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Successful synthesis of novel high entropy ceramic (HEC) for ultra-high temperature application classes, namely, borides, carbides, and nitrides, has been experiencing a bottleneck in having a suitable design and successful synthesis strategy. Producing high-entropy ultra-high-temperature ceramics from their oxides offers a major processing benefit, while employing a design approach using machine learning enhances the efficiency of the formation of single-phase HECs. In this regard, we propose a generalized strategy to generate a semi-synthetic database for each of these classes using literature data and atomic environment mapping-based structure plots, which can further be used to build machine learning models. The imbalance of the dataset was addressed using adaptive synthetic sampling and the edited nearest neighbors technique. The trained models are able to accurately predict over 90% of the single-phase chemistry for each of the classes. Furthermore, a few compositions representing these classes were successfully synthesized from the corresponding oxide mixture to validate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poor thermal stability of packaging materials represents a significant obstacle impeding their applications as alternatives to non-biodegradable plastics in the food packaging sector. The thermal stability of biopolymeric films is essential for upholding their structural integrity and preventing degradation at different temperatures during processing, transportation, and storage, thereby safeguarding the quality and safety of packaged food items. A deeper understanding of the interplay between material composition, processing conditions, and thermal behavior will foster the development of stable edible films capable of withstanding elevated temperatures while maintaining their structural integrity and functional attributes. This review provides an overview of various thermal analysis techniques available for analyzing biodegradable edible films (viz. Differential Scanning Calorimetry, Thermogravimetric Analysis, Dynamic Mechanical Analysis, and Thermomechanical Analysis), as well as explores the interrelation between film properties and thermal stability such as film crystallinity, morphological attributes, chemical arrangement, nano-reinforcements and interaction with other ingredients. Furthermore, the thermal behaviour of biopolymers and the recent advancements aimed at engineering desirable thermal behaviour into edible films are extensively discussed. The present study contributes to the current knowledge base and serves as a valuable resource for researchers in the field of food packaging and material science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the anatomic and visual outcomes and safety profile of initial Indian eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) treated with intravitreal injection (IVI) of brolucizumab. Methods: This retrospective multicentric, real-world study enrolled consecutive eyes with nAMD that were treated with IVI brolucizumab after it was launched in India in October 2020. Data collected for each eye included best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central subfield thickness (CSFT), subretinal fluid (SRF), and intraretinal fluid (IRF) status at 6, 12, and 24 months follow-up. Also recorded were the lens status, treatment protocol, number of injections received before enrollment (in switch-over cases), total number of injections, and adverse effects noticed during the study period. Primary outcomes were change in BCVA, CSFT at follow-up visits, and incidence of intraocular inflammation (IOI). Secondary outcomes were profile of macular neovascularization, treatment protocols, mean number of injections, and maximum injection-free interval observed in eyes treated by pro-re-nata (PRN) protocol. Results: In total, 331 eyes received a mean of 3.55 ± 1.83 injections. Most frequent treatment protocol was PRN (53%). BCVA data was available for 100%, 96%, and 74% eyes at 6, 12, and 24 months follow-up. BCVA and CSFT improved significantly (P < 0.001) at all follow-ups. Two hundred and seventy-six (83.38%) out of 331 eyes received more than one injection; out of these, 241 (87.3%) eyes that were treated by PRN protocol could achieve mean "maximum injection-free interval" of 19.43 ± 8.82 weeks. IOI and retinal vasculitis were reported in 2.11% (7/331) and 0.60% (2/331) eyes, respectively. None of the eyes with IOI or vasculitis lost any vision at the final follow-up. Conclusion: This study demonstrated favorable visual and anatomic outcomes and safety profile for eyes with nAMD treated by IVI brolucizumab. Mean maximum injection-free interval in eyes treated with PRN was 19 weeks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Intermittent fasting, a new-age dietary concept derived from an age-old tradition, involves repetitive cycles of fasting/calorie restriction and eating. Objective: We aim to take a deep dive into the biological responses to intermittent fasting, delineate the disease-modifying and cognitive effects of intermittent fasting, and also shed light on the possible side effects. Methods: Numerous in vitro and in vivo studies were reviewed, followed by an in-depth analysis, and compilation of their implications in health and disease. Results: Intermittent fasting improves the body's stress tolerance, which is further amplified with exercise. It impacts various pathological conditions like cancer, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegenerative diseases. Conclusion: During dietary restriction, the human body experiences a metabolic switch due to the depletion of liver glycogen, which promotes a shift towards utilising fatty acids and ketones in the system, thereby significantly impacting adiposity, ageing and the immune response to various diseases. KEY POINTS: Intermittent fasting (IF) comprises repetitive fasting and feeding cycles. There are many variations of IF schedules. Individuals practicing an appropriate IF pattern reap numerous health benefits. The possible side effects should be considered before commencing a new IF regimen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study effectively synthesized monoclinic bismuth oxide nano-photocatalyst (α-Bi2O3) using both template-assisted and template-free methods, employing the hydrothermal process. Xanthan gum, a type of soft biopolymeric material, was used as a sacrificial template to promote the regulated growth of nano-photocatalysts. The structure, morphology, surface features, optical properties, and catalytic activity of both templated and non-templated Bi2O3 were analyzed using XRD, FESEM-EDX, IR, and UV–Vis (DRS) spectral analysis techniques. Additionally, the chemical oxygen (COD) analyzer methodology was used to assess the catalytic activity. The combination of synthetic technique and template has successfully produced Bi2O3 nano-photocatalyst with a consistent and granular shape. Specifically, the template-assisted processes have produced nanostructures of bismuth oxide that are highly crystalline and low band gap (2.76–2.71 eV). The use of template-assisted metal oxide nanostructures has shown potential as very effective photocatalysts for breaking down developing pollutants, such as 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), which is found in paper