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The herb Jurinea Dolomiaea Boiss, which is a member of the Astraceae family, has long been used in Ayurveda to treat liver diseases and as an anticancer, antioxidant, and anti-diabetic. The antiulcer, analgesic, and hepatoprotective effects of Jurinea dolomiaea Boiss aqueous and hydroalcoholic root extracts against carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity in albino wistar rats were investigated in this work. The experimental rats were given Jurinea dolomiaea root hydroalcoholic extract (100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg p.o.) daily for seven days. By measuring SGOT, SGPT, ALP, and total bilirubin, the hydroalcoholic extract of Jurinea dolomiaea roots was examined for its hepatoprotective properties. The toxic effect of carbon tetrachloride was greatly reduced in the rats treated with the hydroalcoholic extract of Jurinea dolomiaea roots by restoring the elevated levels of SGOT, SGPT, ALP, and total bilirubin compared to the toxicant control. Jurinea dolomiaea root hydroalcoholic extract shown notable hepatoprotective effects.

Physiological characterization show that all the strains have more growth in nitrogen enriched medium compared to nitrogen deficient medium. The growth measurement in terms of dry weight indicated that genus Westiellopsis has produced the maximum biomass. Therefore it has more growth rate and minimum generation time.

The objective of this investigation was to identify the active flavonoid present across the entire Andrographis echioides plant. Using a methanolic extract from the leaves of Andrographis echioides, it was examined how flavonoids may be isolated from a plant component. Phytochemical analyses revealed the presence of flavonoid components in methanol extract. The recovered flavonoid component was further purified by column chromatography and TLC. The structures of the isolated compounds were characterized using UV-visible, FT-IR, 1H & 13C NMR and mass spectroscopy. This led to the isolated compound being given the name 9-methoxy-6a,11a-dihydro-6H-benzofuro[3,2-c]chromen-3-ol or medicarpin. Further biological investigation is needed for the isolated flavonoid discovered in this plant. Recent research has concentrated on the role of flavonoids as antioxidants when oxidative stress is present. The antioxidant properties of flavonoids were also discussed.

Introduction: Diabetes results from hyperglycemia and improper glucose, lipid, and protein metabolism. The elderly population will quadruple in 10 years. LMICs have the highest type 2 DM patients. Insulin resistance and beta cell abnormalities cause T2DM. This study compared HbA1c, FPG, and lipids to controls. Materials and methods: The study was carried out in the Department of Biochemistry L.LRM Medical College, Meerut. The study was done on 250 individuals, who included 100 uncontrolled type-2 diabetic (Group III), 100 controlled type-2 diabetic (Group II) and 50 healthy individuals (Group I). Blood biochemistry and immunology for various parameters such as Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS), Glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c), Total Cholesterol (TC), Triglyceride (TG), High density-lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), Low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), Very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-c), Urea, Creatinine were carried out for all three groups. SPSS16.0 was used to analyse the results. Results: In our study we found highly significant increase (P< 0.001) of fasting blood sugar and glycosylated hemoglobin levels in group II and group III as compared to group I. In the present study, the patterns of lipid profile parameters in type-2 diabetic subjects were also studied.

SUPPLEMENTARY FIGURE S1: General information and rationale of synthesis of hybrid molecules of Chalcone and Semicarbazone SUPPLEMENTARY FIGURE S2: Detailed qualitative analysis of compounds of Chalcone and Semicarbazone hybrid series Supplementary Figure S2a: NMR spectra and structure of compounds Supplementary Figure S2b: HPLC chromatogram of compounds Supplementary Figure S2c: Crystal structure of representative CS-24 SUPPLEMENTARY FIGURE S3: Dose dependent cytotoxic potential of CS-11 and parent compound 8e on different breast cell lines SUPPLEMENTARY FIGURE S4: Densitometric quantification and statistical analysis of western blots shown in Figure 2d SUPPLEMENTARY FIGURE S5: Effect of CS-11 on colon cancer cell growth inhibition and breast cancer cell migration Supplementary Figure S5a: IC50 and Dose dependent cytotoxic potential of CS-11 and parent compound 8e on SW620 colon cancer cell line Supplementary Figure S5b: Effect of CS-11 on breast cancer cell migration in in vitro scratch assay SUPPLEMENTARY FIGURE S6: Densitometric quantification and statistical analysis of western blots shown in Figure 5a (S6a) and 5c (S6b) SUPPLEMENTARY FIGURE S7: Densitometric quantification and statistical analysis of western blots shown in Figure 6a SUPPLEMENTARY TABLE S1: Crystal data and structure refinement details for representative compound CS-24 SUPPLEMENTARY TABLE S2: Cytotoxic potential of CS series on different cancer cell lines Supplementary Table S2a: Differential response of Chalcone Semicarbazone hybrids series on different cancer cells Supplementary Table S2b CS-11 induces breast cancer cell selective cytotoxic effects SUPPLEMENTARY METHODS Supplementary Method S1: Detailed procedure of compound synthesis Supplementary Method S2: X-Ray data collection and structure refinement details Supplementary Method S3: Methodology for pharmacokinetic studies

