., Hyderabad. 350 patients were selected for the study. Computed tomographic scans of these patients were performed suffering from chronic rhinosinusitis and requiring endoscopic sinus surgery (primary or revision cases). The scans were evaluated and presence of PEM cells was noted. These findings were co-related intra-operatively and above-mentioned cells were opened. In revision cases, these cells were left unopened in previous cases and were cleared in present surgery and the patients were followed up for recurrence. A total number of 350 CT scans of nose and para-nasal sinus were studied. There were 176 males and 174 were females. The presence of PEM cells was 11.42% with bilaterality in 80%. In revision cases, it was 23%. PEM cells act as hidden areas in the para-nasal sinus and if not identified and cleared, it acts as a nidus for disease recurrence and cause for failure of surgery. Identification of PEM is important during surgery for complete disease clearance. As very little information exists in the current literature, we are submitting this study to enlighten Rhinologist regarding PEM cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasingly large size of the graphical and numerical data sets collected with modern technologies requires constant update and upgrade of the statistical models, methods and procedures to be used for their analysis in order to optimize learning and maximize knowledge and understanding. This is the case for plant CT scanning (CT: computed tomography), including applications aimed at studying leaf canopies and the structural complexity of the branching patterns that support them in trees. Therefore, we first show after a brief review, how the CT scanning data can be leveraged by constructing an analytical representation of a tree branching structure where each branch is represented by a line segment in 3D and classified in a level of a hierarchy, starting with the trunk (level 1). Each segment, or branch, is characterized by four variables: (i) the position on its parent, (ii) its orientation, a unit vector in 3D, (iii) its length, and (iv) the number of offspring that it bears. The branching structure of a tree can then be investigated by calculating descriptive statistics on these four variables. A deeper analysis, based on statistical models aiming to explain how the characteristics of a branch are associated with those of its parents, is also presented. The branching patterns of three miniature trees that were CT scanned are used to showcase the statistical modeling framework, and the differences in their structural complexity are reflected in the results. Overall, the most important determinant of a tree structure appears to be the length of the branches attached to the trunk. This variable impacts the characteristics of all the other branches of the tree. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A conversation between Nishan Chelvachandran, founder of Iron Lakes and chair of IEEE SA’s Trustworthy Technological Implementations of Children’s Online and Offline Experiences Industry Connections Programme, and Katina Michael, director of the Society Policy Engineering Collective in the College of Global Futures at Arizona State University. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ongoing resurgence of occupational lung disease among coal miners in the United States has been linked to respirable crystalline silica (RCS). To better protect miners, a deeper understanding of key exposure factors is needed. As part of a larger investigation of RCS in 15 coal mines, this paper describes analysis of silica mass content in two types of samples: (1) respirable coal mine dust (RCMD) collected in standardized locations in each mine; and (2) respirable dust generated in the laboratory from primary source materials, including coal and rock strata being mined at the production face, material obtained from the dust collection system on roof bolter machines, and rock dust products being applied by the mine. As expected, results indicate that rock strata drilled for roof bolting or being extracted along with the coal are a major source of RCS in many coal mines—although the coal seam itself can contain significant silica in some mines. While silica content of rock strata encountered in central Appalachian mines is not necessarily higher than in other regions, the sheer abundance of rock being extracted in thin-seam central Appalachian mines can explain the relatively higher silica content typically observed in RCMD from this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable use of available water resources in viticulture can be aided by frequent high-resolution information on vineyard water status. Recently, a new Shuttleworth–Wallace evapotranspiration (ET) model, which uses a contextual framework to determine dry and wet extremes from the Sentinel-2 surface reflectance data (SW-S2), showed promising results when tested over a GRAPEX (Grape Remote-sensing Atmospheric Profile and ET eXperiment) site in California. However, current knowledge on its applicability across the climate gradient in California and how the selections of modeling domain and meteorological data influence model outputs are limited. This study expands the evaluation of the SW-S2 model across multiple domains and meteorological inputs covering all three GRAPEX sites over the 2018–2020 growing seasons. In comparison with flux tower observations, the size of the modeling domain did not have a strong influence on model performance, although the model performed marginally better under a larger domain (yielding root mean square error within 1.03–1.11 mm d−1 and mean biases within 2%). The source and quality of meteorological forcing data, in particular vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and wind speed (u), were found to have a strong influence on model output as indicated by the poor performance of the model with less accurate regional and coarse-scale gridded meteorological inputs. Results suggest that simple regression for local bias correction of VPD and u significantly improved model performance. Overall, this study supports future