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Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are a diverse class of materials designed for selective molecular recognition. These polymers are synthesized with particular binding sites that are suited to a target molecule or a collection of structurally similar molecules through the use of a process called molecular imprinting. MIPs were synthesized in this work to specifically remove direct violet 51 from occupational leachates and aqueous solutions. Methacrylic acid functioned as the functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as the cross-linker, 2,2-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as the initiator, and alcohol as a porogenic solvent. To improve the dye removal effectiveness, a number of factors were optimized, including time, pH, analyte concentrations, and MIP/NIP dosages. The findings showed that MIPs had a much greater capacity for direct violet 51 adsorption than nonimprinted polymers (NIPs), with MIP adsorption capacity reaching 42.553 mg g−1and NIP adsorption capacity reaching 7 mg g−1. The pseudo 2nd-order model described the adsorption kinetics, and the rate constant (K2) for MIPs was found to be 0.00251 mg g−1min. Furthermore, a high rebinding efficiency of 94 % was observed when the selectivity of MIPs for direct violet 51 was assessed against structurally similar templates.

ABSTRACTThe Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in December 2019 has drastically affected humans worldwide, creating a health crisis that has infected millions of lives and devastated the global economy. COVID-19 is ongoing, with the emergence of many new strains. Deep learning (DL) techniques have proven helpful in efficiently analysing and delineating infectious regions in radiological images. This survey paper draws a taxonomy of deep learning techniques for detecting COVID-19 infection in radiographic imaging modalities Chest X-Ray, and Computer Tomography. DL techniques are broadly categorised into classification, segmentation, and multi-stage approaches for COVID-19 diagnosis at the image and region-level analysis. These techniques are further classified as pre-trained and custom-made Convolutional Neural Network architectures. Furthermore, a discussion is drawn on radiographic datasets, evaluation metrics, and commercial platforms provided for detection. In the end, a brief look is paid to emerging ideas, gaps in existing research, and challenges in developing diagnostic techniques. This survey provides insight into the promising areas of research in DL and is likely to guide the research community on the upcoming development of deep learning techniques for COVID-19. This will pave the way to accelerate the research in designing customised DL-based diagnostic tools for effectively dealing with new variants of COVID-19 and emerging challenges.

Aliphatic allylic amines are present in a large number of complex and pharmaceutically relevant molecules. The direct amination of allylic electrophiles serves as the most common method toward the preparation of these motifs. However, the use of feedstock reaction components (allyl alcohol and aliphatic amine) in these transformations remains a great challenge. Such a challenge primarily stems from the high Lewis basicity and large steric hindrance of aliphatic amines, in addition to the low reactivity of allylic alcohols. Herein, we report a general solution to these challenges. The developed protocol allows an efficient allylic amination of allyl alcohols with sterically bulky aliphatic amines in the presence of an inexpensive earth-abundant molybdenum complex. This simple and economic protocol also enables regioselective branched amination; the practicality of the reaction was shown in an efficient, scaled-up synthesis of several drugs.

•Outcomes with single-agent gilteritinib across 38 National Health Service hospitals mirror those seen in clinical trials.•Patients with adverse karyotype, and those treated after venetoclax-based therapy had poor outcomes.

Electronic and thermoelectric properties of the full‐Heusler materials Co2CrGe, Co2FeGe, and Co2NiGa are studied, using first‐principles full potential linearized augmented plane waves method. To treat the exchange correlation, Generalized Gradient Approximation parameterized by PBE‐sol with the inclusion of spin polarization is used. The frequency fluctuation order is continual at 300 K after heating to 3 ps with very small distraction in the atomic structure conforming the structure stability of the studied structures. Also inclusion of spin‐orbit coupling effect on density of states undermines significant change in peaks specially d‐states in the materials and caused a degeneracy. Band structure analysis clarified that states crossing the Fermi level have the importance for enhancing the thermoelectric properties of the materials. The topology of the states indicates a gap at the bulk level, which is the unique character of the heavy elements in the materials Co2CrGe, Co2FeGe, and Co2NiGa. Thermoelectric properties are calculated for a temperature of 300 K using semi‐classical Boltzmann's theory implemented in BoltzTraP code. In these calculations, it is found that these materials favor electron doping with having maximum values of ZT in the n‐type region. Electronic and thermoelectric properties of the full‐Heusler materials Co2CrGe, Co2FeGe, and Co2NiGa are studied, using first‐principles full potential linearized augmented plane waves method. To treat the exchange correlation, Generalized Gradient Approximation parameterized by PBE‐sol with the inclusion of spin polarization is used. Metalicity is dominant in all materials, Co2CrGe than Co2FeGe and Co2NiGa as overlapping of states at different symmetry points of the Brillouin zone; however, Co2CrGe shows more metallic character than Co2FeGe and Co2NiGa. In the present case, the materials ferromagnetic ordering is considered and this is also confirmed for the material Co2FeGe using experimental techniques. From the data, it is clear that Co2NiGa is the best thermoelectric material in these compounds. In these calculations, it is found that these materials favor electron doping with having maximum values of ZT in the n‐type region.

