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Antimicrobial resistance in agriculture is a global concern that is growing every day. As a result, there is increasing interest in investigating different approaches to disease control in both plants and animals. Research on the identification and synthesis of antimicrobial compounds derived from plants and microbes has exploded in the last few years. The purpose of this review is to give a broad overview of the current knowledge regarding antimicrobials derived from plants and microbes and their possible uses in agricultural practises. It discusses a number of topics, such as the origins of these antimicrobial agents, how they work, and how well they work to fight infections in plants and animals. Furthermore, the difficulties pertaining to their execution and potential outcomes are examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymers have been used in various industries over the past few decades due to their tremendous applications. Among these, polyhydroxyalkanoates and poly(lactic acid) are easily biodegradable biopolymers derived from bacteria, including recombinant Escherichia coli, Alcaligenes eutrophus, Alcaligenes latus, Azotobacter vinelandii, methylotrophs and Pseudomonas. Conventional petroleum‐derived polymers have become potentially harmful to the environment due to their complex degradation process. The nonbiodegradability of synthetic polymers has become a global issue of concern. There is an urgent need for a substitute to tackle the increasing environmental stress. Microorganisms are small factories for producing different types of polymers during their growth cycle. Various features like biodegradability, biocompatibility, nontoxicity and wide substrate spectrum make such microbial polymers highly reliable. Biopolymers such as alginate, cellulose, cyanophycin, levan, polyhydroxyalkanoates, xanthan, poly(lactic acid) and poly(γ‐glutamic acid) can be obtained from different microorganisms like Aureobasdium pullulans, Acetobacter xylinum, Bacillus thermoamylovorans and Cupriavidusnecator. These are extensively used in various fields like food, medicine, wastewater treatment, biofuel production, packaging and cosmetics. Despite being advantageous in several ways, the biopolymer market still faces several hurdles. This review mainly emphasizes the different types of biopolymers, production by microorganisms and various applications of these biopolymers in different fields. The main drawback limiting the development of these polymers is the high production cost and low efficiency of the microbial strains. Genetic recombination is an efficient technique to enhance the microbial yield and to expand the biopolymer market size. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study emphasizes fungi as an important tool against heavy metals and how isolated fungal species can be used to create a successful strategy for the bioremediation of chromium and arsenic-contaminated sites/soils. Globally, heavy metal pollution is a serious issue. In the current investigation, contaminated sites were chosen, and samples could be taken from various localities of Hisar (29.1492° N, 75.7217° E) and Panipat (29.3909° N, 76.9635° E), India. A total of 19 fungal isolates were obtained from the collected samples through the enrichment culture technique using PDA media supplemented with Cr as chromic chloride hexahydrate (50 mg/L) and As as sodium arsenate (10 mg/L) and the potential of fungal isolates to be used for the removal of heavy metals was examined. The isolates were screened for minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) exhibiting tolerance capabilities, and the four best isolates C1, C3, A2, and A6 with the highest MICs (>5000 mg/L), were chosen for further investigations. To use the chosen isolates in the remediation of heavy metals (Cr and As), the culture conditions were optimized. The fungal isolates C1 and C3 estimated the highest removal of 58.60% and 57.00% at 50 mg/L chromium concentration, while the isolates A6 and A2 recorded the highest removal efficiency of 80% and 56% at 10 mg/L arsenic concentration under optimal conditions. Finally, the chosen fungal isolates C1 and A6 were molecularly identified as Aspergillus tamarii and Aspergillus ustus, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diurnal and seasonal variation of PM10, SO2, NO2, NH3 and water-soluble compounds were studied in Naraina industrial area; Delhi from January to December, 2017. It was observed that annual average concentrations of PM10, SO2, NO2, NH3, SO42−, NO3−, NH4+,Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl− and F− in the day time were 227 ± 91, 9 ± 5, 59 ± 22, 65 ± 15, 17.45 ± 5.14, 17.60 ± 4.94, 8.66 ± 2.94, 4.05 ± 1.08, 3.46 ± 0.91, 10.38 ± 4.48, 3.15 ± 0.99, 43.06 ± 5.20 and 0.50 ± 0.12 µg m−3, respectively and night time were 320 ± 127, 14 ± 7, 82 ± 25, 83 ± 20, 22.64 ± 5.22, 21.66 ± 5.0, 11.81 ± 3.47, 3.29 ± 0.87, 3.02 ± 1.19, 7.55 ± 3.16, 2.49 ± 0.95, 31.86 ± 4.70 and 0.37 ± 0.12 µg m−3, respectively. PM10 and sometimes NO2 concentrations exceeded the Indian National Ambient Air Quality Standards. SO2, and NH3 concentrations were within the standard. The selected parameters varied from season to season. In the night time, selected parameters concentrations were high in comparison to day time might be due to formation of inorganic secondary particulate matters and low wind speed in the ambient air. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Friction stir welding is a dependable method of joining metals and other materials. Relatively joint configuration-specific welding process parameters have not yet been tuned. This work is concerned with the Taguchi orthogonal arrays to perform an analysis of variance. In this study, FSW joint configurations of AA6262-T6 Al alloy, such as butt, lap, and T joints, were studied for optimization. An orthogonal array of welds was selected using the Taguchi method. After the welds were constructed, the ultimate tensile strength of each joint was examined for statistical optimization. The lack of parameter optimization studies for butt, lap, and T joints prompted this research to fill the void. As a result, each joint arrangement must be optimised for mechanical properties and a set of parameters must be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of the rise in solar electricity, photovoltaic research has increased. A precise model of the PV-based cell/unit is ideal for conceptually examining the capabilities of alternative control approaches. Extraction of precise values for relevant unknown elements of solar photovoltaic models is crucial for modeling PV systems. Optimization strategies for this topic have been increasingly important and dynamic in recent history due