research aiming to merge outputs from more frequent spectral and less frequent thermal-based ET models and reduce latency in ET monitoring of California vineyards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is characterized by poor diagnosis and high mortality. Novel and efficient therapeutic agents are urgently needed for the treatment. Hedyotis diffusa Willd (HDW) is used to treat cancers, especially HCC in China. Purpose. The study aimed to identify the main anti-HCC extract in HDW and to explore the mechanism of the active extract. Materials and Methods. The high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-QTOF-MS) method was used for the simultaneous determination of main compounds in the ethyl acetate fraction of HDW (EHDW). The toxicity test of different HDW fractions was carried out on larvae at 2 day-post-fertilization (dpf) for 72 h. The in vivo anti-HCC effect of different HDW fractions was evaluated on a zebrafish tumor model by immersion administration. The antiproliferative effect of HDW fractions was determined with MTT assay, as well as hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining assay. Hoechst 33258 staining was used to observe changes in nucleus morphology. Flow cytometry analysis was used to investigate apoptosis induction. Western blot analysis was used to examine apoptosis-related proteins, and key proteins in JNK/Nur77 signaling pathway. SP600125 was served to validate the apoptotic mechanism. Results. EHDW showed the strongest tumor cell growth inhibitory effect on zebrafish tumor model. Further study revealed that EHDW induced apoptosis in zebrafish tumor model and in cultured Hep3B cells. Meanwhile, it has been shown that the levels of BCL2-associated X (Bax), cytochrome c (cyto c), cleaved-caspase 3, and poly-ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) cells were upregulated. In contrast, the level of antiapoptotic B cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) was downregulated in Hep3B cells. Additionally, EHDW activated JNK/Nur77 pathway by increasing the levels of p-JNK(Thr183/Tyr185) and p-Nur77(Ser351). Further study showed that blockage of JNK by SP600125 reversed EHDW-induced JNK/Nur77 pathway and the downstream apoptotic proteins. Conclusion. In conclusion, EHDW exerted the anti-HCC effect, which may be attributed to the activation of JNK/Nur77 pathway. This study supported the rationale of HDW as an HCC therapeutic agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: MANETs (Mobile Ad‐Hoc Networks) have limited energy and are unable to energize themselves. This work aims to create a power management strategy for the MANET that saves energy. While routing based on the cluster, the cluster heads may fail or work improperly by the cause of power issues. As a result, the cluster heads experience instability when gathering information and interacting. The main focus of this research is identifying the unstable cluster heads and replacing them with other nodes that implement the self‐configurable cluster method. For defining the cluster heads successfully, we presented a k‐means protocol approach. The proposed k‐means technique identifies the abnormal or unnecessary variations of the cluster heads and the change in cluster count. A node is designated as a cluster head (CH) in MANET after the cluster value remains lesser than the existing routing threshold value. Information gathering, computing trust levels, and trust‐based configuration are the three key elements of the proposed trust management system, which communicates with each node to establish secure network connections. Finally, the testing results show that the proposed approach uses less energy and effectively manages trust in MANET. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gynura nepalensis D.C. (family: Asteraceae) has abundant uses in the alternative medicinal practice, and this species is commonly used in the treatment of diabetes, rheumatism, cuts or wounds, asthma, kidney stones, cough, urinary tract bleeding, gall bladder stones, hepatitis, diarrhea, hemorrhoids, constipation, vomiting, fertility problems, blood poisoning, septicemia, skin allergy, indigestion, high cholesterol levels, and so on. This study aims to investigate the hepatoprotective and antioxidant potential of the methanol extract of the Gynura nepalensis D.C. (GNME) along with chemical profiling with phytochemical screening. Moreover, prospective phytocompounds have been screened virtually to present the binding affinity of the bioactive components to the hepatic and oxidative receptors. In the hepatoprotective study, alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total protein (TP), and lipid peroxidation (LP) and total bilirubin (TB) have been assessed, and in the antioxidant study, the DPPH free radical scavenging, total antioxidant flavonoid, and phenolic contents were determined. Moreover, the molecular binding affinity of the bioactive component of the plant has been analyzed using PyRx AutoDock Vina, Chimera, and Discovery Studio software. The plant extract showed dose-dependent hepatoprotective potential (p < 0.05, 0.01, 0.001) as well as strong antioxidant properties. Moreover, hepatoprotective and antioxidant molecular docking studies revealed a result varying from −2.90 kcal/mol to −10.1 kcal/mol. 