Ferroptosis, a genetically and biochemically distinct form of programmed cell death, is characterised by an iron-dependent accumulation of lipid peroxides. Therapy-resistant tumor cells display vulnerability toward ferroptosis. Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) stress and Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) play a critical role in cancer cells to become therapy resistant. Tweaking the balance of UPR to make cancer cells susceptible to ferroptotic cell death could be an attractive therapeutic strategy. To decipher the emerging contribution of ER-stress in the ferroptotic process, we observe that ferroptosis inducer RSL3 promotes UPR (PERK, ATF6, and IRE1α), along with overexpression of cystine-glutamate transporter SLC7A11 (System Xc-). Exploring the role of a particular UPR arm in modulating SLC7A11 expression and subsequent ferroptosis, we notice that PERK is selectively critical in inducing ferroptosis in colorectal carcinoma. PERK inhibition reduces ATF4 expression and recruitment to the promoter ofSLC7A11and results in its downregulation. Loss of PERK function not only primes cancer cells for increased lipid peroxidation but also limits in vivo colorectal tumor growth, demonstrating active signs of ferroptotic cell deathin situ. Further, by performing TCGA data mining and using colorectal cancer patient samples, we demonstrate that the expression ofPERKandSLC7A11is positively correlated. Overall, our experimental data indicate that PERK is a negative regulator of ferroptosis and loss of PERK function sensitizes colorectal cancer cells to ferroptosis. Therefore, small molecule PERK inhibitors hold huge promise as novel therapeutics and their potential can be harnessed against the apoptosis-resistant condition.

In this research paper an attempt has been made to take measure the area, production and productivity of chickpea in eleven agro climaticzones of Madhya Pradesh during 1996-97 to 2015-16. The research was carried with the objective, to study trend analysis in area, production, and productivity of chickpea in eleven agro climatic zones of M.P. The secondary time series data on area, production and productivity of chickpea were collected from website of Department of Economics and Statistics. The data pertained to the period of 20 years i.e. from 1996-97 to 2015-16. The findings of the study revealed that area of chickpea shows increasing trend in NH region of Chhattisgarh, Chhattisgarh plains, Satpura plateau, Nimar plains, Vindhya plateau, Kymore and Malwa region while Gird, Bundelkhand, Jhabua and Narmada regions show declining trend for next twenty years. Same as area, production of chickpea in all the regions of M.P. except Bundelkhand show increasing trend while Bundelkhand shows declining trend. NH region of Chhattisgarh, Chhattisgarh plains, Satpura plateau, Jhabua, Nimar plains, Vindhya plateau, Kymore and Malwa regions show increasing trend of productivity and rest of them show declining trend. The co-efficient of variation indicated that, instability in chickpea production exhibited less variation than area and productivity, at overall period.

Pyrethroids are synthetic or man-made versions of natural pyrethrins discovered in the flowers of a plant species of the Compositae family called "Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium". The plant was transported into Europe and America after it was discovered in the Near East. Commercial insecticides such as pyrethrin and synthetic pyrethroid are available. These are used to control agricultural pests as well as non-agricultural insects. They are also commercially used in personal care items such as shampoo and as a scent in insect repellent to boost efficacy and persistence in the environment, these insecticides are frequently combined with additional chemicals in diverse formulations, known as synergists. Nerve toxins, known as pyrethroids, although their chemical mechanism of action is unknown. Pyrethroids are neurotoxins, which interfere with the messages sent along nerves by maintaining sodium and chloride channels in an open position. This review presents perspectives, commercial uses and other useful characteristics features of pyrethroids based on human benefits and environmental friendly.