Finger tapping is one of the most reliable and widely used tasks for evoking activity in the motor cortex area of the brain, both for the brain–computer interface (BCI) and for evaluating the progress of certain brain diseases. Keeping in view the importance of dominance of the right hand, the goal of this study is to understand the response of each finger tapping alongside proposing a suitable finger tapping task for both BCI and medical imaging. With this in mind, we recruited 24 healthy subjects. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used for brain imaging while the subjects performed a series of finger tapping tasks using each of the five fingers individually. From average hemodynamic results, the middle finger tapping task showed a maximum amount of activation in the motor cortex, whereas the index finger tapping task had the minimum activation compared with the other four fingers. The little finger and ring finger tapping tasks gave the most significant and widespread activation, respectively, when compared through brain activation maps. The activation was clustered on a single region for the thumb tapping task, whereas a wider area showed a very strong activation for the little finger and ring finger tapping tasks. Conclusively, this study is a step toward standardizing finger tapping and its related motor area activations, demonstrating that little finger tapping can best suit the purpose of a finger tapping task for BCI and medical imaging applications.

The optimal timing of anticoagulation for patients with acute ischaemic stoke with atrial fibrillation is uncertain. We investigated the efficacy and safety of early compared with delayed initiation of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in patients with acute ischaemic stroke associated with atrial fibrillation.

ABSTRACTThe antioxidant and antiglycation activities of the Ficusleaf extracts were evaluated using in vitroassays. The antioxidant activity was determined using the α, α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical scavenging assays. In vitroferric reducing activity was evaluated using the ferric reducing antioxidant power assay. The antiglycation potential of the extract was evaluated using dinitrophenylhydrazine, thiobarbituric acid and protein thiol assays. The inhibition of the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) was detected using AGE-specific fluorescence with a fluorescence spectrophotometer. This study was aimed at investigating the potential of Ficus palmataForssk. leaf extracts, which have abundant bioactive constituents, including polyphenols and flavonoids, in inhibiting glycation and cancer. The results show that the aqueous and methanolic Ficusleaf extracts are rich in phenolic and flavonoid compounds. Both extracts showed potent antioxidant activities. Furthermore, the methanolic extract showed antiglycation activities, as assessed using an in vitromodel of bovine serum albumin glycation with D-ribose. The polyphenol- and flavonoid-rich Ficusleaf extracts exhibit antiglycation, chemopreventive and antioxidant activities and have potential for use in the treatment of diseases, such as cancer, which involve oxidative and glycative impairment of cellular proteins.

AbstractProlyl specific oligopeptidase (POP), is one of the highly expressed enzymes in the brain and is a prime target to treat disorders related to the central nervous system. Here, we describe the structure-based design of the tacrine derivatives, selective, and brain-permeable POP inhibitors. These compounds inactivate POP in-vitro specifically and sustainably at very low concentrations (nano molar). Among this series, compound 6b(IC50= 0.81 ± 0.04 µM) exhibited most potent inhibition. Furthermore, kinetic study revealed that these molecules target active site of POP which is further confirmed by in-silicomolecular interaction analysis. The computational docking results indicates that the compounds are well fitted in the active site with high binding score (i.e., > −7 to > −4 kcal/mol) where Trp595, Arg643, Tyr473, and Ser554 plays important role in binding with the active compounds. The molecular dynamic simulation of most active compounds (6a, 6b, 6d, and 6f) displayed higher free energy binding, when compared to the standard drug in MM-PBSA based binding free energy calculation. In addition, the predicted pharmacokinetic profile suggests that these compounds can serve as excellent inhibitors upon additional optimization which makes them prime choice for further investigation.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