and pulp mills, when exposed to sunlight. The xanthan gum templated α-Bi2O3 nano-photocatalyst almost completely photodegraded 2,4-DCP within 90 min under sunlight. The remarkable catalytic capability of bismuth oxide (Bi2O3) templated by xanthan gum has been confirmed by their high-rate constants of 0.01–0.05 min−1. As the treatment duration increased to 90 min, the degradation of 2,4-DCP resulted in a maximum elimination rate of 97.5% for COD. As a result, the template-assisted approaches have successfully produced nanostructures with customized features, which makes them very efficient in photocatalysis for quickly breaking down certain emergent organic pollutants present in paper and pulp mill wastewater. These eco-friendly synthetic photocatalysts can be efficiently used for treating wastewater that is contaminated with emerging organic contaminants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prediction of rock fragmentation (Fr) is highly beneficial to the optimization of blasting operations in the mining industry. The characteristics of the rock mass, the blast geometry, and the explosive qualities are the primary elements influencing Fr. The methodical explosion of explosives within a rock mass results in the production of smaller rock pieces. This work is a step toward the prediction of the degree of Fr in opencast mining using advanced soft computing (SC) methods like: back propagation neural network (BPNN), k-nearest neighbor (KNN), multilayer perceptron (MLP), radial basis function (RBF), multi-variable regression (MVR), gene expression programming (GEP), Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy model (TSF), least-square-support vector machine (LS-SVM), and support vector machine (SVM). A dataset consisting of 219 blasting events with 10 influencing parameters: hole diameter (HDM), spacing (S), burden (B), maximum charge per delay (MCPD), stemming (ST), compressive strength (CS), powder factor (PF), specific drilling (SPD), number of holes (NH), and bench height (BH), were used in the present study. All models were assessed with the help of following performance parameters: RRSE, RSE, NRMSE, RRMSE, MAD, MAPE, MSE, RMSE, and R2. Based on loss function for Fr, scattered diagram, importance ranking, sensitivity analysis, rank analysis, and violin plot the top models were chosen. From the obtained results, it is seen that SVM produce better result compare to other models when predicting the Fr of rock. Under sensitivity analysis, spider diagrams and Tomado diagrams were plotted to determine the variation of input and output factors. The sensitivity analysis of the developed model shows that HDM has the least impact, whereas the parameters B and PF have the maximum impact on the Fr of rock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Pharmaceutical research continues to focus on developing novel approaches for the effective treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC). To develop a better system than simple nanoparticle-in-microparticle (NP-in-MP), time-dependent NP or MP, and pH-dependent NP or MP, this work sought to construct an enhanced colon-targeting system with a combination of hybrid formulations and dual coating approach consisting of time-dependent nanoparticles loaded in pH-dependent microparticles. Method: The model drug used was mesalamine, and the polymers used were ethyl cellulose (EC) as time dependent polymer and a mixture of Eudragit L100 (EL100) and Eudragit S100 (ES100) as pH dependent polymer. The NP-in-MP were optimized, prepared and characterized to obtain targeted and sustained delivery of drug. The NP were coated with ethyl cellulose to obtain sustained delivery. Then NP were entrapped within eudragit MP using the double emulsion solvent evaporation process. NP-in-MP were evaluated for particle size, entrapment efficiency, surface morphology, in-vitro drug release and in-vivo evaluation. Results: The particle size and entrapment efficiency of the selected formulation was 12.4 ± 3.1 µm and 85.36 ± 2.6%. The in vitro drug release profile verified that the selected formulation released (6.94 ± 1.23%) less than 10% of the drug in an acidic environment, followed by continuous drug release (93.9 ± 3.15%) in a colonic environment. The MPO level confirmed that the maximum recovery (i.e., decrease in MPO level) was observed for NP-in-MP (3.02 ± 0.33, ***P < 0.001) followed by NP (6.2 ± 0.51) compared with disease control. NP-in-MP substantially improved body weight, diarrhea score and rectal bleeding (***P < 0.001) which indicates mucosal healing and the mitigation of inflammation. The NP-in-MP significantly increased colon length (***P < 0.001) and reduced spleen weight (**P < 0.01) in comparison to disease control. NP-in-MP also showed improved histological results compared to those of the other treatment groups. Conclusion: The current findings demonstrate the efficient development of NP-in-MP for enhancing the delivery of NP to the colonic region. The in-vitro data confirms that the NP-in-MP prevented burst release of NP and also targeted them to the colon along with sustained delivery of their payload. The in-vivo data confirms that the NP-in-MP are better in treating colitis than NP. Therefore, it was concluded that a hybrid NP-in-MP can be a potential alternative than other treatment carriers to treat inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop an automated high-throughput workflow for calculating lattice dynamical properties from first principles including those dictated by anharmonicity. The pipeline automatically computes interatomic force constants (IFCs) up to 4th order from perturbed training supercells, and uses the IFCs to calculate lattice thermal conductivity, coefficient of thermal expansion, and vibrational free energy and entropy. It performs phonon renormalization for dynamically unstable compounds to obtain real effective phonon spectra at finite temperatures and calculates the associated free energy corrections. The methods and parameters are chosen to balance computational efficiency and result accuracy, assessed through convergence testing and comparisons with experimental measurements. Deployment of this workflow at a large scale would facilitate materials discovery efforts toward functionalities including thermoelectrics, contact materials, ferroelectrics, aerospace components, as well as general phase diagram construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As energy demands continue to rise and concerns about the impact on the environment of fossil fuels, renewable energy sources have emerged as viable alternatives. Bio-fuels can replace non-renewable energy sources. Micro and macro-algae, animal fat, leftover cooking oil and vegetable oil can be utilised to make bio-diesel. Micro-algae is readily available and affordable, making it a viable alternative to these sources. A bio-diesel supply chain that supports large-scale production must be developed quickly. A multi-objective framework is used to construct a sustainable micro-algal bio-diesel supply chain. Bio-diesel supply chain economic objective and environmental impact is minimized in the proposed approach. Bio-diesel is advertised as a fossil fuel replacement. Bio-refineries, bio-diesel depositories, multi-harvesting centres and supply sites for micro-algae (Chlorella, chlamydomonas and Scenedesmus) are considered. The suggested