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There are exactly two non-commutative rings of size 4, namely, $E = \langle a, b \vert 2a = 2b = 0, a^{2} = a, b^{2} = b, ab= a, ba = b\rangle $ and its opposite ring $F$ . These rings are non-unital. A subset $D$ of $E^{m}$ is defined with the help of simplicial complexes, and utilized to construct the linear left- $E$ -code $C^{L}_{D}=\{(v\cdot d)_{d\in D}: v\in E^{m}\}$ and the right- $E$ -code $C^{R}_{D}=\{(d\cdot v)_{d\in D}: v\in E^{m}\}$ . We study a certain binary subfield-like code corresponding to $C_{D}^{L}$ . By using a Gray map, we also obtain the binary Gray images of $C_{D}^{L}$ and $C_{D}^{R}$ . The weight distributions of all these codes are computed. We achieve a couple of infinite families of optimal codes with respect to the Griesmer bound. Ashikhmin-Barg’s condition for minimality of a linear code is satisfied by most of the binary codes we constructed here. All the binary codes in this article are self-orthogonal and few-weight codes under certain mild conditions. This is the first attempt to study the structure of linear codes over a non-unital non-commutative ring using simplicial complexes.

We deal with ACD (additive complementary dual) codes and cyclic codes over the mixed alphabet Z2Rk, where Rk:=Z2[y]/⟨yk⟩, k≥2. First, we establish a few criteria for Z2Rk-additive codes to be ACD codes. We also present conditions for separable codes and a class of additive codes (not necessarily separable) over Z2Rkto be ACD codes that are both necessary and sufficient. With the help of a Gray map, binary LCD codes are obtained from Z2Rk-additive codes. Moreover, we describe the generator polynomial of the dual of an additive cyclic code over Z2Rk. Finally, we construct examples of optimal binary codes as the Gray image of certain additive cyclic codes over Z2Rk.

In this article, certain linear codes over a finite field are constructed using multiplicative characters of another finite field. We discuss certain sufficient conditions under which these are either LCD codes or linear codes with one-dimensional hull. General Gauss sums are used heavily to achieve these results. Each theorem proved in this paper, is supported by an example with the help of Magma software. Finally, we show that if the base field is of characteristic 2, these codes are isodual.

The investigation aimed to analyze the qualitative attributes of ‘Sugar Baby’ variety of watermelon. Ripe fruit consisted of 68.30% flesh, 31.07% rind, and 1.58% seeds. Freshly extracted juice had a pH, total soluble solids, lycopene, ascorbic acid, and total phenolic content of 5.64, 8.90°Bx, 5.23 mg/100 mL juice, 8.22 mg/100 mL juice, and 15.48 mg GAE/100 mL juice, respectively, with a color intensity value of 45.37. Juice had a total aerobic bacteria and yeast & mold counts of 5.69 and 5.68 log cfu/mL, respectively. The predominant sugar and organic acid were fructose (31.10 mg/mL juice) and malic acid (3.38 mg/mL juice). Six key flavor compounds were identified such as 1-Dodecyne; 6-Nonenal (Z); propanoic acid 2-oxo-methyl ester; 2-propanol, 1-methoxy; 5-heptene, 2-one, 6-methyl and hexanal. The rind contains pectin (20.08%) and citrulline (13.36 mg/g and 9.78 mg/g in the skin and peel, respectively). Solvent extraction from dried seeds resulted in 38.66% oil.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Near-infrared ray (NIR)-responsive ‘smart’ nanoagents allow spatial and temporal control over the drug delivery process, noninvasively, without affecting healthy tissues and therefore they possess high potential for on-demand, targeted drug/gene delivery. Various NIR-responsive drug/gene delivery techniques are under investigation for peripheral disorders (especially for cancer). Nonetheless, their potential not been extensively examined for brain biomedical application.Areas covered: This review focuses on NIR-responsive characteristics of different NIR-nanobiophotonics-based nanoagents and associated drug delivery strategies. Together with their ongoing applications for peripheral drug delivery, we have highlighted the opportunities, challenges and possible solutions of NIR-nanobiophotonics for potential brain drug delivery.Expert opinion: NIR-nanobiophotonics can be considered superior among all photo-controlled drug/gene delivery approaches. Future work should focus on coupling NIR with biocompatible nanocarriers to determine the physiological compatibility of this approach. Their applications should be extended beyond the peripheral body region to brain region. Transient or intermittent NIR exposure strategies may be more accommodating for brain physiological ambience in order to minimize or avoid the possible deleterious thermal effect. In addition, while most studies are centered around the first NIR spectral window (700–1000 nm), the potential of second (1100–1350 nm) and third (1600–1870 nm) windows must be explored.