The ferromagnetic flow of Maxwell nanoliquid past a stretching surface is the focus of this endeavor. The flow is modeled in a porous medium obeying Darcy’s law and is also subjected to the effects of magnetic dipole, nonlinear radiative heat flux, and activation energy. Using proper transformation, the governing system of partial differential equations (PDEs) transforms into ordinary differential equations (ODEs). The solution process employs a shooting approach. For nanofluid concentration, temperature, velocity, skin fraction, Sherwood number, and Nusselt number, the effects of relevant non-dimensional flow parameters and numbers are explored. The results show that the porosity, elastic, and ferromagnetic parameters all reduce nanofluid velocity. The nanofluid temperature drops as the ferromagnetic and Prandtl numbers increase, while the nanofluid temperature rises to enhance the temperature ratio and radiative heat parameters. The nanofluid concentration profile rises due to the non-dimensional activation energy and falls as the Schmidt number increases.

AbstractDuring last decades, 3,5-disubstituted-tetrahydro-2H-thiadiazine-2-thione scaffold remains the center of interest due to their ease of preparation, diverse range substituents at N-3 and N-5 positions, and profound biological activities. In the current study, a series of 3,5-disubstituted-tetrahydro-2H-thiadiazine-2-thiones were synthesized in good to excellent yield, and the structure of the compounds were confirmed by various spectroscopic techniques such as FTIR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and Mass spectrometry, and finally evaluated against Leishmania major. Whereas, all the evaluated compounds (1-33), demonstrate potential leishmanicidal activities with IC50values in the range of (1.30- 149.98 uM). Among the evaluated compounds such as 3, 4, 6, and 10 exhibited excellent leishmanicidal activities with IC50values of (2.17 μM), (2.39 μM), (2.00 μM), and (1.39 μM), respectively even better than the standard amphotericin B (IC50= 0.50) and pentamidine (IC50= 7.52). In order to investigate binding interaction of the most active compounds, molecular docking study was conducted with Leishmania major. Further molecular dynamic simulation study was also carried out to assess the stability and correct binding of the most active compound 10, within active site of the Leishamania major. Likewise, the physiochemical properties, drug likeness, and ADMET of the most active compounds were investigated, it was found that none of the compounds violate Lipiniski’s rule of five, which show that this class of compounds had enough potential to be used as drug candidate in near future.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

Effective thermal and flow control within complex geometries is essential for engineering applications. In this study, an in-depth examination of flow dynamics, entropy, and thermal regulation is undertaken within a square cavity featuring sinusoidal wall temperature. To introduce complexity, an inclined plate obstacle is strategically positioned within the cavity with an inclination angle of 45°, and the investigation spans three distinct scenarios: adiabatic, cold, and hot conditions. The initial physical model is developed by formulating a system of partial differential equations, which are then transformed into a dimensionless representation using relevant variables. Subsequently, the Galerkin method is employed for approximated analysis of the simplified fluid flow model, and the computational code is verified in tabular format. The embedded physical parameters are constrained to specific numerical values to ensure the convergence of the physical model in each scenario. The physical characteristics of isotherms, streamlines, Nusselt numbers, entropy, and Bejan numbers are investigated. Notably, the results demonstrate that the introduction of a cold inclined plate leads to peak values in generating the entropy and average heat transfer rates. When comparing the cold inclined plate to the heated inclined plate, an increase of approximately 20% in the average heat transfer rate and a 15% rise in the entropy generation rate was found for the cold inclined plate. Furthermore, the Bejan number showed a 10% decrease for the cold inclined plate compared to the heated inclined plate. Additionally, increasing the amplitude and wavenumber led to a rise in average heat transfer and entropy generation rates, with 25% and 30% increases, respectively.Graphical Abstract

Disaster-resilient dams require accurate crack detection, but machine learning methods cannot capture dam structural reaction temporal patterns and dependencies. This research uses deep learning, convolutional neural networks, and transfer learning to improve dam crack detection. Twelve deep-learning models are trained on 192 crack images. This research aims to provide up-to-date detecting techniques to solve dam crack problems. The finding shows that the EfficientNetB0 model performed better than others in classifying borehole concrete crack surface tiles and normal (undamaged) surface tiles with 91% accuracy. The study’s pre-trained designs help to identify and to determine the specific locations of cracks.