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid and chlorogenic acid revealed the highest binding affinity among the selected molecules. However, the plant showed portent antioxidant and hepatoprotective properties in the in vitro, in vivo, and in silico models, and it is presumed that the hepatoprotective properties of the plant extract have occurred due to the presence of the vast bioactive chemical compounds as well as their antioxidant properties. Therefore, advanced studies are recommended to elucidate the pharmacological properties of the plant extracts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanocomposites are studied as a green alternative to counteract solar panel soiling. CNC synthesized from acid hydrolysis is blended with PVA, and polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) is blended with powdered silica (SiO2) for surface modification to produce a transparent, hydrophobic, and durable film. The objective is to test the composite film for transparency, hydrophobicity, and durability to determine its suitability as a self‐cleaning solar panel cover. The composite film exhibits an average transmittance of 93% of the incident light in the solar photo‐voltaic working spectra (420–700 nm). Results show an average water contact angle (WCA) of 87.25°, and when subjected to photocatalytic and hydrolytic decay, the film shows minimal changes in the characteristic peaks of the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) plot of PVA/CNC, confirming its durability. The study points out the prospect of PVA/CNC with PBT/SiO2 film as a transparent, hydrophobic, durable self‐cleaning covers against solar soiling and warranted further research to make suitable properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mental health issues are at the forefront of healthcare challenges facing contemporary human society. These issues are most prevalent among working-age people, impacting negatively on the individual, his/her family, workplace, community, and the economy. Conventional mental healthcare services, although highly effective, cannot be scaled up to address the increasing demand from affected individuals, as evidenced in the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Conversational agents, or chatbots, are a recent technological innovation that has been successfully adapted for mental healthcare as a scalable platform of cross-platform smartphone applications that provides first-level support for such individuals. Despite this disposition, mental health chatbots in the extant literature and practice are limited in terms of the therapy provided and the level of personalisation. For instance, most chatbots extend Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) into predefined conversational pathways that are generic and ineffective in recurrent use. In this paper, we postulate that Behavioural Activation (BA) therapy and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are more effectively materialised in a chatbot setting to provide recurrent emotional support, personalised assistance, and remote mental health monitoring. We present the design and development of our BA-based AI chatbot, followed by its participatory evaluation in a pilot study setting that confirmed its effectiveness in providing support for individuals with mental health issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the health system globally specially the low to middle income countries. Renal transplant recipient is at risk due to immunosuppressed state. The course of the disease and its outcome is not completely known and there is scarcity of information from developing world. Methods The study was carried out at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu from May 2020 till May 2021. All of the renal transplant recipients infected with COVID-19 virus were included in the study. Duration of transplantation, recipient’s comorbidities, clinical presentation including laboratory investigations and outcome in terms of hospitalization, need of intensive care, and need of mechanical ventilation, organ failure and mortality were studied. Results There were 71 patients (male/female: 60/11, mean age 42.6±10.4) were included in the study. 72% patients (n=51) required hospitalization. There were 15 patients (21%) who expired. Patients requiring mechanical ventilation were 14 (19.7%), 24 (33.8%) required intensive care, 10 (14%) required hemodialysis support during admission. A prior history of rejection, presence of diabetes, graft dysfunction at baseline, and a higher creatinine at baseline was associated with mortality. Hypoxia, leucopenia, lymphopenia was predictive with mortality. Raised inflammatory markers as d-Dimer, LDH, development of acute kidney injury was associated with mortality. Presence of acute kidney injury was associated with increased risk of mortality, need of intensive care and prolonged hospitalizations. Conclusion COVID-19 infection in renal transplant recipients carries a high risk for mortality. The factors that correlated with risk for mortality were hypoxia, leucopenia, high inflammatory markers and need of mechanical ventilation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nuclear morphological features are potent determining factors for clinical diagnostic approaches adopted by pathologists to analyze the malignant potential of cancer cells. Considering the structural alteration of the nucleus in cancer cells, various groups have developed machine learning techniques based on variation in nuclear morphometric information like nuclear shape, size, nucleus-cytoplasm ratio and various non-parametric methods like deep learning have also been tested for analyzing immunohistochemistry images of tissue samples for diagnosing various cancers. We aim to correlate the morphometric features of the nucleus along with the distribution of nuclear lamin proteins with classical machine learning to differentiate between normal and ovarian cancer tissues. It has already been elucidated that in ovarian cancer, the extent of alteration in nuclear shape and morphology can modulate genetic changes and thus can be utilized to predict the outcome of low to a high form of serous carcinoma. In this work, we have performed exhaustive imaging of ovarian cancer versus normal tissue and developed a dual pipeline architecture that combines the matrices of morphometric parameters with deep learning techniques of auto feature extraction from pre-processed images. This novel Deep Hybrid Learning model, though derived from classical machine learning algorithms and standard CNN, showed a training and validation AUC score of 0.99 whereas the test AUC score turned out to be 1.00. The improved feature engineering enabled us to differentiate between cancerous and non-cancerous samples successfully from this pilot study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The limited amount of shared reservoir monitoring data around the world is insufficient