Purpose Businesses must now track the complicated supply chains of their products, which involve different manufacturers and suppliers. However, because supply chains are scattered across multiple countries and involve many institutions, it becomes an overwhelming practical challenge to ensure transparent recording and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions. The myriad issues necessitate a technological solution that will improve supply chain transparency, assist in managing carbon assets and allow all parties to obtain credible information on carbon output. As a potential solution, this study offers a unique architecture that effectively combines “blockchain technology” with the carbon supply chain of a multi-institution business network. Design/methodology/approach This research and proposed framework are based on publicly available reports on carbon emissions tracking, sustainability, carbon trade and emerging blockchain technologies. The authors also interviewed industry experts to obtain their input and feedback. Findings Businesses must support the pledges made by their respective governments towards meeting the objectives of the Paris Agreement. Although the emissions trading system encourages businesses to move in this direction, it can be challenging for them to efficiently manage their carbon assets owing to issues such as lack of standardised methods for tracking emissions across suppliers and manufacturers and the fragmentation of carbon markets. The carbon supply chain can maintain a record of the chronological flow of carbon emissions and eventually of all carbon assets by integrating a centralised ledger system based on blockchain technology. Originality/value Global warming, climate change and carbon emissions are among humanity’s pressing problems today. To achieve net zero emissions by the middle of the 21st century, emissions must be drastically reduced. Global supply chains have a crucial role to play in this context. This article provides a blockchain-based technology framework for carbon emissions visibility and tracking. The authors believe such a platform will provide critical visibility and tracking support to globally dispersed supply chains, moving a step closer towards carbon emissions control and net zero operations.

People of all ages are affected by anaemia which is a serious global health problem. Iron Deficiency Anaemia (IDA) seems to be the most commonly occurring type of anaemia in women. Elderly people with anaemia have higher morbidity and mortality. The purpose of treatment is to tackle the disorder’s underlying cause. Older people with persistent anaemia may need regular blood transfusions. The authors present a case report of a 55-year-old woman who visited the Emergency Department with primary complaints of convulsions and subsequent unconsciousness. She had generalised oedema and weakness since eight days. On examination she was afebrile with pulse 92 beats/min, Blood Pressure (BP) of 80 mmHg systolic. Laboratory results showed haemoglobin of 1.3 g/dL, increased White Blood Cells (WBC) and peripheral smear showed pencil-shaped cells and teardrop cells. Radiological investigation showed grade III renal parenchymal disease, cirrhosis of liver, gross ascites with bilateral pleural effusion, and splenic cyst. A 2D Echocardiography was done, which was suggestive of left ventricular hypertrophy, mild to moderate systolic dysfunction, along with dilated left ventricle. She was intubated in view of low Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and unconsciousness. On further stay in the hospital, she received blood transfusion. Hence, this case is a rare finding of severe anaemia.

Owing to its ability to induce cellular senescence, inhibit PCNA, and arrest cell division cycle by negatively regulating CDKs as well as being a primary target of p53, p21 is traditionally considered a tumor suppressor. Nonetheless, several reports in recent years demonstrated its pro-oncogenic activities such as apoptosis inhibition by cytosolic p21, stimulation of cell motility, and promoting assembly of cyclin D-CDK4/6 complex. These opposing effects of p21 on cell proliferation, supported by the observations of its inconsistent expression in human cancers, led to the emergence of the concept of “antagonistic duality” of p21 in cancer progression. Here we demonstrate that p21 negatively regulates basal autophagy at physiological concentration. Akt activation, upon p21 attenuation, driven ROS accumulation appears to be the major underlying mechanism in p21-mediated modulation of autophagy. We also find p21, as a physiological inhibitor of autophagy, to have oncogenic activity during early events of tumor development while its inhibition favors survival and growth of cancer cells in the established tumor. Our data, thereby, reveal the potential role of autophagy in antagonistic functional duality of p21 in cancer.