multi-objective model is optimized by implementing the G e n e t i c - A l g o r i t h m . The framework and solution technique are validated using numerical illustrations. Findings indicate that bio-diesel production facility starting expenses comprise 59% of overall costs, showing high installation costs in the supply chain. Additionally, their environmental impact accounts for 67% of total environmental installation impact. A sensitivity analysis is performed to determine the feasibility of this study. The suggested paradigm could potentially be beneficial for traders and governing bodies with an interest in bio-fuel industry. Article structure: Paper's remaining sections are organised as: Sect. 1 gives the introduction of the study. A discussion on the existing literature regarding bio-fuel's supply chain is presented in section 2. Sect. 3 presents the assumptions of the investigation along with the mathematical models. In Sect. 4, optimization technique G e n e t i c - A l g o r i t h m approach is described. Sect. 5 provides numerical validation of the approach and analysis of the numerical experiment. A discussion and detailed analysis of the results is discussed in section 6. Sect. 7 describe the implications and applicability of the adopted approach. The work has been concluded in Sect. 8 which also provides some suggestions for future investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As energy demands continue to rise and concerns about the impact on the environment of fossil fuels, renewable energy sources have emerged as viable alternatives. Bio-fuels can replace non-renewable energy sources. Micro and macro-algae, animal fat, leftover cooking oil and vegetable oil can be utilised to make bio-diesel. Micro-algae is readily available and affordable, making it a viable alternative to these sources. A bio-diesel supply chain that supports large-scale production must be developed quickly. A multi-objective framework is used to construct a sustainable micro-algal bio-diesel supply chain. Bio-diesel supply chain economic objective and environmental impact is minimized in the proposed approach. Bio-diesel is advertised as a fossil fuel replacement. Bio-refineries, bio-diesel depositories, multi-harvesting centres and supply sites for micro-algae (Chlorella, chlamydomonas and Scenedesmus) are considered. The suggested multi-objective model is optimized by implementing the G e n e t i c - A l g o r i t h m . The framework and solution technique are validated using numerical illustrations. Findings indicate that bio-diesel production facility starting expenses comprise 59% of overall costs, showing high installation costs in the supply chain. Additionally, their environmental impact accounts for 67% of total environmental installation impact. A sensitivity analysis is performed to determine the feasibility of this study. The suggested paradigm could potentially be beneficial for traders and governing bodies with an interest in bio-fuel industry. Article structure: Paper's remaining sections are organised as: Sect. 1 gives the introduction of the study. A discussion on the existing literature regarding bio-fuel's supply chain is presented in section 2. Sect. 3 presents the assumptions of the investigation along with the mathematical models. In Sect. 4, optimization technique G e n e t i c - A l g o r i t h m approach is described. Sect. 5 provides numerical validation of the approach and analysis of the numerical experiment. A discussion and detailed analysis of the results is discussed in section 6. Sect. 7 describe the implications and applicability of the adopted approach. The work has been concluded in Sect. 8 which also provides some suggestions for future investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Informal settlements are characterised by inadequate infrastructure and overcrowding. Making up a major portion of the urban fabric of Asia, they are the result of ineffective policies, unsuitable regulations and a lack of political will. Informal settlements are vulnerable to climate hazards, burdened with land tenure insecurity and dependence on the informal economy for livelihoods. As they expand, coastal informal settlements occupy environmentally vulnerable spaces, such as low-lying marshy swamps alongside water. The most frequent risk is flooding, which is made worse by sea-level rise and excessive precipitation brought on by climate change. In the absence of adequate institutional interventions and exacerbated by the impact of climate change, inhabitants are forced to develop local parsimonious coping strategies to forge a harmonious coexistence with water. The objective of the article is to find space for water, that is, identifying physical space that serves for flood adaptation within informal settlements. This involves spatial assessment of embedded shared space in informal settlements. Spatial analysis based on the occupation of space and its relation with water is carried out through drawings, direct observations and interpretation from the cases of Dharavi in Mumbai, India, and Dili in Timor-Leste. The findings reveal the intricate relation between water and informal settlements, laying the groundwork for a proposition of typologies for water-related public spaces that could be of significant use for formulating flood adaptation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT: Frailty is an age-associated state of increased vulnerability due to declines in physiologic systems, leading to compromised ability to withstand stressors. Given India's rapidly aging population, our study aims to estimate the pooled prevalence of frailty and its associated factors in hospital settings. An extensive search was conducted across four databases, up to January 2024. A random-effects model was utilized. To quantify heterogeneity, the I² statistic, prediction interval, and the Chi-square-based Q test were employed. Outliers were identified using a Baujat plot and influence analysis. Doi plot, luis furuya kanamori (LFK) index and funnel plot were used to assess publication bias. The current meta-analysis determined a pooled frailty prevalence of 42.3% (95%CI: 34.8%−50.1%) and prefrailty prevalence of 39.8% (95%CI: 30.4%−49.8%), both exhibiting high heterogeneity (I² values of 96.9% and 95.3%, respectively). A high degree of variability was indicated by a prediction interval ranging from 9% to 76%, while Egger's test suggested no evidence of publication bias. Our systematic review and meta-analysis, encompassing 6,856 individuals, revealed a considerable prevalence of frailty at 42.3%, underscoring its ubiquity across health spectra and demographics in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Good management strives to align and corporate processes for more attention being paid to supply chain management. Firms realize that greater co-operation and improved coordination can help to manage the entire supply chain more efficiently. The imperfect quality item is one of the most important issues that affect the expected profit of green supply chain. The imprecise cost with screening process of poor quality items posed in supply chain is the subject of this study. Design/methodology/approach: The present study explores production model for imperfect items having uncertain cost parameters with three-layer supply chain encompassing supplier, manufacturer and retailer. The