to quantify the dynamic nature of reservoir operation with conventional ground-based methods. With the emergence of the Reservoir Assessment Tool (RAT) driven by a multitude of Earth-observing satellites and models, historical observation of reservoir operation spanning 35 years was made using open-source techniques. Trends in reservoir storage change were compared with trends of four critical hydrologic variables (precipitation, runoff, evaporation, and Palmer drought severity index) to understand the potential role of natural drivers in altering reservoir operating pattern. It was found that the reservoirs in Africa were losing active storage at a rate of more than 1% per year of total storage capacity. Smaller reservoirs (with a capacity of less than 0.5 km3) in Southeast Asia were found to experience a sharp gain in storage of 0.5%–1% per year of total storage capacity. Storage change trends of large reservoirs with multiple years of residence time that are designed for strategic water supply needs and drought control were found to be less affected by precipitation trends and influenced more by drought and evaporation trends. Over Africa, most reservoir storage change trends were dictated by evaporation trends, while South Asian reservoirs appear to have their storage change influenced by drought and evaporation trends. Finally, findings suggest that operation of newer reservoirs is more sensitive to long-term hydrological trends and the regulated surface water variability that is controlled by older dams in the upstream. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the lower and upper body flexibility alterations in randomized senile/senior population of Punjab as a function of life style differences. Participants (N=180) with low physical activity (N=90) and with high physical activity (N=90) senior population from Punjab were selected to act as subjects for the study. The study was delimited to the senior male with low and high physical activity senile population recruited at age group 60-70, 71-80, and 81-90 years respectively. For the purpose of data collection, with low and high physical activity group of the subjects were divided into three categories, i.e. category I (60-70 Years; N=30), category II (71-80 Years; N=30), and category III (81-90 Years; N=30) respectively. The chair sit and reach test was used to measure the lower body flexibility and back scratch was used to assess the upper body flexibility. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 23 was used to analyse the lower and upper body flexibility in male with low and high physical activity senile population, after collecting data One Way ANOVA (Analysis of Variance), Least Significant Difference (LSD) Post Hoc test was employed. The level of significance to test the hypotheses was 0.05, (P<0.05). Results of the studies in both variables found that there was a statistically significant difference in both the variables with p value of the lower and upper body flexibility .000 (P <0.05) of male with low and high physical activity senile population of Punjab. In conclusion, the lower and upper body flexibility changes with ageing. The study has revealed that changes in age-related decline of lower and upper body flexibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The world has faced the pandemic of COVID-19 in the march of 2020 and still it continues to effect in 2021. Hence, in the present study we aim to evaluate the gulps in the research so that certain recommendations can be made for the future research. We conducted a scoping review of the COVID meta-analysis. Materials and Methods: Online data was collected from the search engines of EBSCO, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus. The searched terms were COVID-19, CORONA, SARS-CoV-2, clinical features, Wuhan, etc. The study articles were collected that from January 2020 to February 2021. Based on the PRISMA guidelines, the meta-analysis was performed. Results: In the present study, we finalized 316 articles. On February 2020, the first article was published. We observed a spike in the meta-analysis later on. Most of the meta-analysis were issued in the virology and infection magazines. As expected, the majority studies were from Wuhan. The other countries that published the meta-analysis were the USA, the UK, and Italy. The studies included in each meta-analysis were nearly 25 and the subjects were approximately 16 thousand. However, we noticed a poor quality in majority of these meta-analysis and <10% of all the meta-analysis showed higher confidence. Conclusion: A poor quality of the meta-analysis has predominated the data and very few are of high quality. All the journal editors and the reviewing team should verify and thoroughly organize the protocol so that only high quality meta-analysis are encouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The world has faced the pandemic of COVID-19 in the march of 2020 and still it continues to effect in 2021. Hence, in the present study we aim to evaluate the gulps in the research so that certain recommendations can be made for the future research. We conducted a scoping review of the COVID meta-analysis. Materials and Methods: Online data was collected from the search engines of EBSCO, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus. The searched terms were COVID-19, CORONA, SARS-CoV-2, clinical features, Wuhan, etc. The study articles were collected that from January 2020 to February 2021. Based on the PRISMA guidelines, the meta-analysis was performed. Results: In the present study, we finalized 316 articles. On February 2020, the first article was published. We observed a spike in the meta-analysis later on. Most of the meta-analysis were issued in the virology and infection magazines. As expected, the majority studies were from Wuhan. The other countries that published the meta-analysis were the USA, the UK, and Italy. The studies included in each meta-analysis were nearly 25 and the subjects were approximately 16 thousand. However, we noticed a poor quality in majority of these meta-analysis and <10% of all the meta-analysis showed higher