Search

Industrial applications and automation controls are closely connected with heterogeneous Wireless Sensor Network (WSN); thus, Industrial Internet-of Thing (IIoT) enhances the productivity, scalability, and flexibility of the operations. However, in many cases such as tracking a device or service localization becomes very crucial to state back the operations at times. Existing literature show a various localization solutions, but they face the drawbacks of high energy consumption, and non-coherence in heterogeneity. Besides, in a WSN-based IIoT, non-cooperativeness exists among nodes due to various system and environmental parameters, which make the system resource-exhaustive. In this paper, we introduce a novel localization algorithm that addresses the above-mentioned problems. We call our proposed algorithm RAnge-free Power efficient COoperative Localization (RAPCOL). Specifically, the use of co-operative beacon nodes to broadcast the information to Base Station and low energy consumption highlights the novelty of the work. RAPCOL uses weight metrics for selecting optimal cooperative beacon nodes to prolong the network lifetime. We also introduce an Improvised Particle Swarm Optimization (IPSO) that credits in the contribution in RAPCOL. We run a overall nine sets of experiments to analyze the localization accuracy, effect of beacon nodes, sensor nodes, network connectivity, and sensing field, error frequency, residual energy, time, and network lifetime. A comparative study with the existing localization models shows that RAPCOL is 30 % better than the existing models in terms of accuracy and resource consumption. We observe stable performance of RAPCOL with a differentiated effect of beacon nodes and sensor nodes. We also observe that our proposed IPSO 20 % better in fast convergence to the optimal solution. Though RAPCOL localization time is 12 % higher than other existing protocols, RAPCOL's accuracy and energy saving mechanism make it efficient for IIoTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The filament winding technique is the second popular process in basic composite manufacturing processes, which can provide an automated technique compared to traditional hand layup process. The continuous filament winding process is the manufacturing of glass reinforced polymer (GRP) pipes from continuously flowing glass fibre by winding it on an automatic machine. It is quick and reliable technology for making high performance parts. A big advantage of filament winding is that it uses continuous fibres which leads to very good material properties for both strength and stiffness. However, if there is any process abnormality it can cause defects such as voids, delamination, wrinkles, etc. which causes production loss or failure at customer loss leads to monetary and reputation loss. There was premature failure of GFRP composite pipes during hydrostatic (hydro) testing while laying out in the site were received. Two pipe samples, one referred as new or good pipe and another referred as leaked during hydro test, were investigated to find out the root cause of failure. The investigation consisted of field visits, studying the layout procedure, visual observation, microstructural characterization, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman analyses. Visual observations of the hydro test failed sample reveal some abnormal features like delamination of layers, circumferential cracks and white spots, while the leaked or used pipe shows features like air pockets, adherent foreign/ earthy materials, visible fibres and heterogeneity in colours. Adherence of earthy material on pipe's surface indicates that there is incomplete curing of polymer. Microstructural analysis exhibits that the volume fraction of fibres was very less (particularly in used pipe) in resin matrix and their distribution was also uneven. Raman, FTIR and TGA analysis suggest that impure or mixed resin material is used for production of pipe which failed during hydro test. Overall analysis suggests a defective manufacturing process and usage of expired polymer and sand along with non-prescribed fibre loading which might have initiated the failure of pipes during hydro test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cloning and characterization of the complete coding sequence of the Clarias magur SRD5A1 (CmSRD5A1) gene, which encodes an enzyme responsible for regulating steroid levels by converting testosterone into 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), have been successfully achieved. DHT plays a vital role in enabling the complete expression of testosterone's actions in neuroendocrine tissues. The ORF of the full-length cDNA sequence of SRD5A1 was 795 bp, translating into 265 amino acids, with a total length of 836 bp including UTRs. Like other vertebrates, the signal peptide analysis revealed that SRD5A1 is a non-secretory protein, and hydropathy profiles indicated that it is hydrophobic in nature. The 3D structure of CmSRD5A1 sequence generated above was predicted using highly accurate AlphaFold 2 in Google Colab online platform. CmSRD5A1 contains seven transmembrane helices connected by six loops, with the N-termini located on the periplasmic side and C-termini on the cytosolic side. Structural superimposition with known bacterial and human SRD5As showed very high structural similarity. The electrostatic potential calculation and surface analysis of CmSRD5A1 revealed the presence of a large cavity with two openings one highly electropositive towards the cytosolic side and another relatively neutral towards the transmembrane region. The structural comparison revealed that the electropositive side of the cavity should bind to NADPH and the steroid hormone in the hydrophobic environment. Polar residues binding to NADPH are highly conserved and the same as known strictures. The conserved residues involved in hydrogen bonding with the ketone group at C-3 in the steroids hence fevering Δ4 double-bond reduction are identified as E66 and Y101. Our findings showed that SRD5A1 expression was lower during the spawning phase than the preparatory phase in female fish, while the administration of Ovatide (a GnRH analogue) resulted in up-regulation of expression after 6 h of injection in the ovary. In males, the lowest expression was observed during the preparatory phase and peaked at 16 h post- Ovatide injection in the testis. The expression of SRD5A1 in the brain of female fish was slightly higher during the Ovatide stimulation phase than the spawning phase. This study represents the first report on the cloning and characterization of the full-length cDNA of SRD5A1 in Indian catfish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Divide shear assembly in a rebar rolling mill performs the function of cutting rebars into 72 m length. It uses two shear blades mounted on rotating arms, which rotate in directions opposite to each other and cut the rebars passing in between. These blades hit the rebars at a location from two opposite sides for cutting, and their cutting edges gradually become blunt after cutting of approximately 4000–5000 tons of rebars. Replacing the blunt blades results in interruption in operation leading to increased down time and resulting decreased productivity. A thorough metallurgical root cause analysis was carried out to improve the