model is considering the impact of business tactics such as order size, production rate, production cost and appropriate times in various sectors on collaborative marketing systems. Due to imprecise cost parameters, the pentagonal fuzzy numbers are set to fuzzify the total cost and defuzzifition by using graded mean integration. Findings: This study offers an explicit condition in uncertain environment to manage the imperfect quality item to increase the potential profit of the supply chain. The influence of changes in parameter values on the optimal inventory policy under fuzziness is provided managerial insights. Originality/value: This model makes a significant contribution to fuzzy inference. The results of the study provide a trading strategy for the industry to avoid losses. The prescribed study can be suitable for the industries like sculpture, jewelry, pottery, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This research aims to explores consumers' motives and attitudes toward misinformation (fake reviews), its characteristics and its impact on individuals, brands and firms. Design/methodology/approach: A thematic analysis was undertaken to meet the research objectives by analyzing qualitative data from in-depth interviews with a diverse sample (N = 48). Findings: The findings indicate that altruism, impression management, matching ideologies, message appeal and perceived source power are the critical motivations for individuals to share misinformation. Misinformation leads to conflicts and avoidance among individuals and harms brand's reputation. Originality/value: This study utilizes thematic analysis to extend and contribute to the literature on misinformation. The current research provides an overarching framework to decode the misinformation phenomenon for researchers and practitioners. Practical implications: This study offers valuable insights to marketers to develop strategies to tackle the menace of false information to safeguard brand reputation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detentions and a looming threat of deportations have significantly increased for Rohingya refugees since 2017, when the Indian government drastically changed its protection policy and categorised them as 'illegal migrants' under law. The result has been an impetus to the security authorities to proactively detect and monitor with the eventual aim to detain and deport Rohingya refugees to Myanmar. Fuelling such illegalisation process is the Indian authorities' arbitrary manipulation and contraction of the long-standing hosting of certain 'non-citizen' refugees in the country to suit the politics of the day. In addition, the Supreme Court (ostensibly the arbiter of rights for all within India's territory) recently issued an interim order which effectively approved this Rohingya refugee 'illegalisation' position, hardening the perilous illegalisation of the community in India. To interrogate these developments, the present article analyses the growing illegalisation through detention and deportation of Rohingyas in India by contextualising the conception of 'non-citizenship' as a legal status and a normative category. The article proposes that the notion of 'non-citizenship' must be engaged with in a broader analytical manner than a static illegality based on lack of documents, in legal, judicial and policy discussions around refugee protection in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Given the growth of virtual reality (VR)-based tourism experiences in the past five years, this study aims to investigate the impact of VR-based interactions (ergonomics and embodiment) on memorable experiences and revisit intention mediated by cognitive and emotional responses. Design/methodology/approach: This study has used an exploratory sequential mixed methodology research design to operationalise this research. Study 1 uses qualitative in-depth interviews to explore the proposed research questions, and Study 2 uses a 3 × 3 factorial experimental research design to test the proposed hypothetical model with 355 samples. Findings: The results indicate that embodiment plays a more crucial role than VR ergonomics. Also, the cognitive response in the virtual tour indirectly generates a more memorable experience than the emotional response. Research limitations/implications: This research uses the theory of technological mediation as an overarching framework to conceptualise the research. Also, the research has applied the tenets of cognitive embodiment theory, metacognitive theory and other related theories to develop the arguments. Thus, the results of this research will extend the holistic understanding of these theories. Practical implications: This research will guide VR tourism developers in understanding the requirements and expectations of tourists. It also serves as a manual to understand how tourists process the VR tour psychologically. Originality/value: Very minimal focus was given to understanding the tourists' interaction with technology in VR tours. The concept of ergonomics and embodiment investigated as an experimental variable is a novel approach in technology-based tourism research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Minimally invasive surgical necrosectomy plays an important role in the management of infected pancreatic necrosis, with a goal of removing debris and debriding necrotic tissue. Pulse lavage is designed to simultaneously hydrostatically debride and remove the infected necrotic tissue with suction. It is also able to remove significant amounts of debris without traumatic manipulation of the necrotic tissue which may be adherent to surrounding tissue and can result in injury. Methods and results: The surgical technique of utilising a waterjet pulse lavage device during the minimally invasive necrosectomy is detailed. Sixteen patients being managed via a step-up approach underwent endoscopic necrosectomy via a radiologically placed drain tract. All sixteen patients were successfully managed endoscopically without conversion to open necrosectomy, and survived their admission. There were no complications associated with the use of the waterjet pulse lavage. Conclusion: Waterjet pulse lavage is a useful adjunct in minimally invasive necrosectomy, which reduces the length of the necrosectomy procedure, and facilitates removal of necrotic tissue while minimising the risk of traumatising healthy tissue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whole genome sequencing (WGS) has become a gold standard for diagnosing genomic variation. Peripheral blood is a common sample source for the extraction of nucleic acids for Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) applications. Here, we present an integrated and fully automated device design that uses new concepts of fluid mechanics, heat-mass transfer, and thermodynamics of enzymatic reactions to extract nucleic acids from the blood and perform DNA library preparation from a pre-filled plate. We demonstrate that the presented device effectively extracts dsDNA with an average of 25.03 µg/mL and 25.91 µg/mL yield from citrate-stabilized human peripheral blood stored in Fresh (4 °C) and Frozen (-20 °C) conditions, respectively. Furthermore, our method automatically extracts nucleic acids and creates a high-quality sequence-ready DNA library from blood stabilized with citrate and EDTA for 8 samples