confidence. Conclusion: A poor quality of the meta-analysis has predominated the data and very few are of high quality. All the journal editors and the reviewing team should verify and thoroughly organize the protocol so that only high quality meta-analysis are encouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to respond to light has profoundly shaped life. Animals with eyes overwhelmingly rely on their visual circuits for mediating light-induced coordinated movements. Building on previously reported behaviors, we report the discovery of an organized, eyeindependent (extraocular), body-wide photosensory framework that allows even a head-removed animal to move like an intact animal. Despite possessing sensitive cerebral eyes and a centralized brain that controls most behaviors, head-removed planarians show acute, coordinated ultraviolet-A (UV-A) aversive phototaxis. We find this eye-brain-independent phototaxis is mediated by two noncanonical rhabdomeric opsins, the first known function for this newly classified opsin-clade. We uncover a unique array of dualopsin-expressing photoreceptor cells that line the periphery of animal body, are proximal to a body-wide nerve net, and mediate UVA phototaxis by engaging multiple modes of locomotion. Unlike embryonically developing cerebral eyes that are functional when animals hatch, the body-wide photosensory array matures postembryonically in "adult-like animals." Notably, apart from headremoved phototaxis, the body-wide, extraocular sensory organization also impacts physiology of intact animals. Low-dose UV-A, but not visible light (ocular-stimulus), is able to arouse intact worms that have naturally cycled to an inactive/rest-like state. This wavelength selective, low-light arousal of resting animals is noncanonical-opsin dependent but eye independent. Our discovery of an autonomous, multifunctional, late-maturing, organized body-wide photosensory system establishes a paradigm in sensory biology and evolution of light sensing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Previous studies suggested that recombinant human IGF‐1 (rhIGF‐1) administration affects carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in healthy people and in people with diabetes. This study aimed to determine the effects of rhIGF‐1/rhIGF binding protein‐3 (rhIGFBP‐3) administration on glucose homeostasis and lipid metabolism in healthy recreational athletes. Design and Setting: Randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled rhIGF‐1/rhIGFBP‐3 administration study at Southampton General Hospital, UK. Participants: 56 recreational athletes (30 men, 26 women). Methods: Participants were randomly assigned to receive placebo, low‐dose rhIGF‐1/rhIGFBP‐3 (30 mg/day) or high‐dose rhIGF‐1/rhIGFBP‐3 (60 mg/day) for 28 days. The following variables were measured before and immediately after the treatment period: fasting lipids, glucose, insulin, C‐peptide and glycated haemoglobin. The homeostatic model assessment (HOMA‐IR) was used to estimate insulin sensitivity and indirect calorimetry to assess substrate oxidation rates. The general linear model approach was used to compare treatment group changes with the placebo group. Results: Compared with the placebo group, there was a significant reduction in fasting triglycerides in participants treated with high‐dose rhIGF‐1/rhIGFBP‐3 (p =.030), but not in the low‐dose group (p =.390). In women, but not in men, there were significant increases in total cholesterol (p =.003), HDL cholesterol (p =.001) and LDL cholesterol (p =.008). These lipid changes were associated with reduced fasting insulin (p =.010), C‐peptide (p =.001) and HOMA‐IR (p =.018) in women and reduced C‐peptide (p =.046) in men. Conclusions: rhIGF‐1/rhIGFBP‐3 administration for 28 days reduced insulin concentration, improved insulin sensitivity and had significant effects on lipid profile including decreased fasting triglycerides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All that you needed to think about UV lamp. UV restoring innovation is seeing expanded use in the Printing Industry, essentially for inks and coatings. UV lamps are an elite part of the drying framework. Appropriate upkeep just as looking for sources can assist you with taking full advantage of these frameworks. The Photo Polymerization through safe and cost effective UV LED lamps. And to know the advantages and disadvantages of conventional UV lamps v/s LED UV lamps photo polymerization process etc. In accumulation to that it is possible to attain the added advantages such time saving, cost saving, ink saving, press stability, superior colour gamut with the effective use of plates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

β‐thalassemia heterozygosity can cause significant iron overload when accompanied by HFE gene mutations and inappropriate iron supplementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rare disease like primary spinal epidural diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma should be considered as a differential diagnosis in patients presenting with back pain and rapid neurological deterioration in the lower extremities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the key challenges in the study of self‐assembly with synthetic particles is how to build finite‐sized constructs that resemble self‐limiting structures such as well‐known proteins and biomolecules found in nature. Inspired by this concept, a novel method for realizing self‐limiting self‐assembly of colloidal clusters by establishing design rules to obtain desired final structures using a bottom‐up assembly approach is presented. The constructs identified in this work will be "locked" in a well‐defined configuration as the structure morphologies will not allow them to grow any further. The approach presented here provides two distinct advantages. First, the self‐limiting characteristics of the resulting constructs are preserved no matter how many building blocks are present within the system. Second, the setup of interparticle interactions reflected by interaction matrices are much simpler compared to finite‐sized structures of simple spherical