Background:The International Academy of Cytology (IAC) has established standardizedapproach for reporting breast FNAC by categorizing lesions in a five-tier system from C1 to C5. Materials and Methods:From May 2020 to April 2021, a descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the cytology section of the Department of Pathology, SMS Medical College, Jaipur. Results:The current study involved 335 cases of breast FNAC, with a maximum of 333 (99.40%) females and 2 (0.60%) males. Maximum cases were in the age range of 21-40 years. There were 79 (23.60%) cases in C1 (Insufficient) category, C2 (Benign) had 177 (52.80%) cases, C3 (Atypical) had 9 (2.70%) cases, C4 (Suspicious) had 16 (4.80%) cases, and C5 (Malignant) had 54 (16.10%) cases respectively. Fibroadenoma was the most prevalent benign lesion in our analysis, accounting for 45 of the 177 benign cases, whereas ductal carcinoma was the most common malignant lesion.In a total of 92 cases where histology was examined, 86 cases were found to be compatible with the cytological diagnosis. In a triple assessment, 103 (78.03%) of the 132 cases were concordant in the benign group, only 1 (12.50%) case showed concordance in the atypia category, and 21 (39.62%) of the 53 cases showed concordance in the suspicious or malignant category. The Risk Of Malignancy (ROM) was calculated as follows: inadequate 0%, benign 0%, atypia 0%, suspicious for malignancy 71.43%, and malignant 97.56% for each group. Conclusion:This system is a valuable tool for breast cancer patient diagnosis and care. It also simplifies clinical audits and aids in improved coordination between pathologists, hospitals, and institutes.

The study was conducted to understand the influence of interactions of atmospheric deposition with different land use surfaces and change in water chemistry of river Ganga through changes in runoff water quality. Four different land use surfaces in the catchment of the river Ganga, namely cemented, open fallow land, woodland and grassland were selected for data comparison. The results indicated that although some woody perennials showed throughfall enrichment in response to atmospheric deposition, catchment vegetation invariably reduced the runoff flushing of heavy metals and nutrient ions to the Ganga river. Grassland absorbed the metals 1.5–2.2 times more effectively than other land use surfaces and the same was observed 2.0–2.5 times more effective for nutrients. In the present study, DOC input through runoff varied with site and land use ‘type’, for metal and nutrient ions. The trend of DOC was almost opposite as it was for metals and nutrients with respect to site and land use pattern. The lowest DOC was recorded at Rajghat downstream site for cemented land use (1.900 mg/L) in the first runoff. The concentration of DOC increased in rest of the runoff. This has relevance as far as carbon capture, storage, and transport to riverine systems is concerned. It is suggested that extensive plantation in the river catchment would be an effective approach for reducing runoff fluxes of toxic metals and nutrient ions to the Ganga river coming from atmospheric sources. It will slow down the process of eutrophication and direct contamination with toxic metals. This management process will be highly effective for the sustainability of the dying river Ganga.

Besides contributing majorly in the growth of a country, agriculture is one of the severely affected sectors at present. Several modifications and adaptations are being made in agricultural practices to cope-up with the declining soil fertility and changing climate scenarios across the world. However, the development and adoption of a single agricultural practice may not help in the holistic mitigation of the impacts of climate change and may result in economic vulnerability to farmers. Therefore, it is high time to develop and recommend a group of agricultural practices i.e., package-based agriculture system having some compatibility for one another in the long term. In this article, a viewpoint has been given on some emergent agronomic practices adopted in the tropical agro-ecosystems which have potential to be developed as compatible agricultural package in combination. Moreover, we also emphasized on exploring some key indicators/environmental factors to assess the compatibility of different agronomic practices. For identifying the research transition from single to combined agricultural practices, a bibliometric analysis was performed by using conservation agriculture (CA), the system of rice intensification (SRI), organic agriculture and soil (biochar) amendment as the major agronomic practices being used for improving agro-ecological services such as improving nutrient cycling, soil fertility and crop productivity as well as climate change mitigation. The results revealed that scientific communities are now paying attention to exploring the role of combined agricultural practices for agro-ecological balance and climate change adaptation. Moreover, the limitations of the adoption of agronomic packages under different agro-climatic zones have also been highlighted. The recommendations of the study would further help the environmental decision-makers to develop potential measures for climate change mitigation without compromising the agro-ecological balance.