Digitally enabled supply chains, particularly operating in uncertain environments, have been offering emerging domains for research. The effects of Timely Information Sharing (TIS) on Financial Performance (FP) in the context of Supply Chain Finance (SCF) have been hitherto neglected, especially in the context of environments affected by uncertainty. The study contributes to the related literature by developing an integrated framework interlinked with Information Processing and Contingency theories and it facilitates the understanding of the relationships that exist among SCF, TIS using advanced technology, and FP in the context of the environments affected by uncertainty caused by unpredictable events like terrorist attacks and pandemics. To corroborate the relationships and validate the relative framework, we applied Structural Equation Modelling to the data collected from 261 firms. Our findings show that SCF significantly influences FP and that TIS plays a mediating role in enhancing FP interlinked with modern technology. The study also provides the implications of SCF and TIS in strengthening Supply Chain Management 4.0 operations affected by unprecedented circumstances that hinder FP and its viability within the supply chains’ context.

Soil salinity is a big environmental issue affecting crop production. Although seed nanopriming has been widely used to improve seed germination and seedling growth under salinity, our knowledge about the underlying mechanisms is still insufficient. Herein, we newly synthesized selenium-doped carbon dots nanoparticles coated with poly acrylic acid (poly acrylic acid coated selenium doped carbon dots, PAA@Se-CDs) and used it to prime seeds of rapeseeds. The TEM (transmission electron microscope) size and zeta potential of PAA@Se-CDs are 3.8 ± 0.2 nm and −30 mV, respectively. After 8 h priming, the PAA@Se-CDs nanoparticles were detected in the seed compartments (seed coat, cotyledon, and radicle), while no such signals were detected in the NNP (no nanoparticle control) group (SeO2was used as the NNP). Nanopriming with PAA@Se-CDs nanoparticles increased rapeseeds germination (20%) and seedling fresh weight (161%) under saline conditions compared to NNP control. PAA@Se-CDs nanopriming significantly enhanced endo-β-mannanase activities (255% increase, 21.55 µmol h−1g−1vs. 6.06 µmol h−1g−1, at DAS 1 (DAS, days after sowing)), total soluble sugar (33.63 mg g−1FW (fresh weight) vs. 20.23 mg g−1FW) and protein contents (1.96 µg g−1FW vs. 1.0 µg g−1FW) to support the growth of germinating seedlings of rapeseeds under salt stress, in comparison with NNP control. The respiration rate and ATP content were increased by 76% and 607%, respectively. The oxidative damage of salinity due to the over-accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was alleviated by PAA@Se-CDs nanopriming by increasing the antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD (superoxide dismutase), POD (peroxidase), and CAT (catalase)). Another mechanism behind PAA@Se-CDs nanopriming improving rapeseeds salt tolerance at seedling stage was reducing sodium (Na+) accumulation and improving potassium (K+) retention, hence increasing the K+/Na+ratio under saline conditions. Overall, our results not only showed that seed nanopriming with PAA@Se-CDs could be a good approach to improve salt tolerance, but also add more knowledge to the mechanism behind nanopriming-improved plant salt tolerance at germination and early seedling growth stage.

•Curvature affects blood flow dynamics•Non-linear effects studied in detail•Casson fluid used as blood model•Trapping phenomena influenced by parameters•Relevant to medical and industrial applications

Smart transportation, powered by IoT, transforms mobility with interconnected sensors and devices collecting real-time data on traffic, vehicle locations, and passenger needs. This fosters a safer and more sustainable transportation ecosystem, optimizing traffic flow and enhancing public transit efficiency. However, security and privacy challenges emerge in smart transportation systems. Our proposed solution involves a deep neural network (DNN) model trained on extensive datasets from sustainable cities, incorporating historical information like traffic patterns and sensor readings. This model identifies potential malicious nodes, achieving a 90% accuracy rate in predicting threats such as Denial of Service 88%, Whitewash attacks 80%, and Brute Force attacks 75%. This high precision ensures the security and privacy of passenger vehicle data and routes.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses an important global health challenge in the 21st century. A previous study has quantified the global and regional burden of AMR for 2019, followed with additional publications that provided more detailed estimates for several WHO regions by country. To date, there have been no studies that produce comprehensive estimates of AMR burden across locations that encompass historical trends and future forecasts.