simultaneously in a single run with a total operation time of ~ 7 h. Our results show the required coverage and depth of the genome, highlighting an essential application of this device in processing blood samples for genome sequencing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mood disorders, including depression, remain a significant global health concern, necessitating continuous efforts to develop novel and more effective antidepressant therapies. Although there have been significant advancements in comprehending the biology of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), a considerable number of people suffering from depression do not exhibit positive responses to the pharmacologic treatments now available. This study specifically examines emerging targets and potential future approaches for pharmaceutical interventions in the treatment of MDD. The discussion revolves around novel therapeutic agents and their effectiveness in treating depression. The focus is on the specific pathophysiological pathways targeted by these agents and the amount of evidence supporting their use. While conventional antidepressants are anticipated to continue being the primary treatment for MDD in the foreseeable future, there is currently extensive research being conducted on numerous new compounds to determine their effectiveness in treating MDD. Many of these compounds have shown encouraging results. This review highlighted the recent advances in the synthesis of antidepressant derivatives and explores their pharmacologic insights for the treatment of mood disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Image caption generation is among the most rapidly growing research areas that combine image processing methodologies with natural language processing (NLP) technique(s). The effectiveness of the combination of image processing and NLP techniques can revolutionaries the areas of content creation, media analysis, and accessibility. The study proposed a novel model to generate automatic image captions by consuming visual and linguistic features. Visual image features are extracted by applying Convolutional Neural Network and linguistic features by Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) to generate text. Microsoft Common Objects in Context dataset with over 330,000 images having corresponding captions is used to train the proposed model. A comprehensive evaluation of various models, including VGGNet + LSTM, ResNet + LSTM, GoogleNet + LSTM, VGGNet + RNN, AlexNet + RNN, and AlexNet + LSTM, was conducted based on different batch sizes and learning rates. The assessment was performed using metrics such as BLEU-2 Score, METEOR Score, ROUGE-L Score, and CIDEr. The proposed method demonstrated competitive performance, suggesting its potential for further exploration and refinement. These findings underscore the importance of careful parameter tuning and model selection in image captioning tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying the boundary between the tooth and the resin-based composite (RBC) is difficult when replacing restorations. Ultraviolet (UV) light has been reported to assist the viewer by causing the RBC to fluoresce. Using a laboratory-grade fiberoptic spectrometer, 46 RBCs were exposed to UV light from the Woodpecker O-Star curing light. The opalescence and fluorescence were measured relative to a human tooth that contained just dentin and a tooth that contained both enamel and dentin. After these quantitative measurements, 10 RBCs with large differences in light emittance were compared qualitatively to assess their brightness when exposed to UV light compared to the dentin specimen and the specimen containing both enamel and dentin. It was found that, when exposed to UV light, some of the RBCs were less bright compared to the two samples of teeth used for comparison, but most were brighter; some were up to six times brighter. The filler appears to affect the opalescence peaks, while the resin appears to affect the fluorescence peaks. It was concluded that because RBCs emit very different levels of opalescence and fluorescence, UV light from the Woodpecker O-Star cannot be relied upon to detect all brands of RBC on the tooth. The opalescence and fluorescence can also be used to detect changes in the formulation of the RBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this research was to create Tolbutamide extended-release (ER) tablets and evaluate their efficacy in comparison to the gold standard, hydrophobic polymer (HPC). The natural polymers that were considered for this study included guar gum, xanthan gum, acacia gum, and fenugreek mucilage. The mechanical characteristics, drug release patterns, and stability under accelerated settings of tablets produced employing direct compression at different polymer concentrations (25%, 50%, and 75%) were studied. With a release rate of 94.5 percent over 24 hours, the optimized formulation (TF6 with 75% Guar gum) offered the best sustained drug release. As for controlled-release qualities, Xanthan gum showed promise with a cumulative release of 93.45% and Acacia gum was dependable, though not quite as efficient. Fenugreek mucilage was not well suited for endotracheal formulations due to its rapid drug release. The optimized formulation (TF6) kept its mechanical integrity, drug content, and constant drug release profile throughout three months at 40°C/75% RH, according to stability testing. This study offers additional evidence that natural polymers, specifically Guar gum can effectively replace synthetic binders in sustained-release formulations. Additional research should explore alternative combinations of these natural binders to enhance formulation efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The clinico-oncological outcomes of precursor epithelial subtypes of adenocarcinoma arising from intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (A-IPMN) are limited to small cohort studies. Differences in recurrence patterns and response to adjuvant chemotherapy between A-IPMN subtypes are unknown. Methods: Clincopathological features, recurrence patterns and long-term outcomes of patients undergoing pancreatic resection (2010–2020) for A-IPMN were reported from 18 academic pancreatic centres worldwide. Precursor epithelial subtype groups were compared using uni- and multivariate analysis. Results: In total, 297 patients were included (median age, 70 years; male, 78.9%), including 54 (18.2%) gastric, 111 (37.3%) pancreatobiliary, 80 (26.9%) intestinal and 52 (17.5%) mixed subtypes. Gastric, pancreaticobiliary and mixed subtypes had comparable clinicopathological features, yet the outcomes were significantly less favourable than the intestinal subtype. The median time to recurrence in gastric, pancreatobiliary, intestinal and mixed subtypes were 32, 30, 61 and 33 months. Gastric and pancreatobiliary subtypes had worse overall recurrence (p = 0.048 and p = 0.049, respectively) compared with the intestinal subtype but gastric and pancreatobiliary subtypes had comparable outcomes. Adjuvant chemotherapy was associated with improved survival in the pancreatobiliary subtype (p = 0.049) but not gastric (p = 0.992), intestinal (p = 0.852) or mixed subtypes (p = 0.723). In multivariate survival analysis, adjuvant chemotherapy was associated with a lower likelihood of death in pancreatobiliary subtype, albeit