service life of shear blades. Damages on shear cutting blades were analyzed after trimming of 4000–5000T on thermo-mechanically treated rebars. Chemical analysis revealed that the material of the shear blade was AISI D2, which is a widely used material for cutting of rebars in cold conditions. AISI D2 is a high carbon grade with high Cr content. Microstructural examination revealed large fraction of coarse carbides in tempered martensitic matrix. However, excessive number of coarse carbides imparts brittleness which can limit its applications under severe conditions. The used blade exhibited chipping off materials at the cutting edge in brittle manner. The damaged blades and subsurface damage were examined using Profilometer, SEM, XRD and other metallography techniques. After detailed metallurgical investigation new material was developed to improve the (performance) of the cold shear blades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In real-time and mission-critical applications of wireless sensor networks (WSNs), such as military, the location of monitored objects must only be informed by sensor nodes to the base station, remaining anonymous to the rest of the network. However, preserving source location privacy is a challenging task due to the open nature of WSNs. Several methods have been proposed to address this issue, including anonymity-based, obfuscation-based, and policy-based methods. Anonymity-based methods are unsuitable for protecting position privacy, obfuscation-based methods are unable to protect identity, and policy-based methods are appropriate for all location privacy categories but challenging for end-users to understand and manage. These methods take into account different assumptions about attackers, energy consumption, and other factors in WSNs such as transmission delay and fixed battery and memory. Prior research has focused on one or more aspects of WSNs while ignoring others. In this work, we propose a Dynamic Routing Approach For enhancing Source Location Privacy in WSNs (SLP-DRA) to preserve source location privacy by dynamically selecting a path and injecting fake messages into the network. The dynamic selection of a route for transmitting real messages from the source sensor node to the base station, in the presence of fake packets, successfully confuses the attacker about the exact location of the monitored object in the network. The simulated results are compared using commonly used performance metrics of WSNs such as energy usage, transmission delay, security, and network lifetime. The comparative results show that SLP-DRA enhances the security level in preserving source location privacy compared to other techniques without compromising network lifetime, transmission delay, or energy consumption. We validate that SLP-DRA is robust against commonly used attacks, such as hop-by-hop and backtracking attacks, in finding the source location in WSNs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In heterogeneous access network, Multiple‐Input Multiple‐Output (MIMO) radio‐over‐fiber (RoF) system is an efficient approach for multiple signal transmission with low cost and complexity. The performance of RoF fronthaul system in MIMO system will be varied with different nonlinear effects. By adjusting various transmission parameters, such as the input signal power or the laser bias current, the nonlinear impacts produced by the RoF system can be reduced. In this paper, a novel algorithm Improved Aquila Optimization (IAO) is proposed to optimize transmission circumstances of MIMO RoF system. It determines the appropriate bias current for both lasers and Radio Frequency (RF) signal power in a short period. The input signals are wavelength multiplexed with Intensity Modulation and Direct Detection (IM/DD) applied. The carrier as well as transmission frequency is governed by the MIMO‐Long‐Term Evolution (LTE) standard. The proposed system is implemented in MATLAB, and the performance is evaluated. The experimental results show that fast convergence and trade‐off between noise and nonlinearity are obtained with varying bandwidth. In the experimental scenario, the maximum Error Vector Magnitude (EVM) of 1.88, 3.14, and signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) of 3.204, and 2.698 was attained for both quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) and quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) modulation. [Correction added on 24 April 2023, after first online publication: the SNR values were corrected in the preceding sentence.] For 100 iterations, the processing time was reduced to 0.137 s. When compared with the conventional state‐of‐the‐art approaches, the accuracy and computational complexity of the proposed approach are improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work describes the s‐trichlorotriazine (TCT)‐mediated formation of highly functionalized ester‐based drugs, namely nafamostat mesylate and camostat mesylate. The TCT‐mediated activation of acids followed by the attack of a hydroxyl group (−OH group) resulted in the formation of ester. The high aqueous solubility of cyanuric acid eases the work‐up process and avoids repetitive washing process (better E‐factor). The present method also avoids using pyridine as a base, and instead of that, N‐methylmorpholine (NMM) was used for the coupling. Moreover, we have also demonstrated the synthesis of key intermediates namely, 4‐guanidinobenzoic acid and 6‐hydroxy‐2‐naphthimidamide from economical and readily available raw materials. The TCT‐mediated coupling provides many advantages in scalability, cost‐effectiveness and environmental friendly handling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this pandemic, providing a quality environment is considered one of the essential objectives of smart wellbeing observation. Therefore, the prediction of irregular events has become a fundamental requirement of assistive or clinical consideration. By concentrating on this need, a dew computation-inspired irregular physical event determination solution is presented to determine the symptoms of COVID-19 by analyzing the physical activities of the individuals at their initial stage. The benefit of the proposed solution is enhanced by forwarding the predicted outcomes and their occurrence within a speculated time on a private cloud database to decide the health seriousness. Furthermore, a dynamic decisive-module is introduced to notify medical specialists about the current wellbeing status of the individuals under monitoring. The real-time prediction efficiency of the proposed solution is determined by implementing and calculating the outcomes on both the dew and cloud platforms. The calculated outcomes exhibit the improved viability of the dew platform over the cloud platform by increasing the prediction speed of 46.27% for 40 and 45.54% for 30 frames per second. Moreover, the event prediction performance is justified over the state-of-the-art monitoring arrangements by achieving accuracy (92.88%), specificity (90.87%), sensitivity (88.26%) and F1-measure (89.53%) with the least decision-making delay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we studied the effect of increasing the conjugation in compound 3 on the proton transfer and aggregation‐induced emission properties. Compound 3 exhibited the dual absorption peak at 