Chemical warfare agents (CWAs) are very toxic and dangerous to all forms of life. With the purpose of protecting environment and human health, it is essential to identify and eliminate these threats quickly and effectively. B38 nanocage as a sensor is rarely discussed therefore the detection of harmful CWAs (phosgene and thiophosgene) by using the B38 nanocage has been examined using density functional theory (DFT) parameters. Optimized geometries, adsorption energies, NCI, NBO, FMO and QTAIM studies have been used to analyze the interactions between CWAs and the B38 nanocage. The adsorption energy values indicate that CWAs are adsorbed on the B38 nanocage in a stable manner and the reaction is exothermic. The complex T-S@B38-B have the greatest conductivity, lowest stability and maximum sensitivity due to its narrow energy gap of 1.9648 eV while complex T-S@B38-6r, with the highest energy gap of 1.9988 eV is the most stable. The global reactivity parameters indicate that the complex T-S@B38-B has the highest electrophilicity index, the lowest chemical hardness and the highest chemical softness and resultantly leads to highest sensitivity. Van der Waals forces are present between the B38 nanocage and CWAs as shown by NCI and QTAIM studies. The formation of new energy level in PDOS of B38 results into the interaction of CWAs with the surface of B38. Nanocage sensing capacity is evaluated by measuring Egvalue, sensitivity and recovery time of the complex. B38 has the highest sensitivity and shortest recovery time for T-S@B38-B and P-Cl@B38-B complex with 5.90 × 10−3and 2.78259 × 10−12s values which results the B38 nanocage is more effective sensor for detecting CWAs. Consequently, B38 nanocage is recommended as fine future sensor for the sensing of phosgene and thiophosgene.

Revitalization has emerged as an innovative treatment approach for immature permanent teeth with necrotic pulp. This article presents a comprehensive analysis of revitalization, focusing on its principles, clinical protocols and outcomes. The article highlights the importance of thorough diagnosis and assessment of the pulp and peri-apical condition to determine the suitability of revitalization. Various factors influencing the success of revitalization, such as the use of scaffolds, growth factors and stem cells, are discussed. Additionally, a case that was treated with a PRP scaffold is also presented. Overall, revitalization shows promise in promoting pulp regeneration and improving treatment outcomes in selected cases of pulp necrosis.CPD/Clinical Relevance:To introduce research-based knowledge to GDPs about the procedure and prognosis of tooth revitalization.

Abstract: Tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) Aluminum (III) (Alq3) is a widely used organic luminescent and electron transport material. The functional properties of Alq3 can be enhanced by its modification via nanoscale synthesis and doping with different materials. The present paper reports the synthesis and characterization of Platinum (Pt) incorporated Alq3 (Alq3:Pt) films synthesized with nanoscale morphology. Platinum (Pt) are incorporated in Alq3 matrix using ultrasonic incorporation. Films of pure Alq3 and Alq3: Pt films are deposited using thermal vapor transport method. From the characterization studies, it is confirmed that these films have nanowire morphology and Pt is incorporated in the form of small clusters present in Alq3 nanowires. Photoluminescence quenching is observed for Alq3: Pt nanowire films which increases with increasing Pt concentration. Alq3: Pt nanowire films are also observed to have improved dc-conductivity. Pure Alq3 and Alq3: Pt nanowire films are employed as the cathode interfacial layers (CILs) in perovskite (CH3NH3PbI3):ZnO nanocomposites photovoltaics fabricated under ambient atmosphere. Application of Pure Alq3 and Alq3:Pt nanowires in cathode interfacial layers (CILs) has been observed to improve the performance of photovoltaics in terms of efficiency and stability. Highest improvement in the performance has been recorded for the photovoltaics having Alq3:Pt nanowires based cathode interfacial layers (CILs). Graphical abstract: Highlights: We have developed nanowire films incorporating platinum (Pt) into Alq3, a material known for its electron transport properties. These films not only enhance the conductivity and stability of solar cells but also improve their efficiency by facilitating better electron extraction, making them promising for advancing solar energy technologies. Discussion: Recent research challenges in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) include optimizing both efficiency and stability while ensuring compatibility and scalable fabrication of nanowire-based cathode interfacial layers (CILs). The study demonstrates that incorporating Pt into Alq3 nanowires enhances photoluminescence quenching and dc-conductivity, leading to improved device performance. Furthermore, Alq3 nanowire CILs enhance device stability by filling pinholes and reducing ion migration, though the stability improvements with Pt incorporation are less pronounced.