Osteochondromas are common benign tumours affecting the long bones of the body. Often they are asymptomatic, associated with growing bone and their discovery is incidental. Osteochondromas in the talus are quite rare and their plresence as a cause for tarsal tunnel syndrome is rarer still. Here we report a case of a 10 year old female patient having a osteochondroma of the talus that was presenting with the symptoms of tarsal tunnel syndrome along with tibio-talar arthritic changes. Excision of the bony mass was done which relieved the compressive symptoms and improved the range of motion at the joint. The postop followup has been uneventful at one year now Keywords: Talus, Exostosis, Osteochondroma, Tarsal tunnel syndrome

Scoring systems have not been evaluated in oncology patients. We aimed to assess the performance of Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II, APACHE III, APACHE IV, Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II, SAPS III, Mortality Probability Model (MPM) IITo compare the efficacy of seven commonly employed scoring systems to predict outcomes of critically ill cancer patients.We conducted a retrospective analysis of 400 consecutive cancer patients admitted in the medical intensive care unit over a two-year period. Primary outcome was hospital mortality and the secondary outcome measure was comparison of various scoring systems in predicting hospital mortality.In our study, the overall intensive care unit and hospital mortality was 43.5% and 57.8%, respectively. All of the seven tested scores underestimated mortality. The mortality as predicted by MPM IIAll the severity scores were tested under-predicted mortality in the present study. As the difference in efficacy and performance was not statistically significant, the choice of scoring system used may depend on the ease of use and local preferences.

Tropical dry forests (TDFs) are characterized by pronounced seasonality in precipitation, with several months of prolonged drought, 80% of annual precipitation occurring during a four- to six-month rainy season, and high interannual rainfall variability. Surprisingly, there are relatively few studies addressing patterns of functional trait in tropical dry forest (TDF) ecosystems. Functional trait analysis across plant species and the environment is a rapidly developing research field with many possible applications for forest restoration practice. Trait-based ecological research within TDFs will advance our understanding of how these ecosystems interact with and differ from other tropical ecosystems.

The synthesized α-MoO3 and MoS2 NPs had nanosheet and nanoflower-like structures with crystallite size of 21.34 nm and 4.32 nm, respectively. The uptake, bioaccumulation, and impact of these two Mo-NPs were studied in rice (Oryza sativa L) cv. HUR 3022 seedlings exposed to 100, 500, and 1000 ppm concentrations in hydroponics for 10 days in the growth medium. The uptake of α-MoO3 and MoS2 NPs by rice exposed to 100 ppm concentrations of NPs led to the accumulation of 7.32 ppm/4.55 ppm and 1.84 ppm/1.19 ppm in roots/shoots, respectively, as compared to controls. Unlike MoO3, more accumulation of MoS2 in roots reflect less translocation of this NP from roots to shoots. Results suggest tissue-specific distribution of NPs in rice seedlings. The increased growth and elevated protein levels in rice seedlings at 100 ppm concentrations of nanoparticles imply a stimulation in the repair mechanism at low doses indicating hormesis. MoS2 NPs treatments led to increased chlorophyll a levels suggesting it to be non-compromising with photosynthetic process in rice. The high malondialdehyde levels and altered activities of antioxidant enzymes GPX, APX, and CAT in rice seedlings exposed to α-MoO3 or MoS2 NPs indicate oxidative imbalance. Between α-MoO3 and MoS2 NPs, the former shows toxic effects as reflected from the decreased levels of photosynthetic pigments at all concentrations; however, an activation of chloroplast ROS detoxification is evident in the presence of MoS2 NPs. The BCF > 1 for both α-MoO3 and MoS2 NPs and TF of 0.6-2.0 and 0.42-0.65 suggest the latter to be more environmentally safe. In conclusion, a100 ppm MoS2 NPs concentration has low translocation and less accumulation with no significant impact on growth of rice cv. HUR 3022 seedlings and appears to be environmentally safe for future applications.

The convective closed-loop solar-assisted heat pump dryer (batch type) has been designed, fabricated and experimentally investigated for both simple heat pump drying (HPD) and solar-assisted heat pump drying (SAHPD) modes. The banana chips have been dried up to moisture content of 11.5% for both modes. The next-generation environmental-friendly refrigerant R1234yf has been used in the heat pump cycle. Various thermodynamic, exergoeconomic and economic performance parameters have been evaluated and compared for HPD and SAHPD. Both exergy and energy efficiencies are found better in the case of SAHPD. The system coefficient of performance, moisture removal from the product, drying rate and specific moisture extraction rate are found better for the SAHPD than the HPD. The average drying rates of HPD and SAHPD are found 0.205 and 0.342 kg/kg min, respectively. The estimated payback period of the SAHPD instead of HPD is 3.9 years. The exergoeconomic factor is found lowest for the expansion device for both HPD and SAHPD with estimated values of 0.1335 and 0.2003, respectively. The components that need more improvement are evaporator and expansion device based on exergoeconomic factor. On the basis of the present study, it can be concluded that the SAHPD system performs better in all respects.