420 nm and 320 nm, which was redshifted by 50 nm compared to compound 2 (previous report). Compound 3 emits exhibited a peak at 530 nm with a Stokes' shift of 110 nm after photoexcitation at 420 nm. In a high polarity medium, the absorption and emission spectra of compound 3 showed redshifts of 50 nm and 20 nm, respectively. Further, compound 3 displayed the aggregation‐induced emission enhancement in THF/H2O (60 % v/v). Additionally, the proton transfer process in compounds 2 and 3 was evaluated through theoretical calculations via determining the relative free energies of possible tautomeric forms. It was determined that the small energy barriers for compound 2 in the S1 state suggested the presence of the proton transfer process; however, high energy barriers and high stabilization and Boltzmann population of 3.KK tautomeric form at S0 and S1 state for compound 3 discommoded the proton transfer process. Further, the aggregated form of compound 3 (20 μM; CH3OH/HEPES buffer (4 : 1; v/v) pH=7.04) was utilized to recognize Cu2+ ions with the lowest detection limit of 1.5 nM and Stern‐Volmer binding constant of 2.8×105 M−1. A noted decrease in the hydrodynamic size of compound 3 from 400 nm to 40 nm in the presence of Cu2+ ions confirmed the disaggregation with a decrease in emission intensity. Compound 3 was also employed as a Cu2+ ions recognizer in different collected samples with good percentage recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three decades after its first outbreak, the shrimp white spot virus (WSV) is still a global cause of concern due to considerable losses and lack of effective control measures. Several candidate host receptor proteins have been identified, but the pathogenesis is not clearly understood, although the key role of the WSV envelope protein VP28 in virus internalization is established. Here, protein-protein docking is applied to evaluate the interaction of VP28 trimeric extracellular region with four host (Penaeus monodon) receptors reported earlier, Rab7 GTPase (PmRab7), glucose transporter 1 (PmGLUT1), C-type lectin (PmCTL) and calreticulin (PmCRT). The stability of predicted complexes evaluated in terms of binding energy per unit buried surface area ranged from −8.46 to −11.82 cal mol−1/Å2, which is not sufficient for functional interaction. Nevertheless, each of these host proteins was tested by a gain-of-function approach by observing their ability to make a fish cell line permissive to the shrimp WSV. Full-length expression constructs of the four receptors were transfected into SSN1 snakehead fish cells that are non-permissive to WSV. Transfected SSN1 cells and WSV permissive insect Sf9 cells were challenged with purified WSV. After 24 h, the presence of receptor transcripts was confirmed in the treated SSN1 cells, and not in the non-transfected SSN1 cells. Further, vp28 transcript was detected in Sf9 cells, but not in any of the treated SSN1 cells, indicating that none of the receptors were singly sufficient to make SSN1 cells permissive to WSV, even though PmRab7 was a strong candidate that alone showed >85% protection in virus neutralization experiments. For the other 3 candidates, previous reports predicted the involvement of co-receptors, which is confirmed here by their inability to act singly. • Four host receptors predicted to mediate WSV internalization do not individually interact with VP28 in docking studies. • Gain of function studies in non-permissive SSN1 cells show the inability of any single host receptor to internalize WSV. • Results indicate the involvement of more than one host receptors in mediating WSV entry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A (4+1)‐annulation of arylidene heterocyclic‐N‐fused imidazolones with α‐carbonyl sulfoxonium ylides has been developed. The reaction enabled efficient access to a range of N‐heterocycle‐fused furans, such as secondary hydroxyl and the structural parts of drug/bioactive compounds. A unique triple‐role of α‐carbonyl sulfoxonium ylides and a characteristic stereo‐electronic functional behavior of the arylidene N‐fused imidazolones have been explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper delves into the transformative role of machine learning (ML) techniques in revolutionizing the security of electric and flying vehicles (EnFVs). By exploring key domains such as predictive maintenance, cyberattack detection, and intelligent decision-making, the study uncovers pivotal insights that will shape the future of this technology. From a theoretical perspective, ML emerges as a cornerstone for fortifying EnFV safety, offering real-time threat detection, predictive maintenance capabilities, and enhanced anomaly detection. In practical terms, ML-based solutions are envisioned as instrumental in preventing cyberattacks, reducing downtime, and improving overall safety. The research contributions of this study encompass a comprehensive overview of ML applications in EnFV security, identification of challenges, and paving the way for future research directions. While acknowledging research limitations, particularly the need for real-world implementation, the study emphasizes the crucial yet underexplored ethical considerations in ML for EnFV security. Future research suggestions focus on Explainable AI techniques, real-time ML algorithms for resource-constrained environments, and privacy-preserving ML techniques, aiming for a transparent, efficient, and privacy-aware integration of ML in EnFV security. By addressing key security challenges, ML can potentially revolutionize the EnFV domain, paving the way for a future of efficient, sustainable, and connected transportation systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• C-8 spiro-isoxazoline derivatives of andrographolide were synthesised. • 4k displayed most potent cytotoxicity (IC 50 =3 μM) in breast cancer cells (MCF-7). • 4k increased the production of cellular and mitochondrial ROS, decreased the MMP, and inhibited the colony formation. • 4k also induced apoptosis in MCF-7 by attenuating the BCl2 expression in a dose dependent manner. 14-Deoxy-11,12-didehydroandrographolide (14-DDA, 3), a secondary metabolite found in Andrographis paniculata nees , has been synthetically modified into a new series of C-8 spiro-isoxazoline derivatives. Andrographolide and its derivatives were well reported for the anticancer activity so herein we have synthesised C-8 spiro-isoxazoline derivatives (4a-l) and screened for in vitro studies against four human cancer cell lines: breast (MCF-7), lung (A549), pancreatic (MiaPaCa-2), and prostate (PC-3). Most of the synthesized compounds exhibited better anti-cancer activities than the parent natural products andrographolide (1) and 14-deoxy-11,12-didehydroandrographolide (3) for different human cancer lines. Among all compounds, compound 4k displayed most potent cytotoxicity (IC 50 =3 μM) in breast cancer cells (MCF-7). Further, mechanistic studies revealed that compound 4k affected the nuclear morphology of MCF-7 cells, increased the production of cellular and mitochondrial ROS, decreased the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and inhibited the colony formation. The compound 4k also induced apoptosis in MCF-7 by attenuating the BCl2 expression in a dose dependent manner. The expression of Cdk-4 was also downregulated by 4k. The overall findings of this study indicate that the compound 4k exhibited significant anticancer activity with reduced toxicity in-vitro and might thus be a promising anti-cancer lead candidate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• C-8 spiro-isoxazoline derivatives of andrographolide were synthesised. • 4k displayed most potent cytotoxicity (IC 50 =3 μM) in breast cancer cells (MCF-7). • 4k increased the production of cellular and mitochondrial ROS, decreased the MMP, and inhibited the colony formation. • 4k also induced apoptosis in MCF-7 by attenuating the BCl2 expression in a dose dependent manner. 