Citronellyl acetate is a crucial component of flavor and fragrance in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical sectors. In non-aqueous media, it can be successfully produced via lipase catalysis. This study focuses on the lipase-catalyzed trans-esterification of citronellol alcohol with geranyl acetate ester in a non-aqueous medium to produce citronellyl acetate. For the synthesis of citronellyl acetate, crude acetone powders isolated from several plant seedlings of black cumin, fenugreek, coriander, flax, and rape seed were examined for lipase activity. Black cumin seedling lipase had the highest level of citronella acetate production with a yield of 76.32% in 72 h of reaction time. To assess the impact of different reaction parameters on citronellyl acetate production in organic solvents, hexane was chosen as the best solvent, and black cumin seedling lipase was selected as the best biocatalyst. The highest conversion yield of ester (76.32%) was found when 0.25 M of geraniol acetate and 0.25 M of citronellol reacted at 41 oC after 72 h in the presence of 0.25 g of seedling lipase enzyme in n-hexane. It has been determined that crude black cumin seedling lipase is inexpensive yet effective and has the potential to be used industrially for the synthesis of terpene esters.

ABSTRACTIntroductionAge-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a progressive retinal degenerative disease that is implicated as one of the leading causes of visual impairment in the elderly population. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been identified as the main driver of AMD, and various therapeutics have revolutionized the treatment and management of neovascular AMD (nAMD) with favorable visual and anatomical outcomes.Areas coveredPhysicians have a variety of approved therapeutics in their arsenal for patients with varying disease progression and patient-specific needs, with the ultimate goal of achieving optimal visual and anatomic outcomes. The literature search was conducted using PubMed, Google Scholar, and sources from companies’ websites, allowing us to locate findings recently presented at conferences.Expert opinionScientific advancements in the field have led to newly approved therapeutics and devices, such as the port-delivery system with ranibizumab (PDS), and further investigation is ongoing in the realm of gene therapy for retinal diseases. In addition to efficacy and durability, newer agents must have comparable safety profiles to older agents in order to be used broadly. These options introduce a level of complexity in nAMD treatment; however, physicians to personalize treatment to improve vision in nAMD patients and reduce treatment burden overall.

Owing to the success of transformer models, recent works study their applicability in 3D medical segmentation tasks. Within the transformer models, the self-attention mechanism is one of the main building blocks that strives to capture long-range dependencies, compared to the local convolutional-based design. However, the self-attention operation has quadratic complexity which proves to be a computational bottleneck, especially in volumetric medical imaging, where the inputs are 3D with numerous slices. In this paper, we propose a 3D medical image segmentation approach, named UNETR++, that offers both high-quality segmentation masks as well as efficiency in terms of parameters, compute cost, and inference speed. The core of our design is the introduction of a novel efficient paired attention (EPA) block that efficiently learns spatial and channel-wise discriminative features using a pair of inter-dependent branches based on spatial and channel attention. Our spatial attention formulation is efficient and has linear complexity with respect to the input. To enable communication between spatial and channel-focused branches, we share the weights of query and key mapping functions that provide a complimentary benefit (paired attention), while also reducing the complexity. Our extensive evaluations on five benchmarks, Synapse, BTCV, ACDC, BraTS, and Decathlon-Lung, reveal the effectiveness of our contributions in terms of both efficiency and accuracy. On Synapse, our UNETR++ sets a new state-of-the-art with a Dice Score of 87.2%, while significantly reducing parameters and FLOPs by over 71%, compared to the best method in the literature. Our code and models are available at: https://tinyurl.com/2p87x5xn.

Background: Kidney failure ranks as the tenth leading cause of mortality in the United States (US), frequently arising as a complication associated with diabetes mellitus (DM). Methods: Trends in DM and kidney failure mortality were assessed using a cross-sectional analysis of death certificates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER) database. Crude and age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMR) per 100,000 people and annual percent change (APC) in age-adjusted mortality rate with 95% CI were obtained and measured across different demographic and geographic subgroups. Results: Between 1999 and 2020, a total of 325,515 deaths occurred related to kidney failure and DM. The overall age-adjusted mortality rate showed no significant change between 1999 and 2012, after which it declined until 2015 − 64.8 (95% CI − 75.6 to − 44.8) and has been steadily increasing since. Men had consistently higher age-adjusted mortality rates than women throughout the study duration (overall age-adjusted mortality rate men: 8.1 vs. women: 5.9). Non-Hispanic (NH) Black or African American individuals had the highest overall age-adjusted mortality rate (13.9), followed by non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaskan Native (13.7), Hispanic or Latino (10.3), non-Hispanic Asian or Pacific Islander (6.1), and non-Hispanic White (6.0). Age-adjusted mortality rate also varied by region (overall age-adjusted mortality rate: West:7.5; Midwest: 7.1; South: 6.8; Northeast: 5.8), and non metropolitan areas had higher overall age-adjusted mortality rate (7.5) than small/medium (7.2) and large metropolitan areas (6.4). Conclusion: After an initial decline, mortality rose across all the demographic groups from 2015 to 2020, revealing notable disparities in gender, race, and region. Graphical Abstract:

This research paper explores the impact of rotational speed on precipitate behaviour and mechanical properties of naturally aged FSW dissimilar joints. The outcome of this work showed that the rotational speed affects the mechanical behaviour of naturally aged FSW joints due to variations in microstructure. Severe plastic deformation resulted in the formation of fine equiaxed grains in the stir zone (SZ). The grain size increased from SZ to heat-affected zone (HAZ) on AS and RS due to uneven heat input and deformation. The grain size and extent of precipitate coarsening increased with rotational speed. Intermetallic particles were observed in the form of MgZn2, Cu5Zn8, and Al2CuMg, resulting in enhanced SZ microhardness. The lowest hardness was observed at the TMAZ/HAZ interface towards AS owing to the coagulation of the Al2Cu phase. Peak microhardness of 183.8 Hv was found in the SZ of the joints at 900 rpm. The ultimate tensile strength was reduced from 288 ± 12.3 MPa to 242 ± 9.8 MPa with increased rotational speed from 900 to 1120 rpm. The lowest microhardness zone was the fracture location for both welds during the tensile test.

Microplastics are persistent pollutants that elicit significant environmental and health concerns; however, little is known about their interactions with cadmium (Cd) and their toxic effects on soil and plant growth. A pot study was conducted to examine the effects of polyethylene (PE; 0.05 % w/w), polylactic acid (PLA; 0.05 % w/w), and Cd application (5 mg kg−1soil) in a soil-plant system. Sole application of PE and soil contamination with Cd negatively influenced the biomass, soil properties, Cd accumulation, photosynthetic properties, chlorophyll content, root growth traits, and antioxidant enzyme activity. PE+Cd exerted stronger adverse effects on biomass, soil properties, Cd accumulation, photosynthetic properties, chlorophyll content, root growth traits, and antioxidant enzyme activity. PLA+Cd decreased Cd uptake and accumulation in leaves and roots. PE+Cd upregulated the antioxidant activities (APX, CAT, POD, and SOD contents) in the root and leaves, compared to that by PLA. Both types of microplastics, especially PE, are affected by oxidative stress caused by Cd-contaminated soil. In conclusion, PE+Cd had stronger adverse effects on soil health and pak choi physiology, thereby affecting roots and leaf biomass. Long-term experiments are required to enhance our understanding of microplastic in bioremediation.

To reduce dependency on synthetic fertilizers in response to the escalating costs of fertilizers and environmental limitations, it is imperative to enhance crop productivity and soil fertility sustainably. This research was carried out at the Agricultural Research Farm of Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan, Pakistan, with the objective of investigating the effects of biochar on the qualitative attributes of mung beans. The randomize complete block design (RCBD) was used for the experiment having four replication. The treatments comprised of four levels of biochar i.e. 0, 10, 20 and 30 t ha−1. Our results revealed that increasing biochar content caused an increase in yield components as well as attribute composition. The nodule density (17.8), pods plant−1(27.3), grains pods−1(11.4) and biological yield (6497 kg ha−1) produced best results under the application of 30 t ha−1of biochar. Moreover, grain yield (1550 kg ha−1), grain nitrogen content (25.2 g kg−1) and straw nitrogen content (15.3 g kg−1) also resulted best under 30 t ha−1biochar. While, 1000 grain weight (64 g) was recorded highest weight under 20 t ha−1. The quality attributes showed that the oil content (41.1%), as well as the saturated and unsaturated fatty acid contents (13.7%), were found to be the best under the application of 30 t ha−1. While, protein (23.37%) and linoleic acid (23.128%) content were the highest at 10 t ha−1of biochar. Moreover, the palmitic acid (6.1025%) and stearic acid (2.64%) content resulted higher under 20 t ha−1of biochar. All the attributes showed positive response to either small level of biochar or a large level, but their response showed that biochar can be a factor that improves both yield and quality. The study therefore suggests that biochar should be applied to the soil to improve its fertility in regards of nutrient and increased organic matter.