particles which may require engineering pairwise interactions between as many particle types as the number of particles present in the system. The self‐assembly process as well as phase transformation and kinetics of several intriguing finite‐sized configurations are studied. Possible extensions of this concept to produce sophisticated multi‐phased structures where different types of finite‐sized and large assemblies may be present at once are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Medical students and residents were found to have suffered from depression, anxiety, and burnout in various studies. However, these entities have not been adequately explored in the context of Nepal. We proposed to determine the prevalence of depression, anxiety, burnout, their associated factors, and identify their predictors in a sample of medical students and residents in a Nepalese medical school. Methods: It was a cross-sectional study with 651 medical students and residents chosen at random between December 2018 and February 2019. The validated Nepali version of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, and Medical Students' Stressor Questionnaire were used to assess depression, anxiety, burnout, and stressors respectively. We used univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses to identify the correlation of predictor variables with depression, anxiety, and burnout. Results: The overall prevalence of burnout (48.8%; 95% CI 44.9–52.7) and anxiety (45.3%; 95% CI 41.4–49.2) was more than that of depression (31%; 95% CI 27.5–34.7). Burnout and depression were more prevalent in residents than in medical students (burnout: 64.5% vs 37.6%, P-value < 0.0001; depression: 33.7% vs 29.1%, P-value 0.21). Whereas, medical students were found more anxious than residents (46.3% versus 43.96%, P-value 0.55). Academic related stressors caused high-grade stress to participants. Multivariable model for depression significantly showed anxiety, personal burnout, and work-related burnout as risk enhancing correlates; satisfaction with academic performance as a protective correlate. Similarly, the multivariate model for anxiety significantly identified female gender, depression, personal burnout, teaching and learning related stressors, and past history of mental illness as risk enhancing correlates; being satisfied with academic performance, getting adequate sleep, and being a second-year resident as protective correlates. The logistic model for burnout significantly showed being a first-year resident, depression, anxiety, and drive and desire related stressors as positive predictors. None of the variables were identified as significant negative predictors of burnout. Conclusions: A high prevalence of depression, anxiety, and burnout was seen among medical students and residents. Most of them were stressed with academic-related factors. A strong correlation between teaching and learning-related stressors with depression and anxiety may be a call for an efficient and more student-friendly curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Allergic asthma is driven by T helper type 2 (Th2) cell responses. • Lung dendritic cells (LDCs) are critical in initiating Th2 cell responses. • CD40 ligation is important for LDCs to activation in allergic asthma. • iNKT cells upregulate CD40 ligand (CD40 L) upon stimulation in allergic asthma. • Blockade of CD40 L expressed in lung iNKT cells suppresses maturation of LDCs. Some studies have shown that maturation of dendritic cells (DCs) is modulated directly by pathogen components via pattern recognition receptors such as Toll-like receptors, but also by signal like CD40 ligand (CD40 L or CD154) mediated by activated T cells. Several reports indicate that invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells up-regulate CD40 L upon stimulation and thereby induce activation and maturation of DCs through crosslink with CD40. Our previous findings indicated that iNKT cells promote Th2 cell responses through the induction of immunogenic maturation of lung DCs (LDCs) in the asthmatic murine, but its mechanism remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated the immunomodulatory effects of blockade of CD40 L using anti-CD40 L treatment on Th2 cell responses and immunogenic maturation of LDCs, and further analyzed whether these influences of blockade of CD40 L were related to lung iNKT cells using iNKT cell-deficient mice and the combination treatment of specific iNKT cell activation with anti-CD40 L treatment in murine models of asthma. Our findings showed that blockade of CD40 L using anti-CD40 L treatment attenuated Th2 cell responses in wild-type (WT) mice, but not in CD1d-deficient mice sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin (OVA) or house dust mite (HDM). Meanwhile, blockade of CD40 L down-regulated immunogenic maturation of LDCs in WT mice, but not in CD1d-deficient mice sensitized and challenged with OVA. Additionally, agonistic anti-CD40 treatment reversed the inhibitory effects of anti-CD40 L treatment on Th2 cell responses and LDC activation in an OVA-induced mouse model of asthma. Furthermore, LDCs from asthmatic mice treated with anti-CD40 L could significantly reduce the influence on Th2 cell responses in vivo and in vitro. Finally, α-Galactosylceramide plus anti-CD40 L treatment stimulated lung iNKT cells, but suppressed Th2 cell responses in the asthmatic mice. Taken together, our data raise an evidence that blockade of CD40 L attenuates Th2 cell responses through the inhibition of immunogenic maturation of LDCs, which may be at least partially related to lung iNKT cells in murine models of asthma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