14-Deoxy-11,12-didehydroandrographolide (14-DDA, 3), a secondary metabolite found in Andrographis paniculata nees , has been synthetically modified into a new series of C-8 spiro-isoxazoline derivatives. Andrographolide and its derivatives were well reported for the anticancer activity so herein we have synthesised C-8 spiro-isoxazoline derivatives (4a-l) and screened for in vitro studies against four human cancer cell lines: breast (MCF-7), lung (A549), pancreatic (MiaPaCa-2), and prostate (PC-3). Most of the synthesized compounds exhibited better anti-cancer activities than the parent natural products andrographolide (1) and 14-deoxy-11,12-didehydroandrographolide (3) for different human cancer lines. Among all compounds, compound 4k displayed most potent cytotoxicity (IC 50 =3 μM) in breast cancer cells (MCF-7). Further, mechanistic studies revealed that compound 4k affected the nuclear morphology of MCF-7 cells, increased the production of cellular and mitochondrial ROS, decreased the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and inhibited the colony formation. The compound 4k also induced apoptosis in MCF-7 by attenuating the BCl2 expression in a dose dependent manner. The expression of Cdk-4 was also downregulated by 4k. The overall findings of this study indicate that the compound 4k exhibited significant anticancer activity with reduced toxicity in-vitro and might thus be a promising anti-cancer lead candidate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Functions of the autonomic nervous system have cardinal importance in day-to-day life. Heart rate variability (HRV) has been shown to estimate the functioning of the autonomic nervous system. Imbalance in the functioning of the autonomic nervous system is seen to be associated with chronic conditions such as chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, and so on. Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of a non-contact ballistocardiography (BCG) system to calculate HRV parameters by comparing them to the parameters derived from a standard commercial software that uses an electrocardiogram (ECG). Methods: Current study captured an ECG signal using a three-channel ECG Holter machine, whereas the BCG signal was captured using a BCG sensor sheet consisting of vibroacoustic sensors placed under the mattress of the participants of the study. Results: The study was conducted on 24 subjects for a total of 54 overnight recordings. The proposed method covered 97.92% epochs of the standard deviation of NN intervals (SDNN) and 99.27% epochs of root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) within 20 ms and 30 ms tolerance, respectively, whereas 98.84% of two-min intervals for low-frequency (LF) to high-frequency (HF) ratio was covered within a tolerance of 1. Kendall's coefficient of concordance was also calculated, giving a P <.001 for all the three parameters and coefficients 0.66, 0.55, and 0.44 for SDNN, RMSSD, and LF/HF, respectively. Conclusion: The results show that HRV parameters captured using unobtrusive and non-invasive BCG sensors are comparable to HRV calculated using ECG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an Internet of Energy (IoE) solution for providing optimal charging and control of resources in the era of electric vehicles (EVs) with energy trading and security is considered. A blockchain based security solution is presented by considering the IoE as a distributed energy system with internet of things (IoT). However, by inheriting the security concerns of IoTs, IoE also faces the security challenges and is considered here. Hierarchical key generation is used for cryptographic keys, based on lattice constructions. Along with a consensus tailored with Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance (PBFT), an additional smart contract is also applied for utilization of energy transfer. The presented solution provides transparency, reliability, availability and failure recovery inheriting from the blockchain aspects. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first attempt in this direction of IoE-EV interface solutions. The experimental results, comparative analysis and security validation affirm the superiority of the proposed solution over the existing approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep learning (DL) is gaining significant prevalence in every field of study due to its domination in training large data sets. However, several applications are utilizing machine learning (ML) methods from the past several years and reported good performance. However, their limitations in terms of data complexity give rise to DL methods. Intrusion detection is one of the prominent areas in which researchers are extending DL methods. Even though several excellent surveys cover the growing body of research on this subject, the literature lacks a detailed comparison of ML methods such as ANN, SVM, fuzzy approach, swarm intelligence and evolutionary computation methods in intrusion detection, particularly on recent research. In this context, the present paper deals with the systematic review of ML methods and DL methods in intrusion detection. In addition to reviewing ML and DL methods, this paper also focuses on benchmark datasets, performance evaluation measures and various applications of DL methods for intrusion detection. The present paper summarizes the recent work, compares their experimental results for detecting network intrusions. Furthermore, current research challenges are identified for helping fellow researchers in the era of DL-based intrusion detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wireless Multimedia Sensor Network (WMSN) is a network of interconnected sensor nodes equipped with multimedia devices capable to retrieve multimedia as well as scalar sensor data in smart city scenarios. With the progress of smart city development, WMSNs are becoming points of interest. The existing research works on the security of WMSNs show some significant centralized solutions; they are prone to denial of service attacks, central failure, and privacy breaches. Also, these solution are having limitations because of their centralized nature.Therefore, the the proposed scheme adopted the concept of decentralization to achieve more effective and ubiquitous results. As per our best knowledge, we introduce the first decentralized privacy-preserving authentication framework for WMSNs to address the energy and storage challenges. We call our solution PRIvacy-preserving Blockchain-based Authentication for multimeDIa networks (PRIBADI). PRIBADI uses a blockchain framework for authenticated communication between sensor nodes and base stations (as a trusted authority) by using certification and access