In the present study, a batch-type solar-assisted heat pump dryer (SAHPD) has been developed and experimented in both simple heat pump dryer (HPD) and SAHPD modes for closed system drying of banana chips. The effect of drying time on various energy, exergy, economic and exergoeconomic performance parameters has been investigated. The banana chips have been dried to remove moisture from 83.5% to 11.5% at an air velocity of 1 m/s in the drying chamber. Both energy efficiency and exergy efficiency are found higher for SAHPD. The specific moisture extraction rate is higher for SAHPD as compared to simple HPD. On the basis of economic analysis, the payback period for the SAHPD over the simple HPD is found 46 months. The lowest exergoeconomic factor is for the expansion device in simple HPD and SAHPD with determined values as 0.1395 and 0.2053, respectively. Total exergy destruction cost for simple HPD and SAHPD is 0.1185 $/h and 0.1386 $/h, respectively. It is observed that the most important components that needed to improve based on exergoeconomic factor are expansion device and evaporator. The present study reveals that the SAHPD system is much better than the simple HPD system.

In the present study, a novel compact size convective batch-type solar-infrared assisted heat pump dryer is developed and experimentally investigated for closed air cycle drying of banana chips. Performances of four different operational modes of the system, simple heat pump drying, infrared-assisted heat pump drying, solar-assisted heat pump drying and solar-infrared-assisted heat pump drying are compared. Effects of drying time and product moisture content on various energetic and exergetic performance parameters are investigated. For all operational modes, the banana chips are dried to remove moisture from 83.8% to 11.5% at dryer inlet air velocity of 0.8 m/s. Both energy efficiency (58.5%) and exergy efficiency (24%) are found highest for solar-assisted heat pump dryer. The coefficient of performance is found highest for the simple heat pump dryer. The average moisture extraction rate is found highest (1.1618 kg/h) for solar-infrared-assisted heat pump dryer and lowest for the simple heat pump dryer. The specific moisture extraction rate is found highest for the solar-assisted heat pump drying and lowest in case of infrared-assisted heat pump drying. The present study shows the successful development of the combination of the different drying systems such as heat pump, solar and infrared in a single drying system for faster food chips drying.

Drug resistance is one of the trademark features of Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs). We and others have recently shown that paucity of functional death receptors (DR4/5) on the cell surface of tumour cells is one of the major reasons for drug resistance, but their involvement in the context of in CSCs is poorly understood. By harnessing CSC specific cytotoxic function of salinomycin, we discovered a critical role of epigenetic modulator EZH2 in regulating the expression of DRs in colon CSCs. Our unbiased proteome profiler array approach followed by ChIP analysis of salinomycin treated cells indicated that the expression of DRs, especially DR4 is epigenetically repressed in colon CSCs. Concurrently, EZH2 knockdown demonstrated increased expression of DR4/DR5, significant reduction of CSC phenotypes such as spheroid formation in-vitro and tumorigenic potential in-vivo in colon cancer. TCGA data analysis of human colon cancer clinical samples shows strong inverse correlation between EZH2 and DR4. Taken together, this study provides an insight about epigenetic regulation of DR4 in colon CSCs and advocates that drug-resistant colon cancer can be therapeutically targeted by combining TRAIL and small molecule EZH2 inhibitors.