White adipose tissue (WAT) and brown adipose tissue (BAT) are involved in whole-body energy homeostasis and metabolic regulation. Changes to mass and function of these tissues impact glucose homeostasis and whole-body energy balance during development of obesity, weight loss, and subsequent weight regain. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFAs), which have known hypotriglyceridemic and cardioprotective effects, can also impact WAT and BAT function. In rodent models, these fatty acids alleviate obesity-associated WAT inflammation, improve energy metabolism, and increase thermogenic markers in BAT. Emerging evidence suggests that ω-3 PUFAs can also modulate gut microbiota impacting WAT function and adiposity. This review discusses molecular mechanisms, implications of these findings, translation to humans, and future work, especially with reference to the potential of these fatty acids in weight loss maintenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estimating regional evapotranspiration (ET) is challenging in data-limited regions where a lack of in situ observations constrain model calibration and implementation. Here we developed an ensemble mean surface energy balance (EnSEB) modeling framework that is independent of any ground calibration and applied it in India to understand the magnitude and variability of ET in this agriculturally important region. EnSEB uses daily land surface temperature (LST) and vegetation biophysical inputs from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and climatic information from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 (Merra-2) products and runs seven surface energy balance (SEB) algorithms to estimate ensemble mean ET or latent heat (LE) fluxes at a spatial resolution of 1 km × 1 km. Due to limited access to observed flux data, we conducted three different types of model evaluation: i) instantaneous LE validation using observed SEB fluxes from Bowen ratio energy balance (BREB) measurements in four agroecosystems, ii) annual and seasonal ET comparison with six global products at the regional scale, and iii) by closing the basin-scale monthly water budget (WB) for five large river basins (87,900–312,812 km2) in India. Validation with the BREB measurements revealed hourly EnSEB LE estimates to be within 2% of the observed LE (R 2 = 0.57 and RMSE = 59 W m−2) and EnSEB was more accurate than any of the individual SEB models. Annual ET from EnSEB was positively correlated with six widely-used global ET products (r = 0.52–0.83, p-value < 0.001), but EnSEB captured the magnitude of ET in intensively irrigated regions much better. Basin-scale monthly WB miscloures were found to be between −1 and 9 mm month−1 from EnSEB ET estimates, which were better than those from the six global ET products. The gap filling method based on the constant ET r F (ET/reference ET) approach introduced some uncertainties in EnSEB, which presents room for future improvements. Overall, our results suggest that the automated and calibration-free multi-model EnSEB framework, which uses only remote sensing and readily available reanalysis data, has the ability to estimate ET with reliable accuracy in Indian agroecosystems. Such a framework could help us better understand and monitor the water cycle in regions where ground data are limited or non-existent. • A remote sensing based ensemble mean SEB (EnSEB) model was developed. • Integrating reanalysis data eliminated the need for ground observations. • EnSEB has moderately high R 2 and low bias when validated with ground LE fluxes. • Pixel and basin scale assessments of EnSEB showed promising results. • EnSEB ET maps will facilitate crop-climate interaction studies in data-limited regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote sensing based surface energy balance (SEB) models, such as SEB Algorithm for Land (SEBAL) and Mapping evapotranspiration (ET) at high Resolution with Internalized Calibration (METRIC) are widely used to monitor ET. However, their operational use is challenged by model complexity and the tedious process of selecting hot and cold pixels. We developed a new Matlab-based ET mapping toolbox named "LandMOD ET Mapper" for automated implementation of these models to facilitate their widespread applications among new users. The toolbox is demonstrated using one Landsat and one Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Terra image covering three AmeriFlux sites in Nebraska, U.S. Daily ET estimates were comparable with the observed ET for five days when near cloud-free Landsat and MODIS Terra images were available in the 2006 maize growing season. The toolbox provides a viable ET mapping option to new and inexperienced users with reduced time and labor demands. • A new Matlab-based GUI "LandMOD ET Mapper" was developed. • The toolbox implements SEBAL/METRIC model automatically using thermal imagery. • Daily ET estimates from the toolbox were comparable with observed ET. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Controlling the shape of metal nanoparticles is generally accomplished using shape-directing agents. Particle synthesis without shape-directing agents and shape control have attracted strong interest given the side effects of the shape-directing agents. Here, the potential of graphene in the deposition of metallic nanoparticles with different morphologies without using shape-directing agents was investigated. Doping graphene with nitrogen via plasma treatment enhanced the metal reduction. The nitrogen content was varied by changing the plasma treatment time. Nitrogen doping mainly occurred at boundary-like defects and involved pyrrolic nitrogen as the major chemical configuration. Graphene grown on copper substrate grown via chemical vapor deposition was used to deposit spherical silver nanoparticles throughout the graphene along with microparticles that were randomly distributed on the surface. Transition of microparticles of silver from dendrites to well-defined platelets morphologies was observed with nitrogen-doped graphene after 10 min of nitrogen plasma exposure. The number density of silver particles was controlled by varying the plasma treatment time. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering activity of these silver particles grown on graphene using copper substrates was assessed using a Rhodamine 6G Raman probe in the concentration range of 10 nM to 1 mM. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Silver deposition on graphene without shape directing agents was investigated. • Nitrogen doped graphene controlled the growth of silver morphology. • Triangular, rod, and diamond-shaped micro particles were randomly deposited. • Nitrogen enabled homogenous deposition of silver nanoparticles on graphene. • Surface enhanced raman scattering of R6G was assessed in the range of 10 nM to1 mM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A new approach is proposed in this study to maximize the skill of satellite altimeter-derived heights by utilizing river extent information from additional sensors. We apply this approach for JASON-3 nadir altimeter. First, locations were identified in South and South East Asia region as potential candidates for this approach based on river extent. Information on river extent composed of river width and course (i.e., path) from visible (Landsat) and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) platform (Sentinel-1). The extent-based approach was applied to filter out non-water radar returns in two methods: 1) River Mask (RM) based K-means (KM) clustering (hence, RM + KM) and 2) K-means clustering embedded with River Mask (RM) (hence, KM RM). Both methods were validated over 12 locations with long records of in-situ height observations and with distinct river characteristics. The maximum benefit observed in utilizing dynamic river mask is during low flow season when the probability of non-water radar signal contamination is highest. For highly varying seasonal widths, satellite imagery on river conditions, as an ensemble of techniques, yields heights with higher accuracy. An average RMSE improvement of 40% in 8 out of 12 stations is observed. Overall, at least one of the two dynamic mask-based techniques studied consistently outperformed the conventional technique of altimeter height extraction based on a fixed river mask. Information on river mask or extent can play an important role in highly meandering rivers as the deviation between actual satellite altimeter passes and nominal passes can be considered during the extraction of heights. Compared to visible (Landsat) imagery, SAR was found to be much more effective at improving altimeter height extraction because of the all-weather capability during frequently cloudy conditions. The practicality of the river mask-based approach for altimeter height extraction needs to be carefully considered by the operational end user based on available computational resources and the latency that can be afforded. An ensemble of morphology based techniques using SAR imagery is likely the future of satellite altimeter-based river height extraction in South and South-East Asia where rivers are increasingly impacted by human regulation, encroachment and seasonality. Highlights • The use of additional satellite imagery is proposed for altimeter height extraction. • The approach is tested at locations of changing river conditions in South Asia. • Incorporation of additional satellite imagery on river conditions improves height estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Graphene-silver nanowire (AgNW) hybrid structure is a potential candidate to replace indium tin oxide (ITO) owing to its high conductivity, transparency, and flexibility. The thin insulating polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) residual surfactant coating that forms on AgNW weakens the wire-to-wire and wire-to-graphene contact, resulting in a higher sheet resistance. For this reason, a post-processing treatment such as high-temperature annealing is usually carried out to reduce the sheet resistance. In this paper, low power nitrogen plasma is utilized to increase the electrical conductivity of the hybrid through the partial removal of PVP and simultaneous doping of graphene without employing any high-temperature annealing treatment. A reduction of over 34% in sheet resistance is obtained for the hybrid compared with a 17% reduction for the AgNW electrode alone. The hybrid electrode, in comparison to the AgNW electrode alone, results in an electrical to optical conductivity ratio (σ DC /σ OP) of 234 in 45 s without losing its transparency. In comparison to the 4% reduction of sheet resistance caused by high temperature annealing at 180 °C for 30 min, nitrogen plasma treatment results in a substantially higher reduction (>34%) of the sheet resistance of hybrids in a substantially shorter processing time (45 s). Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • 30 s grown graphene promoted nitrogen doping up to 9% due to boundary like defects. • Degradation of PVP improved both the conductivity and transparency of hybrid. • The hybrid achieved an FOM of 234 compared to the minimum industrial standard of 35 for TCE. • Sheet resistance reduction of hybrids by N 2 plasma was more effective than the use of a high temperature treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decarbonizing fossil-fuel usage is crucial in mitigating the impacts of climate change. The burning of fossil fuels in boilers during industrial process heating is one of the major sources of CO2 in the industry. Electrification is a promising solution for decarbonizing these boilers, as it enables renewable energy sources to generate electricity, which can then be used to power the electric boilers. This research develops a user-driven simulation model with realistic data and potential temperature data for a location to estimate boilers' current energy and fuel usage and determine the equivalent electrical boiler capacity and energy usage. A simulation model is developed using the Visual Basic Application (VBA)® and takes factors such as current boiler capacity, steam temperature and pressure, condensate, makeup water, blowdown, surface area, and flue gas information as input. Random numbers generate the hourly temperature variation for a year for discrete-event Monte Carlo Simulation. The simulation generates the hourly firing factor, energy usage, fuel usage, and CO2 emissions of boilers for a whole year, and the result compares fossil-fuel and electrical boilers. The simulated data are validated using real system data, and sensitivity analysis of the model is performed by varying the input data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]