authentication schemes. We elect trustworthy cluster heads based on weight metrics and these cluster heads forward the information to the Trusted Authority (TA). Subsequently, TA forward large data to the cloud for storage, and the information relevant to certificates and hashes are recorded on the distributed blockchain. Moreover, TA revokes the certificates of malicious sensor nodes and eliminates them from the blockchain. We run a set of experiments on PRIBADI and compare the results with the state-of-the-art models. We use the evaluation criteria of detection accuracy, operation, and energy consumption. We find that PRIBADI is 31.7% better than the existing models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Synthesized probe 1 shows ICT phenomenon. • Probe 1 could detect Al3+ and HSO 4 - ions in mixed solvent medium H 2 O: CH 3 OH (1:1 [v/v]) with lowest detection limit of 39 nM and 23 nM respectively. • Probe 1 can be utilized for the construction of a molecular keypad lock. • Probe 1 can be used for quantitative determination of HSO 4 - ion in different real field water samples. Dual hydrogen bonded Schiff base containing unsymmetrical double proton transfer sites, one with imine bond (C N) and hydroxyl group (OH), and the other with benzimidazole and hydroxyl groups has been successfully synthesized. Probe 1 displayed intramolecular charge transfer and acts as a potential sensor for Al3+ and HSO 4 - ions. Probe 1 displayed two absorption peaks at 325 nm and 340 nm and an emission band at 435 nm upon excitation at 340 nm. Probe 1 behaves as a fluorescence " turn-on " chemosensor for both Al3+ and HSO 4 - ions in H 2 O-CH 3 OH solvent system. The proposed method allows the determination of Al3+ and HSO 4 - ions up to 39 nM and 23 nM at emission wavelength 385 nm and 390 nm, respectively. The binding behavior of probe 1 towards these ions is determined by the Job's plot method and 1H NMR titrations. Probe 1 is used to construct a molecular keypad lock where the absorbance channel can be opened only in the presence of the correct sequence. Further, it is used for the quantitative determination of HSO 4 - ion in different real-field water samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Naphthalimide-benzimidazole conjugate was studied for selective detection of Hg2+ ions in aqueous medium. • Detection of limit was found to be 7.1 nM. • Mass spectrometry confirmed 2:1 stoichiometry between 9 and Hg2+ ions. • DFT calculations were found in good agreement with experimental results. A chemosensor, 6-(1-cyclohexyl-1 H -benzo[ d ]imidazol-5-yl)-2-(2-(diethylamino)ethyl)-1 H -benzo[ de ]isoquinoline-1,3(2 H)-dione (9), containing 1 H ,3 H -benzo[ de ]isochromene-1,3-dione and 1-cyclohexyl-1 H -benzo[ d ]imidazole moieties has been designed and found to be selective towards Hg2+ ions over-tested wide-range of metal ions. Compound 9 shows the absorption and emission peaks at 370 nm and 540 nm, respectively. The addition of Hg2+ ions to compound 9 (20 μM; H 2 O, p H = 7.4) prompted the formation of a 2:1 ligand–metal complex, 9 -Hg2+, which shows a significant blue-shifted emission enhancement to 495 nm, due to the mechanism of ligand to metal charge transfer. The formation of compound 9 and Hg2+ ions complex has also been confirmed through mass spectrometry and 1H NMR titrations. The photophysical properties of the compound and its complex corroborated with Density Functional Theory (DFT) and Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory (TDDFT) calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The present study was conducted to measure the dimensions of the adrenal glands in apparently healthy dogs for obtaining reference values via ultrasonographic modality. Methods: This study was carried out on 18 apparently healthy dogs divided into three groups of six each viz., Group I, II and III. Ultrasonographic examination was performed in all the animals in lateral recumbency. Ultrasound images of adrenal glands were reported in the sagittal plane and different measurements of both the adrenal glands were determined. Result: Both the adrenal glands were longest in Group III and shortest in Group I. Similarly, the cranial pole diameter and caudal pole diameter was thickest in Group III and thinnest in Group I. The measurements recorded during this study can be used as reference values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Hexagonal SnS 2 nanosheet has been synthesized. • Sheet thickness of SnS 2 has been engineered using CTAB and SDS. • CTAB assisted SnS 2 synthesis have lowest thickness of sheet (∼3.3 nm) • CTAB assisted SnS 2 has lowest turn-on field with high current density. The 2D metal chalcogenide has attracted lots of research interest in the field of catalysis, optoelectronics, energy storage, electron emission, light emission as well as in sensors. These properties arise due to their low bandgap, high surface area, moderate work function and high charge carrier mobility. Therefore, in the present work, we synthesise SnS 2 using the micellar-assisted hydrothermal route. The role of surfactant charge on the morphology of SnS 2 has been also extensively explored. Microstructure analysis shows the formation of hexagonal sheets of size 250–300 nm; whereas the sheet thickness is strongly dependent on the surfactant charge. The presence of cationic and anionic surfactants leads to the formation of the ultrathin sheet (∼3.3 nm) and ∼ 11 nm respectively; whereas the SnS 2 sheet obtained in absence of any surfactant has a thickness of ∼ 76 nm. For the fabrication of SnS 2 film, synthesised samples have been dispersed in ethanol and ethylene glycol mixture via ultrasonication and spin-coated over the silicon substrate. The field emission properties of CTAB assisted SnS 2 to show the lowest turn-on field 4.4 V/μm and a high current density (∼9.6 μA/cm2). Earlier, the lowest reported turn-on field of SnS 2 was 4.8 V/μm at 1 μA/cm2 current density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern vehicles are increasingly getting connected within the vehicles, with other systems, leading to more concerns about security. Controller area network (CAN) has become a de-facto standard for connecting internal vehicles' components. However, it lacks security features. Conventional security mechanisms fail to protect in-vehicle networks from attacks, requiring the development of an effective intrusion detection system (IDS). This work develops an IDS for in-vehicle networks called IDS-IVN based on a compact representation of location invariant and time-variant traffic features using deep learning. The IDS-IVN uses convolutional neural and long–short-term memory networks as encoder/decoder functions of autoencoder networks to extract features from raw data and classify them using latent space representation into intrusive and non-intrusive classes. A benchmark real-time ROAD dataset is used to demonstrate the IDS-IVN's performance compared to the existing methods. IDS-IVN reports 99% accuracy with a 0.32% low false-positive rate for detecting intrusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Interplay of AIE and ESIPT phenomenon on a single molecular platform. • Detects Pb2+ and Al3+ ions in a mixed aqueous medium having LOD of 2.7 nM and 33 nM, respectively. • Detection of Pb2+ in real water samples. • Probe 1 could be utilized