to their efficiency in dealing with extremely nonlinear multidimensional optimization challenges. The strategy avoids stalling by deleting the best solution; this keeps the engine diverse and increases global search capacity. Pattern searching, on either side, is a multiobjective approach that has a high convergence speed as well as good stability, which can increase the whale optimization algorithm's traditional optimization ability. As a result, combining these two mechanisms can considerably improve the whale optimization algorithm capacity to find the optimal answer. The modified whale optimization algorithm may also be used to evaluate parameters in single-diode models, double-diode models, and photovoltaic panels, as well as to find independent variables in two distinct methods of PV modules under various light temperature and pressure circumstances. The analytical results show that the modified whale optimization algorithm is both valid and practical for predicting solar cell and photovoltaic unit characteristics. The study goes into great depth on a new optimization approach for changing the parameter unit of solar PV cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iris yellowspot (IYS) disease in onion (Allium cepa L.) is caused by onion thrips (Thrips tabaci L.) vectored Iris yellow spot virus (IYSV). The absence of cultivars that are resistant/tolerant to thrips and/or IYS is a challenge for onion bulb and seed production worldwide. To measure selection progress for reduced/delayed IYS symptom expression in onion breeding lines after two selection cycles, selections were performed in 2011 on previously evaluated lines that exhibited a reduced symptom expression after one selection cycle. Selected plants from each line were massed in a cage and the resulted progenies were evaluated in 2013 and 2014 along with their original populations and a susceptible check--'Rumba'. In some comparisons, the selection progress for delayed/reduced IYS symptom expression was observed for some breeding lines. Plants of most selected breeding lines exhibited less disease expression than plants of 'Rumba'. For some selections, a low disease severity was observed even with a relatively high number of thrips per plant. These results suggest that further improvement might be achievable with additional cycles of selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The estimates of airborne fine particle (PM) concentrations are possible through rigorous empirical correlations based on the monitored PM data. However, such correlations change depending on the nature of sources in diverse ambient environments and, therefore, have to be environment specific. Studies presenting such correlations are limited but needed, especially for those areas, where PM is not routinely monitored. Moreover, there are a number of studies focusing on urban environments but very limited for coal mines and coastal areas. The aim of this study is to comprehensively analyze the concentrations of both PM and PM and develop empirical correlations between them. Data from 26 different sites spread over three distinct environments, which are a relatively clean coastal area, two coal mining areas, and a highly urbanized area in Delhi were used for the study. Distributions of PM in the 0.43-10-μm size range were measured using eight-stage cascade impactors. Regression analysis was used to estimate the percentage of PM in PM across distinct environments for source identification. Relatively low percentage of PM concentrations (21, 28, and 32%) in PM were found in clean coastal and two mining areas, respectively. Percentage of PM concentrations in PM in the highly urbanized area of Delhi was 51%, indicating a presence of a much higher percentage of fine particles due to vehicular combustion in Delhi. The findings of this work are important in estimating concentrations of much harmful fine particles from coarse particles across distinct environments. The results are also useful in source identification of particulates as differences in the percentage of PM concentrations in PM can be attributed to characteristics of sources in the diverse ambient environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postoperative nausea and vomiting is one of the most common complication dispite of advances made in anaesthesia. The efficacy of granisetron with that of ondansetron as antiemetic is compared in 90 patients undergoing laparoscopic surgeries. The patients were devided into three groups of 30 patients each. In group-G, patients received 40 mcg/kg granisetron intravenously 3 min before induction. Group-O patients received 80 mcg/kg ondansetron intravenously 3 min prior to induction while group-C patients received 3 ml of 0.9% normal saline as control. All the patients were selected for general anaethesia and observations in the Department of Surgery & Anaesthesia of Rama Medical College & Hospital Pilakhwa Hapur, were made for pulse rate, blood pressure, nausea, vomiting and side effects of the drugs under study upto 12 hours postoperatively.The frequency of nausea was 10%, 30% and 40% in group-G, group-O and group-C respectively.The statistical analysis shows that granisetron is better for prevention of post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in comparison to ondansetron and is highly significant in comparison to control group. As far as the side effects of the drugs are concerned, postoperative headache, dizziness, diplopia and shivering was significantly higher in ondansetron groups. Thus from the present study, it is concluded that intravenous granisetron 40 mcg/kg intravenously is superior to ondansetron 80 mcg/kg as a prophylactic antiemetic in laparoscopic surgeries in controlling PONV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with functional bowel disorders frequently complain of bloating and abdominal pain, but no practical method is available to measure intestinal gas objectively. To evaluate a new technique, we evaluated 54 abdominal radiographs from 19 patients. A gastroenterologist and a radiologist independently outlined the intestinal gas bubbles in these films. Areas of gas bubbles were measured with a computer digitizing board. Bowel gas was also measured in 24 healthy controls, and in five emergency room patients, supine and erect radiographs were compared to evaluate the effects of position on bowel gas patterns. The two evaluators agreed well on the measured areas of bowel gas (r = 0.96), showing that this is a reliable method. Bowel gas was significantly greater in patients than in controls but did not correlate with symptoms. Bowel gas was significantly greater in supine than upright films, showing that the position of the patient must be standardized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]