Hyperspectral acquisition provides the spectral response in narrow and continuous spectral channel. The high number of contiguous bands in hyperspectral remote sensing provides significant improvements in assessing subtle changes as compared to the multispectral satellite datasets in context of spectral resolution. Therefore, the main goal of the present research is to evaluate the sensitivity of the artificial neural networks (ANNs) for chlorophyll prediction in the winter wheat crop using different hyperspectral spectral indices. For evaluating relative variable significance in the study, the Olden’s function has been applied. The Lek’s profile method is used for sensitivity analysis of ANNs for chlorophyll prediction using the vegetation indices such as Red Edge Inflection Point (REIP), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), and Structure-Insensitive Pigment Index (SIPI) derived from hyperspectral radiometer. The analysis indicates a high sensitivity of SAVI followed by NDVI, REIP and SIPI for chlorophyll retrieval using ANNs. The statistical performance indices obtained from calibration (RMSE = 0.27; index of agreement = 0.96) and validation (RMSE = 0.66; index of agreement = 0.83) suggested that the ANN model is appropriate for chlorophyll prediction with good efficiency. The outcome of this work can be used by upcoming hyperspectral missions such as Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer-Next Generation (AVIRIS-NG) and Hyperspectral Infrared Imager (HyspIRI) for large-scale estimation of chlorophyll and could help in the real-time monitoring of crop health status.

Cabbage and cauliflower are extensively cultivated Cole vegetables all around the world. These are highly prone to the most notorious insect pest Plutella xylostella (diamondback moth), causing huge yield losses to the growers. Conventional breeding for host plant resistance against this pest is limited due to lack of resistance source in the available germplasm. The chemical control measures are cumbersome, costly, health hazardous and environment unfriendly. Therefore, using quaternary gene pool for incorporation of resistance genes from unrelated sources such as bacterial derived insecticidal Bt toxins through genetic engineering is a viable option. Genetic manipulation of plants through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation is limited by a multitude of factors resulting in poor transformation efficiency. Hence, optimization of plant transformation method suitable for a particular crop is highly essential. Here in we report the optimization of plant transformation protocol for cabbage and cauliflower by the manipulation of various key parameters, including the type of explants, Agrobacterium strains, bacterial cell density, age of the explant, preculture period, media formulations etc. The binary vector pPIPRA560 containing stacked Bt genes (Cry1B/Cry1C) and npt II/Basta as selectable marker was chosen for plant transformation. As a proof of concept, initially the effectiveness of the Bt genes against diamondback moth was validated in transgenic Arabidopsis. Insect bioassay revealed 100% mortality within 48 h of feeding. Based on the exciting results, the same construct was used for transforming Indian popular cultivars of cabbage (‘Golden Acre’) and cauliflower (‘Pusa Meghna’ and ‘Pusa Snowball K1’). The presence of the Bt genes in the transgenic lines was confirmed by PCR and expression through RT-qPCR. Insect bioassay revealed 100% mortality in some of the plants tested so far.

The leaf area index (LAI) is a crucial parameter that governs the physical and biophysical processes of plant canopies and acts as an input variable in land surface and soil moisture modeling. The ScatSat-1 is the latest microwave Ku-band scatterometer mission of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), provides data at a higher temporal and spatial resolution for various applications. Due to its all-weather operational capability, it could be used as an alternative to the optical/IR sensors for the LAI estimation. In the technical literature domain, no testing has been done to estimate the LAI using ScatSat-1 scatterometer data. Therefore, the objective of this study is to retrieve the LAI using the ScatSat-1 backscattering by modifications of two different models viz. water cloud model (WCM) and the recently developed Oveisgharan et al. model and compared against the PROBA-V, MODIS, and ground-based LAI products. To assess the performance of these models, coefficient of determination ( $R^{2}$ ), root-mean-squared error (RMSE) and bias are computed. For Oveisgharan et al. , the values of $R^{2}$ , RMSE and bias were obtained as 0.87, 0.57 m2m−2, and 0.05 m2m−2 respectively, whereas for WCM model, the values were found as 0.82, 0.67 m2m−2, and 0.32 m2m−2 respectively. This investigation showed that the modifications in Oveisgharan et al. model provide marginally better results in the retrieval of LAI using ScatSat-1 data than the WCM model. The models’ limitation may be less serious for crop management studies because the majority of crops attains its maturity at LAI values less than 6 m2/m2.