as AND, OR, and NOT molecular logic gates. Dual ESIPT efficient Schiff-base probe possessing multiple binding sites was synthesized which is capable of showing Aggregation Induced Emission (AIE) properties. Probe 1 behaves as a fluorescence "turn-on" chemosensor, showing interactions with Pb2+ and Al3+ ions in H 2 O-CH 3 CN solvent at pH≈7. The binding constant and detection limit for all the ions were calculated. The binding properties of probe 1 with all the ions were checked by Job's plot and the 1H NMR titration method. Further, the presence of dual intramolecular hydrogen bonding was confirmed theoretically by geometrical parameters and FTIR analysis. The potential energy curves (PECs) calculations for proton transfer coordinates verified that probe 1 shows a single ESIPT process. Thus with good selectivity and sensitivity and fast response time, a highly efficient platform for simultaneous detection of Pb2+ ions was generated using a simple molecule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rice Hybrid Proline Rich Protein (HyPRP) encoding gene, OsHyPRP16 expression exhibit early upregulation in response to Magnaporthe oryzae inoculation. Here, we functionally characterized the OsHyPRP16 promoter through deletion analysis in transgenic Arabidopsis using GUS (β-glucuronidase) reporter assay. The promoter fragments, sequentially deleted from the 5′ end could induce differential GUS activity in response to stresses induced by different hormones and abiotic stress conditions. In addition, a strong GUS induction was observed in M. oryzae inoculated transgenic Arabidopsis. Based on the insilico and stress-inducibility of D1 promoter fragment against various phytohormones and rice blast fungus, and with no basal activity under control conditions, we rationally selected D1 promoter fragment to drive the expression of a major rice blast resistance gene; Pi54 in the genetic background of blast susceptible TP309 rice line. The D1 promoter fragment was able to induce the expression of Pi54 at immediate-early stages of M. oryzae infection in transgenic rice. The transgenic plants with Pi54 under the control of D1 promoter fragment displayed complete resistance against M. oryzae infection as compared to control plants. The present study suggests that the D1 fragment of OsHyPRP16 promoter is a valuable tool for breeding and development of rice lines with early-inducible and pathogen-responsive enhanced disease resistance. • Functional characterization of rice HyPRP16 promoter was performed. • Deletion fragment (D1) exhibits distinct stress-response with no basal activity. • D1 driven R gene (Pi54) induce early upon M. oryzae infection in transgenic rice. • Early induction of Pi54 impart resistance against rice blast disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we show a deep learning model for bot detection, named as DeBot, for industrial network traffic. DeBot uses a novel Cascade Forward Back Propagation Neural Network (CFBPNN) model with a subset of features using the Correlation-based Feature Selection (CFS) technique. A time series-based Nonlinear Auto-regressive Network with eXogenous inputs (NARX) technique analyzes the factors having a higher impact on the target variable and predict the behavioral pattern. To the best of our knowledge, we pioneer the use of optimal feature selection and integration with the cascading model of deep learning in bot detection of IIoTs. We conduct a thorough set of experiments on five popular bot datasets: NF-UNSW-NB15, NF-ToN-IoT, NF-BoT-IoT, NF-CSE-CIC-IDS2018, and ToN-IoT-Windows. We compare CFBPNN with other existing neural network models. We observe that CFBPNN in DeBot shows 100% accuracy in all the datasets with subset evaluation and obtains optimum F1-score and zero precision. [Display omitted] • We address the multi-layered network model with IIoT features to enable bot attack detection. • Our DeBot model evaluates the subset with optimal features with high impact on attack class and predict the risk factor. • We pioneer the implementation of time series-based Nonlinear Auto-Regressive eXogenous (NARX) model to predict the risk in the specified time gap. • We introduce a new cascading model with recurrent feature to preserve the relationship between input and output variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • "Nature-to-new" as a medicinal chemistry strategy. • Iterative Scaffold-hopping to identify new chemotype. • Organocatalysed Umpolung Chemistry to construct Arylidene heterocyclic-fused imidazolone scaffold. • Polyphosphoric acid-mediated ester-lactam exchange. • In silico study reveals good drug-like properties. A strategy of "Nature-to-new" with iterative scaffold-hopping was considered for investigation of privileged ring/functional motif-elaborated analogs of natural aurones. An organocatalyzed umpolung chemistry based method was established for molecular-diversity feasible synthesis of title class of chemotypes i.e. (Z)-2-Arylideneimidazo[1,2– a ]pyridinones and (Z)-2-Arylidenebenzo[ d ]imidazo[2,1–b]thiazol-3-ones. Various biophysical experiments indicated their important biological properties. The analogs showed characteristic anticancer activities with efficiency more than an anticancer drug. The compounds induced apoptosis with arrest in the S phase of the cell cycle regulation. The compounds' significant effect in up/down-regulation of various apoptotic proteins, an apoptosis cascade, and the inhibition of topoisomerases-mediated DNA relaxation process was identified. The analysis of the structure-activity relationship, interference with biological events and the drug-likeness physicochemical properties of the compounds in the acceptable window indicated distinctive medicinal molecule-to-properties of the investigated chemotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A chemical route has been adopted for the synthesis of La x Gd 1-x B 6. • Low temperature synthesis of anisotropic La x Gd 1-x B 6 (x = 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5) has been done. • La 0.5 Gd 0.4 B 6 shows the highest current (∼8.5 μA/cm2) with the highest enhancement factor (1568). Among all the rare earth metal hexaboride, GdB 6 shows the lowest work function of 1.5 eV, which makes GdB 6 a promising field emitting material. In the present work, synthesis of La x Gd 1-x B 6 (x = 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5) was attempted via borothermal reaction of La x Gd 1-x (OH) 3 nanorods and sodium borohydride at 1000 °C. The synthesis of ultrafine nanorods of La x Gd 1-x (OH) 3 (x = 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5) has been attempted via the hydrothermal route. The La x Gd 1-x (OH) 3 is annealed with NaBH 4 in presence of argon, which leads to the formation of La x Gd 1-x B 6. TEM study of La x Gd 1-x B 6 indicates the nanorods formation of diameter 30–40 nm and length 130 nm. Further, as-synthesised La x Gd 1-x B 6 sample has been spin-coated over the silicon substrate and deposited La x Gd 1-x B 6 film was used for the field emission study. The field emission study shows the lowest turn-on field for La x Gd 1-x B 6 (x = 0.5) which is 5.01 V/μm with the highest field enhancement factor (β = 1568). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superficial angiomyxoma is an extremely rare subcutaneously placed myxoid soft tissue neoplasm. There are few case reports with fine needle aspiration cytological and histopathological findings available for this tumor because of its rarity. Here, we describe a case of superficial angiomyxoma in a 24-year-old girl who had a solitary left ear pinna mass without a Carney's complex at the time of presentation or at the end of two years of follow-up next to the surgical removal of the tumor. The clinical, cytomorphological, and histological findings, together with the immunohistochemical markers, in a case of superficial angiomyxoma are described in this rare case report for the first time in the English literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blockchain is an emerging decentralized and distributed technology. Along with the beneficial features of decentralization, transparency, and security the consensus algorithms of blockchains form key building blocks for this technology. Consensus protocol/algorithm helps to provide a decentralized decision making process. An efficient consensus algorithm is inclusive that engages all the participants to make their decision based on the conflicts of the blockchain networks. These consensus decisions lead to better quality outcomes of the blockchains and help to obtain the finality. Rigorous research is in process to upgrade or optimize the existing consensus protocols. The optimized or enhanced consensus protocols objectify to be suitable for Internet-of-Thing (IoT) as the current versions of the protocols are not suitable for the resource-constrained environments due their complexity, hard configurations, mining techniques, high resource consumption, and explicit security loophole. In this paper, we present a survey of consensus protocols with a purpose to identify and discuss the existence of various consensus protocols available in literature. We emphasize on the genesis of the consensus protocols, particularly for Proof-of-X, byzantine fault tolerance, Paxos, and RAFT; we also include Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) orientation of some contemporary algorithms. We discuss the variants of these genesis protocols. Our survey analyzes the advantages, disadvantages, and their applicability in IoTs. We enlist the categorical use of consensus algorithms in blockchains and other applications. Finally, we present several research trends and open issues emphasizing for consensus protocols emphasizing on IoTs. Compared to the other surveys in the field, our present survey objectifies to provide a more thorough summary of the most relevant protocols and application issues; this survey helps the researchers and the application developers to obtain an insight on the current status of the consensus protocols' suitability to deliver the desired functionalities in IoTs. The notified disadvantages of each of the protocol provide future scope for the industries and academia. To the best of our knowledge, such a comprehensive and summarized survey of consensus protocols including DAG-based protocols is unavailable in the literature and thus, our contribution claims are significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) are a rich source of bioactive compounds that are immensely important due to their potential use in pharmacological and agricultural applications. Here, we have evaluated the antimicrobial activity of essential oils (EOs) from three different species of Ocimum: O. gratissimum (EO1), O. tenuiflorum (EO2), and O. sanctum (EO3). The EOs were screened for antibacterial activity against pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The essential oils EO1 and EO3 showed significant growth inhibition of the tested bacteria. Likewise, all EOs exhibited antifungal potential against the broad-spectrum plant fungal pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum that causes white-mould disease in plants. Moreover, the antimicrobial potential of the EOs correlates well with their antioxidant activity determined by DPPH free radical scavenging activity. The biochemical analysis of the EOs employing high-performance thin-layer chromatography, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, revealed the presence of distinct phytoconstituents that might be responsible for their differential bioactivity. Furthermore, an in-silico evaluation of the candidate phytoconstituents using molecular docking analysis suggests their potential for antimicrobial applications. Altogether, our results clearly show that EO1 and EO3 possess promising antimicrobial properties, and therefore could be utilized as a potential antimicrobial agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, a silicon substrate has been patterned with a gold thin film of thickness 15 nm using thermal evaporation, followed by growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) using thermal chemical vapor deposition. The effect of temperature on the growth of CNTs on Au patterned substrate is studied using Raman and Field emission scanning electron microscope (SEM). A significant change in the growth of the CNTs grown on Au film patterned substrate with temperature can be observed using SEM images. However, no significant change in the micro crystallinity of the films was observed. Field emission properties of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes, grown at different temperatures, on gold film patterned substrate has been investigated. For the non-patterned substrate, for the CNT film grown at 900 °C, the current density comes out to be 8.0 mA/cm2@ 4.8V/μm, which increases to 14.6 mA/cm2 in the case of CNT film grown on gold patterned substrate. The observed enhancement of nearly 180% in current density for the patterned substrate as compared to non-patterned silicon substrate is primarily attributed to the reduced electric field screening. The reduced screening is realized with the help of COMSOL simulation, showing a significant enhancement in the local electric field near edges. • Use of novel non- Lithographic technique to pattern CNT films. • Effect of temperature on the Growth of vertically aligned CNTs on patterned substrate. • Nearly 180% enhancement in Field emission current density for CNTs grown over patterned substrate at 900 °C. • Simulation based verification of enhancement in the Field emission properties due to reduced screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fiber optic communication is the one where the wired and the wireless communication systems are integrated to have high bandwidth, low cost, and high data rate with high user density. The RoF technology brings about high-performance network and the guaranteed quality of service for the increased demand for multimedia services. The RoF faces problems like distortion and chromatic dispersion in the RoF link, reducing the quality of the signal at receiver. To enhance the quality of the signal at the receiver side, several techniques have been reported. Those techniques concentrated on the RoF link and the modulation schemes used in the technology. This article reviews the complete RoF technology, which includes the challenges that limit the RoF network along with its compensation scheme and the RoF in the PON services with security. Along with that, the comparative study on the problems faced by the RoF and its mitigation schemes, such as linearization techniques and compensation for