with borderline significance [hazard ratio (HR) 0.56; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.31–1.01; p = 0.058]. Conclusions: Gastric, pancreatobiliary and mixed subtypes have comparable recurrence and survival outcomes, which are inferior to the more indolent intestinal subtype. Pancreatobiliary subtype may respond to adjuvant chemotherapy and further research is warranted to determine the most appropriate adjuvant chemotherapy regimens for each subtype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emesine bug Ademula contaminata (Distant, 1903) is recorded from India for the first time and rediscovered from Sri Lanka. Details of its morphology, including the male genitalia, are presented along with images of the habitat. Images of living bugs in natural habitat are presented along with some comments on natural history of these bugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present research, an attempt is made to use four machine learning technique techniques such as artificial neural network combined with particle swarm optimization (ANN-PSO), adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS), and M5Tree machine learning (ML) approaches to model the scour depth. A total of 534 live bed scouring (LBS) experimental and field datasets are collected for bridge pier scouring from the previously published literature, and a gamma test has been performed to identify the best input parameter combination. A total of 36 combinations were tested in the gamma test, five distinct input combinations such as pier width to flow depth (b/y), approach flow velocity to sediment incipient velocity (V/Vc), critical Froude number (Frc), pier width to median sediment size (b/d50), geometric standard deviation of bed material (σg) were selected based on the lowest gamma value and Vratio. The developed models have been validated using field datasets of Pearl River, Mississippi, USA, by Mueller and Wagner (2005) and Ganga River, Patna, India, by Kumar and Singh (2022) and compared with six other existing scour depth predictive models. Results indicate that the proposed M5Tree scour depth prediction model (R2 = 0.9196, RMSE = 0.0837) provided better accuracy for all combinations of input variables (b/y, V/Vc, Frc, b/ d50, σg) compared to other ML models. The developed M5Tree model was successfully applied to the field condition for Ganga River, Patna, India and Pearl River, Mississippi, USA, and the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) value is found to be less than 12% and the coefficient of determination (R2) more than 0.98. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decentralized Point-of-Care (PoC) diagnostics hold momentous potential for rapid and accessible viral infection disease detection. Presented is a unique design application of an easy-to-use (plug-and-play) platform for viral detection. The platform leverages a simplified multiplex Reverse-Transcription Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification (RT-LAMP) Lateral Flow Biosensor (LFB) assay with a lyophilized master mix, eliminating the need for RNA isolation or special reporting equipment. A user-friendly Saliva Measuring Tube (SMT) ensures accurate saliva volume self-collection, and a Syringe-based PoC (SPoC) platform automates sample treatment, reagent mixing, and temperature control using readily available components and consumables. The platform's performance was evaluated by multiplexed detection of the SARS-CoV-2 N2 target gene and human ACTB gene from saliva samples. The SPoC platform achieved a detection limit of spiked 500 copies/mL for SARS-CoV-2 and consistent internal control readout. The presented PoC system offers a promising initial step for further development toward a decentralized solution for viral infection testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A straightforward transition-metal-free sustainable methodology for oxidative cyclopropanation of aza-1,6-enynes has been devised, enabling the synthesis of valuable, functionalized azabicyclo[4.1.0]heptane-2,4,5-triones, via four bond formation in a single step under mild conditions. Control experiments and real-time mass data monitoring using online ESI-MS spectroscopy support the pathway proposed for this reaction. The synthesized products have been utilized in diverse product transformations. Key advantages of this reaction include its operational ease, transition metal-free nature, rapid completion, and compatibility with a wide range of functional groups and substrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metaverse is portrayed as the next significant technology innovation with an estimated market opportunity of US $800 billion. Metaverse offers numerous opportunities and an unmatchable user experience, yet its acceptance among the masses is still a long way off. Moreover, within 2 years of its existence and grandiose hype about a huge market potential, the current business sentiments are not so hopeful. Despite the positive and encouraging feedback, the reasons behind the limited success of the metaverse need scientific exploration. This study uses netnography to collect online data from 751 articles (news articles, expert opinions, perspectives, and blogs). Further, we use the text‐mining method of structural topic modeling to generate insights from the text data and perform a sentiment analysis. The identified topics are mapped and explained using the behavioral reasoning theory to highlight "reasons for" and "reasons against" metaverse adoption. The study's findings identify flexibility, brand experience, human centricity, and virtual retail experience as enablers of acceptance of the metaverse, while regulatory issues, usage barriers, financial investment, and skepticism act as barriers to adopting the metaverse. Further, social adventure and social influence were identified as enablers categorized under subjective norms. This study contributes to the scarce literature on metaverse adoption and offers actionable insights to marketers to craft marketing strategies to benefit from the metaverse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a prevalent gastrointestinal disorder characterized by the chronic reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus, leading to various symptoms and complications. Aims and Objectives: This study aims to investigate the association between body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, and GERD severity. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 50 participants diagnosed with GERD, recruited from the Department of Medical Gastroenterology at King George's Medical University in Lucknow, India. Data on BMI, blood pressure, and GERD severity were collected through standardized assessments. Results: It was observed that patients in the first tertile (T1) of the GERD score, as compared to their counterparts in the second and third tertiles (T2 and T3), were lower in age, smaller in height, and had lower body weight, BMI, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure levels, but none of the associations were found to be significant statistically. Conclusion: There are significant clinical implications for knowing how blood pressure, GERD severity, and BMI relate to one another. To maximize treatment success and lower the risk of complications, health-care practitioners should think about evaluating and treating modifiable risk factors, such as obesity and hypertension, in patients with GERD. Pharmacological therapies may be used in conjunction with lifestyle adjustments such as blood pressure control, diet adjustments, and weight loss to help treat GERD symptoms and enhance overall patient health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metagenomics involves the study of genetic material obtained directly from communities of microorganisms living in natural environments. The field of metagenomics has provided valuable insights into the structure, diversity and ecology of microbial communities. Once an environmental sample is sequenced and processed, metagenomic binning clusters the sequences into bins representing different taxonomic groups such as species, genera, or higher levels. Several computational tools have been developed to automate the process of metagenomic binning. These tools have enabled the recovery of novel draft genomes of microorganisms allowing us to study their behaviors and functions within microbial communities. This review classifies and analyzes different approaches of metagenomic binning and different refinement, visualization, and evaluation techniques used by these methods. Furthermore, the review highlights the current challenges and areas of improvement present within the field of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Risks of esthetic complications have been reported following dental implant insertion; hence it was suggested that a customized healing abutment could improve the peri-implant tissue healing. Anatomically contoured healing abutments (also called customized healing abutments) help to contain and protect the slow – Resorbing bone grafts, resulting in bone and soft tissue volume augmentation. Even in healed sites, customized healing abutments have shown a favourable outcome as compared to standard healing abutments. This article describes a simple chairside fabrication of precisely contoured healing abutment which will eventually result in a natural contoured soft tissue enhancing the esthetics of the restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The way the topological structure transforms from a decoupled to a coupled state in multiplex networks has been extensively studied through both analytical and numerical approaches, often utilizing models of artificial networks. These studies typically assume uniform interconnections between layers to simplify the analytical treatment of structural properties in multiplex networks. However, this assumption is not applicable for real networks, where the heterogeneity of link weights is an intrinsic characteristic. Therefore, in this paper, link weights are calculated considering the node's reputation and the impact of the inter-layer link weights are assessed on the overall network's structural characteristics. These characteristics include synchronization time, stability of synchronization, and the second-smallest eigenvalue of the Laplacian matrix (algebraic connectivity). Our findings reveal that the perturbation in link weights (intra-layer) causes a transition in the algebraic connectivity whereas variation in inter-layer link weights has a significant impact on the synchronization stability and synchronization time in the multiplex networks. This analysis is different from the predictions made under the assumption of equal inter-layer link weights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The literature is inconclusive regarding the potential complications of tranexamic acid (TXA), an antifibrinolytic drug, for total hip arthroplasty (THA). The purpose of this study is to compare complication rates and patient outcomes between THA patients administered TXA vs. THA patients not administered TXA. Methods: The TriNetX Research network was utilized to generate a cohort of adult patients who underwent THA between 2003 and 2024. These patients were categorized into two subgroups for the retrospective analysis: (1) patients who received TXA 24 h prior to THA (TXA), and (2) patients who did not receive TXA 24 h prior to total hip arthroplasty (no-TXA). The follow-up period was 30 and 90 days. Results: At 30 days following THA, the TXA patients had a reduced risk of transfusion (risk ratio (RR): 0.412; 95% confidence intervals (CI): 0.374, 0.453), reduced risk of DVT (RR: 0.856; CI: 0.768, 0.953), reduced risk of joint infection (RR: 0.808; CI: 0.710, 0.920), but a higher rate of periprosthetic fracture (RR: 1.234; CI: 1.065, 1.429) compared to patients who did not receive TXA. At 90 days following THA, TXA patients had a reduced risk of transfusion (RR: 0.446; CI: 0.408, 0.487), DVT (RR: 0.847; CI: 0.776, 0.924), and periprosthetic joint infection (RR: 0.894; CI: 0.815, 0.982) compared to patients who did not receive TXA. Patients who received TXA had higher rates of periprosthetic fracture (RR: 1.219; CI: 1.088, 1.365), acute postoperative anemia (RR: 1.222; CI: 1.171, 1.276), deep surgical site infection (SSI) (RR: 1.706; CI: 1.117, 2.605), and superficial SSI (RR: 1.950; CI: 1.567, 2.428) compared to patients who did not receive TXA. Conclusions: Patients receiving TXA prior to THA exhibited significantly reduced the prevalence of blood transfusions, DVT, and periprosthetic joint infection following THA. However, superficial SSI and periprosthetic fracture were seen with higher rates in the TXA cohort than in the no-TXA cohort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore the cosmic birefringence signal produced by an ultralight axion field with a small CP-violating coupling to bulk SM matter in addition to the usual CP-preserving photon coupling. The change in the vacuum expectation value of the field between recombination and today results in a frequency-independent rotation of the plane of CMB linear polarization across the entire sky. While many previous approaches rely on the axion rolling from a large initial expectation value, the couplings considered in this work robustly generate the birefringence signal regardless of initial conditions, by sourcing the field from the cosmological nucleon density. We place bounds on such monopole-dipole interactions using measurements of the birefringence angle from Planck and WMAP data, which improve upon existing constraints by up to three orders of magnitude. We also discuss UV completions of this model, and possible strategies to avoid fine-tuning the axion mass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structure and absorption properties of a series of azobenzene derivatives are investigated using the density functional theoretical methods. The study showed that π → π* transitions of azobenzene undergo red shift after mono- and di- substitutions at para positions. Considering the fact that o-fluoro and o-methoxy derivatives of azobenzene have long living cis isomers, the effect of ortho substitution on the excitation energies is examined. An investigation on the azo-protonation revealed prominent red shift for n → π* and π → π* transitions bringing both absorptions in visible region. The effect of substitution on the cis to trans thermal relaxation is also analysed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hematologic cancers, notably leukemias and lymphomas, pose significant challenges to healthcare systems globally, due to rising incidence rates and increasing costs. This study aimed to estimate the phase and lifetime health system total costs (not net costs) of care for patients diagnosed with leukemia and lymphoma in Ontario, Canada. We conducted a population-based study of patients diagnosed between 2005 and 2019, using data from the Ontario Cancer Registry linked with health administrative databases. Costs were estimated using a phase-based approach and stratified by care phase and cancer subtype. Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) patients had the highest mean monthly initial (CAD 19,519) and terminal (CAD 41,901) costs among all cancer subtypes, while acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients had the highest mean monthly cost (CAD 7185) during the continuing phase. Overall lifetime costs were highest for ALL patients (CAD 778,795), followed by AML patients (CAD 478,516). Comparatively, patients diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma (CAD 268,184) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (CAD 321,834) had lower lifetime costs. Major cost drivers included inpatient care, emergency department visits, same-day surgeries, ambulatory services, and specialized cancer drugs. Since 2005, the cost structure has evolved with rising proportions of interventional drug costs. Additionally, costs were higher among males and younger age groups. Understanding these costs can help guide initiatives to control healthcare spending and improve cancer care quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we examine whether not-for-profit organizations actively manage their pension accounting assumptions and whether their assumptions are, as prior research suggests, more aggressive than those of for-profit organizations. Using a 17-year panel dataset collected from audited financial statements, we compare the accounting assumptions (the expected rate of return and the discount rate) of not-for-profit and for-profit firms. We also examine the not-for-profit sample alone to test for accounting bias motivated by various financial incentives. We model accounting assumptions as levels (between-firms) as well as changes over time (within-firms). Contrary to prior research, we find no evidence that not-for-profits use more aggressive assumptions than for-profits. Furthermore, we find that most of the accounting biases of not-for-profits are explained by between-firm variation rather than within-firm variation, suggesting that although not-for-profits use biased assumptions, they may not actively adjust them to target financial benchmarks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climatic changes and global warming affect the growth, development, and productivity of crops. In this review, we highlight the possible benefits of using innovative breeding techniques like clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs), exogenous phytohormone-like strigolactones (SLs), nanomaterials (NMs), and beneficial microbial endophytes to address the challenges in sustainable cultivation of horticultural crops. These applications are evaluated by examining how they affect different metabolic, morphological, and biochemical parameters in diverse crops. Endophytes are symbiotic microorganisms and can be used as nematicides for improving crop yield. With an emphasis on quality control, we examined the impacts of applying NMs, a novel family of phytohormones called SLs, and microbial endophytes on horticultural commodities. Furthermore, we reviewed the benefits of CRISPR for the editing of plant genomes, as well as how it affects gene expression and transcription factors to increase crop tolerance and yield. These innovations hold the potential to improve crop yield, quality, and resilience by acting as safe, natural components in biofertilizers and plant protection solutions. Gradually adopting these methods could decrease reliance on agrochemicals, thereby reducing their negative effects on biodiversity, soil fertility, and human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medical datasets may be imbalanced and contain errors due to subjective test results and clinical variability. The poor quality of original data affects classification accuracy and reliability. Hence, detecting abnormal samples in the dataset can help clinicians make better decisions. In this study, we propose an unsupervised error detection method using patterns discovered by the Pattern Discovery and Disentanglement (PDD) model, developed in our earlier work. Applied to the large data, the eICU Collaborative Research Database for sepsis risk assessment, the proposed algorithm can effectively discover statistically significant association patterns, generate an interpretable knowledge base for interpretability, cluster samples in an unsupervised learning manner, and detect abnormal samples from the dataset. As shown in the experimental result, our method outperformed K-Means by 38 % on the full dataset and 47 % on the reduced dataset for unsupervised clustering. Multiple supervised classifiers improve accuracy by an average of 4 % after removing abnormal samples by the proposed error detection approach. Therefore, the proposed algorithm provides a robust and practical solution for unsupervised clustering and error detection in healthcare data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The number of reverse shoulder arthroplasties (RSA) performed each year is growing rapidly, especially in elderly patients and with expanded indications including geriatric proximal humerus fractures. As the elderly population grows and the number of RSA's annually continues to rise, there will be a proportionate number of adverse events and mortality. However, the rate of early mortality has consistently shown to be less than 1%, so a large-scale analysis of possible risk factors for post-operative mortality is warranted. Methods: A retrospective multivariate analysis of 59,915 patients from the National Inpatient Sample database between 2016 and 2019 was performed. Patients who underwent RSA were identified based on ICD-10 code. Patients were divided into two groups, early mortality and no mortality. Early mortality was defined as those who died within the same admission. Patient demographics and medical comorbidities were evaluated. Hospital admission status was classified as elective or non-elective. Odds ratios for predictive variables were measured as a ratio of incidence between the early mortality and no mortality groups. Results: The overall incidence of inpatient mortality was 0.07%. The incidence of mortality for elective admissions was 0.04% and for non-elective admissions was 0.34%. On univariate analysis, age greater than 75 years (p < 0.001), octogenarians (p < 0.001), nonagenarians (p < 0.001), and non-elective admission (p < 0.001) were associated with early mortality following RSA. Upon multivariate analysis, age greater than 75 years old had 4 times the odds of early mortality following RSA (OR 4.20; 95%CI (1.67, 10.60); p < 0.001) while non-elective admission had about 5 times the odds (OR 5.38; 95%CI (2.75, 10.53); p < 0.001). Discussion: Age greater than 75 years old has 4-fold higher odds and non-elective admission has 5-fold higher odds of early mortality following RSA. Appropriate pre-operative counseling should be performed with elderly patients and those undergoing non-elective indications for RSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]