In the face of rapid urbanization, monitoring urban expansion has gained importance to sustainably manage the land resources and minimize the impact on the environment. Monitoring urban growth using satellite data involves computing the state of land use–land cover and their change over time. A number of computing methods have been developed to process and interpret the satellite results for an urban environment. However, due to a large number of parametric and nonparametric algorithms used for land-use–land-cover classification, there is uncertainty regarding choosing the best algorithm to measure the urban processes. In this study, several parametric (maximum likelihood) and nonparametric (support vector machine, spectral angle mapper, artificial neural network and decision tree) algorithms were used. The study was aimed at finding out the best available classification technique for land-use–land-cover classification and change detection. Landsat 8, the latest in Landsat series, and Landsat 7 and 5 freely available satellite data were used. Due to the redundancy reported for the traditional kappa-based indices, we applied modern disagreement indices to assess the accuracy of the classification process. Artificial neural network for Landsat 8 image had the highest kappa coefficient, while spectral angle mapper had the highest overall agreement (97%) and least quantity allocation error (1%). Spectral Angle Mapper gave the highest accuracy, while maximum likelihood classification gave the least for allocation and spatial disagreement indices. We found that spectral angle mapper gave the best results for land-use–land-cover change analysis in terms of least omission and commission errors (2.5% each) and highest overall agreement, whereas artificial neural network performed better in land-use–land-cover classification studies.

Developing stiff and resilient injectable hydrogels that can mechanically support load-bearing joints while enabling chondrogenic differentiation of stem cells is a major challenge in the field of cartilage tissue engineering. In the present work, a triple-network injectable hydrogel system was engineered using

Plants in their life cycle go through a series of life processes. These phenological changes are influenced by different climatic conditions. Abiotic factors like temperature, precipitation, and photoperiodism affect the onset and offset of particular phenophase in the plant periodic cycle. In this study, we tested the influence of precipitation on the forest phenology at two sites of Dudhwa National Park (DNP), Uttar Pradesh and Simlipal National Park (SNP), Odisha, India. DNP and SNP receive an annual average rainfall of 1093.5 mm and 1500 mm, respectively, of which most rainfall (~ 90%) occurs during June-September. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was measured for 2 years 2015 and 2018, with 2015 being a drought year and 2018 being a normal rainfall year. NDVI was analyzed at different temporal scales of months, season, and years using the t test (Welch's two-tailed) and General Linear Mixed Model (GLMM). Effect of drought (2015) and normal (2018) rainfall year was not significant at both the sites, whereas season, year*season interaction, season*rainfall interaction, and year*season*rainfall interaction were found significant at DNP (P 0.05, ICC = 0.68, marginal R

A solar-assisted heat pump (HP) dryer is fabricated for intermittent drying. The experiment is performed for different intermittency ratios for radish drying using future refrigerant, R1234yf. The effect of total drying time (on-period + off-period) on various energetic, exergetic, and economic performances is investigated. Radish chips were dried to extract moisture from 92.4% to 11.9%. Energy efficiency and drying efficiency (DE) are estimated higher for a lower intermittency ratio. The moisture extraction rate (MER) and the specific moisture extraction rate (SMER) are higher for intermittent drying as compared with continuous drying and increase with a decrease in intermittency ratio. The economic analysis concludes that the payback period is lower for a lower intermittency ratio. The payback period for intermittency ratio of 1, 0.66, 0.33, and 0.2 are estimated as 1.617 years, 1.459 years, 1.384 years, and 1.347 years, respectively. Present experimental thermoeconomic analysis reveals that intermittent drying is much better (maximum enhancement of specific moisture extraction rate is 60.6%, that of energy efficiency is 56.4% and maximum reduction of drying cost is 37.9% with studied conditions) than continuous drying.

Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) has a poor prognosis and adverse clinical outcomes among all breast cancer subtypes as there is no available targeted therapy. Overexpression of Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) has been shown to correlate with TNBC’s poor prognosis, but the contribution of EZH2 catalytic (H3K27me3) versus non-catalytic EZH2 (NC-EZH2) function in TNBC progression remains elusive. We reveal that selective hyper-activation of functional EZH2 (H3K27me3) over NC-EZH2 alters TNBC metastatic landscape and fosters its peritoneal metastasis, particularly splenic. Instead of H3K27me3-mediated repression of gene expression; here, it promotes KRT14 transcription by attenuating binding of repressor SP1 to its promoter. Further, KRT14 loss significantly reduces TNBC migration, invasion, and peritoneal metastasis. Consistently, human TNBC metastasis displays positive correlation between H3K27me3 and KRT14 levels. Finally, EZH2 knockdown or H3K27me3 inhibition by EPZ6438 reduces TNBC peritoneal metastasis. Altogether, our preclinical findings suggest a rationale for targeting TNBC with EZH2 inhibitors.