AbstractWe examined the effect of optimum (32%) and suboptimum (27%) levels of dietary protein on the hemolymph and oxidative physiology of giant freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergiijuveniles. Wild juveniles of different stocks were collected from the west coast (Gujarat [G-stock] and Maharashtra [M-stock]) and east coast (Andhra Pradesh [A-stock]) of India. Prawns were raised in 200-m2culture ponds, with individual animals tracked by using stock-specific, colored elastomer tags. Hemolymph glucose, plasma total protein, albumin-to-globulin (A:G) ratio, plasma calcium, and activity of five key metabolic enzymes in plasma (plasma cholinesterase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, and amylase) were examined to compare the hemolymph physiology due to dietary protein variations fed to the different stocks. Plasma fatty acid profile was also monitored. Effect of feeding on oxidative physiology of prawns was analyzed by measuring the catalase and acetylcholinesterase activity in peripheral and brain tissues, respectively. Oxygen-dependent intrinsic defense ability was also measured by nitro blue tetrazolium-based respiratory burst activity. Physiology of prawns was correlated with the histological examinations of hepatopancreas and gills. Our results suggest that the hemolymph and oxidative physiology of giant freshwater prawns remained unaffected by the optimum and suboptimum dietary protein levels fed. Furthermore, stock-based differences in the response were evident: the G-stock and M-stock prawns exhibited healthier plasma and oxidative physiology than A-stock prawns. Our study provides a useful tool to select “good responder” stocks (genotypes) to obtain higher production levels in a given culture management scheme.Received September 10, 2016; accepted May 14, 2017Published online August 14, 2017

We examined the effect of optimum (32%) and suboptimum (27%) levels of dietary protein on the hemolymph and oxidative physiology of giant freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergiijuveniles. Wild juveniles of different stocks were collected from the west coast (Gujarat [G-stock] and Maharashtra [M-stock]) and east coast (Andhra Pradesh [A-stock]) of India. Prawns were raised in 200-m2culture ponds, with individual animals tracked by using stock-specific, colored elastomer tags. Hemolymph glucose, plasma total protein, albumin-to-globulin (A:G) ratio, plasma calcium, and activity of five key metabolic enzymes in plasma (plasma cholinesterase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, and amylase) were examined to compare the hemolymph physiology due to dietary protein variations fed to the different stocks. Plasma fatty acid profile was also monitored. Effect of feeding on oxidative physiology of prawns was analyzed by measuring the catalase and acetylcholinesterase activity in peripheral and brain tissues, respectively. Oxygen-dependent intrinsic defense ability was also measured by nitro blue tetrazolium-based respiratory burst activity. Physiology of prawns was correlated with the histological examinations of hepatopancreas and gills. Our results suggest that the hemolymph and oxidative physiology of giant freshwater prawns remained unaffected by the optimum and suboptimum dietary protein levels fed. Furthermore, stock-based differences in the response were evident: the G-stock and M-stock prawns exhibited healthier plasma and oxidative physiology than A-stock prawns. Our study provides a useful tool to select “good responder” stocks (genotypes) to obtain higher production levels in a given culture management scheme.

The emergence of injectable hydrogels as biomaterials has been a revolutionary breakthrough in the field of on-demand drug delivery and tissue engineering. The promising features of these systems include their biodegradability, biocompatibility, permeability, ease of the surgical implantation, and most importantly exhibit minimally invasiveness. These hydrogels have been explored as sustained and on-demand release carriers for the various bioactive agents, growth factors, live cells, various hydrophobic drugs and as extracellular matrices for tissue engineering. Present review is an attempt to highlight the recent systems explored for on-demand drug release and tissue engineering. It also gives an overview of the role of nanotechnology in the advancements of injectable hydrogels. The future prospects and challenges of these hydrogels have also been addressed.

In this paper, by combining a modified extragradient scheme with the viscosity approximation technique, an iterative scheme is developed for computing the common element of the set of fixed points of a sequence of asymptotically nonexpansive mappings and the set of solutions of the variational inequality problem for an α-inverse strongly monotone mapping. We prove a strong convergence theorem for the sequences generated by this scheme and give some applications of our convergence theorem.

Introduction:The development and design of personalized nanomedicine for better health quality is receiving great attention. In order to deliver and release a therapeutic concentration at the target site, novel nanocarriers (NCs) were designed, for example, magneto-electric (ME) which possess ideal properties of high drug loading, site-specificity and precise on-demand controlled drug delivery.Areas covered:This review explores the potential of ME-NCs for on-demand and site-specific drug delivery and release for personalized therapeutics. The main features including effect of magnetism, improvement in drug loading, drug transport across blood−brain barriers and on-demand controlled release are also discussed. The future directions and possible impacts on upcoming nanomedicine are highlighted.Expert opinion:Numerous reports suggest that there is an urgent need to explore novel NC formulations for safe and targeted drug delivery and release at specific disease sites. The challenges of formulation lie in the development of NCs that improve biocompatibility and surface modifications for optimum drug loading/preservation/transmigration and tailoring of electrical–magnetic properties for on-demand drug release. Thus, the development of novel NCs is anticipated to overcome the problems of targeted delivery of therapeutic agents with desired precision that may lead to better patient compliance.

To determine the risk factors of xerophthalmia among preschool children in rural India.

A graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometric assay capable of accurately determining nanogram amounts of gold in biological fluids was developed. The presence of bovine serum albumin and/or phosphate in the sample reduced the method sensitivity without affecting the linear response. Binding of gold was studied by ultrafil-tration using cones with a molecular weight cutoff of 25,000. The binding of gold at various concentrations to 2 and 4% bovine serum albumin in 0.1 M, phosphate buffer, pH 7.4, was independent of the gold and protein concentrations. In the 2–10-μg/ml range, the overall binding values (mean ± SD) of gold to 2 and 4% bovine serum albumin were 98 ± 1.6 (n= 35) and 99 ± 1.0% (n= 15), respectively. When ultrafiltration cones with a molecular weight cutoff of 50,000 were used, the extent of binding to 2% bovine serum albumin was 85.4 ± 1.6% (n= 11). This statistically significant difference (p< 0.001) was due to variations in the protein retention of the two cone types. Interaction studies showed that gold was not displaced from the binding sites by salicylic acid (200 μg/ml) or vice versa.

In spite of significant advancement in hydrogel technology, low mechanical strength and lack of electrical conductivity have limited their next‐level biomedical applications for skeletal muscles, cardiac and neural cells. Host–guest chemistry based hybrid nanocomposites systems have gained attention as they completely overcome these pitfalls and generate bioscaffolds with tunable electrical and mechanical characteristics. In recent years, carbon nanotube (CNT)‐based hybrid hydrogels have emerged as innovative candidates with diverse applications in regenerative medicines, tissue engineering, drug delivery devices, implantable devices, biosensing, and biorobotics. This article is an attempt to recapitulate the advancement in synthesis and characterization of hybrid hydrogels and provide deep insights toward their functioning and success as biomedical devices. The improved comparative performance and biocompatibility of CNT–hydrogels hybrids systems developed for targeted biomedical applications are addressed here. Recent updates toward diverse applications and limitations of CNT hybrid hydrogels is the strength of the review. This will provide a holistic approach toward understanding of CNT‐based hydrogels and their applications in nanotheranostics. Host‐guest chemistry based organic‐inorganic nanocompositescomposed of 3D hydrogel and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have revolutionized the hydrogel/CNTs technologies with improved performance in the area of regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, targeted drug delivery, implantable devices, bio‐sensing and bio‐robotics. This review highlights the synthesis of CNT hybrid hydrogels and provides the recent updates on CNTs‐hydrogel hybrid systems and their biomedical applications.

Abdominal scanning using sodium pertechnetate Tc 99m is useful in demonstrating Meckel's diverticula containing ectopic gastric mucosa. However, other structures like the uterus may also concentrate 99mTc. We present a case which showed a focal area of increased uptake in the pelvis due to an infected ovarian cyst.