chromatic dispersion, are discussed. The linearization schemes will analyze the different pre-distortion circuits used to linearize the transmitting signal such that the signal received by the mobile unit is free of distortion. When these problems are reduced, the RoF with PON has faced another major problem of insecure transmission. Hence the performance of the existing encryption schemes is compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of surface morphology and formation of oxides are investigated in annealed copper thin films in oxygen environment at various temperature using experimental results and Higuchi's algorithm. Initially, thin film of copper of thickness 27 nm is deposited using thermal evaporation technique and subsequently oxidized by annealing in a temperature range of 150 °C–350 °C with a temperature interval of 50 °C in oxygen environment for 1 h. Studies of morphological, structural and optical properties of samples are performed by atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-Ray diffraction (XRD) and UV-VIS spectroscopy respectively. XRD results reveal that Cu 2 O phase changes completely to CuO phase when temperature is raised from 250 to 350 °C. The optical band gap of annealed copper films at different temperatures is calculated by Tauc's plot and these indicate the formation of Cupreous and Cupric oxide. A clear morphological variation is seen in AFM images of the film surfaces. Changes in surface morphology under the effect of temperature variation in oxygen environment were explored through various parameters e.g. interface width (w), Hurst exponent (H) and fractal dimension (D f) determined by Higuchi's algorithm. [Display omitted] • Thin films of cupper deposited using thermal evaporation and subsequent oxidation under heat treatment. • Evolution of surface morphology and phase with annealing on Cu thin films. • The evolution of different phase of Cupper oxides under the treatment of heat using UV Visible spectra. • A better understanding on the dynamics of surface morphology and phase formation using the theoretical perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was organized to assess and have records about the information literacy and computer literacy skills among the students at the University of Jammu. To collect the data, a questionnaire was framed and distributed among 265 students studying at the University of Jammu. Out of 265 students, 243 questionnaires were received with responses being filed in them. Of the 243 students, there were 159 males and 84 females. The data revealed that the majority of the students 177 (72.84%) were familiar with the concept of computer and digital literacy and most of the students possess knowledge about the basic ICT skills such as Word Application software, Multimedia Applications, Spreadsheets Applications, and Communication Applications, etc. through which they can keep themselves abreast and updated with any sort of information required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient strategy has been developed for the deformylative halogenation of carbaldehyde imidazo-fused heterocycles in the presence of TBHP controlled by temperature. A convenient and sequential functionalization (C8 to C3) portrays the synthetic utility of the current method. N-Heterocycle benzamide products were also observed via the ring opening of imidazopyridines through the cleavage of C–C bond at high temperatures. Features of this method include temperature-controlled excellent regioselectivity, mild conditions and functional group tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents synthesis and characterization of two cobalt‐based coordination polymers (CPs) prepared by using two positionally related pyridine‐2,6‐dicarboxamide fragment‐based ligands containing appended arylcarboxylic acid groups. While arylcarboxylate groups of ligands coordinate to the Co(II) ions to produce 2D CPs; the amidic N−H groups remain free and generate large cavities lined with hydrogen bonds. Such hydrogen bonding cavities based CPs were found to reversibly adsorb molecular iodine. The Lewis acidic Co(II) ions and metal‐coordinated labile solvent molecules in CPs promoted noteworthy heterogeneous catalysis for Friedel crafts reactions as well as multicomponent condensation reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A hetero-structured composite with remarkable adsorption performance has drawn more attention owing to its splendid performance in environmental applications. The porosity, stability, and specific surface area of Chitosan can be improved by customizing it with the appropriate bio-polymeric adsorbents, which can also exhibit strong adsorption potential. In the Present study, Chitosan (host) was fabricated via in-situ chemical oxidative polymerization strategy in different ratio. The performance of synthesized composites was tested for the adsorption of Tartrazine dye in a batch mode. Results showed a maximum adsorption efficiency of 99.02 ± 1.980% for CS/Ppy-1:1 and 96.70 ± 1.934% for CS/Ppy-1:2 for the removal of Tartrazine dye under an optimum condition (Initial concentration that is 100 mg/L (CS/Ppy-1:1) and 75 mg/L (CS/Ppy-1:2), pH = 5, Temperature = 25 °C, Adsorbent dose = 10 mg). The adsorption isotherm and kinetic fitted well with the Langmuir model and pseudo-second-order respectively. The thermodynamic study revealed that the adsorption of dye is a spontaneous process. Further, Regeneration investigations showed over 65 ± 0.142% regeneration efficiency with 0.1 M NaOH solution, confirming that the desorption was impeccable. The electrostatic force of interaction, hydrogen bonding, surface complexation, and π − π stacking interactions were all implicated in the dye adsorption mechanism on the CS/Ppy composite. Also, the proposed system treats one of the most complex azo dyes using the efficient binary composite and shows successful regeneration/recyclability of adsorbent upto four successive cycles making it a potential adsorbent for large scale upgradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mutual induced-fit is well known process in biological system and playing crucial role in enzymatic catalysis, peptide-bond synthesis, protein synthesis, etc..., proceeds by mutual interactions of two or more than two components. However, in an artificial system, to mimic such process is challenging, especially by purely organic components. In this report, we have shown importance of mutual induced-fit in signal amplification of hydrogen-bonded capsule formation. Two different types of highly flexible ligands (one N-bridged and another triazine-bridged) are used. N-bridged tripodal ligand acting as clip over the adduct obtained from triazine-bridged ligand, bringing the resultant adduct in the cone-shape conformation. The resulting cone-shape conformation undergo solvent polarity dependent hydrogen-bonded capsule formation as a sole product. In absence of N-bridged tripodal ligand, only 50% capsule formation is observed through ¹H NMR at 100 mM concentration. However, in the presence of N-bridged tripodal ligand, organic components undergo mutual interactions to opt the cone-shape conformation and 100% capsule is formed (independent of concentration). The complete process is characterized by IR-spectra, ¹H and 13C NMR spectra, concentration dependent ¹H NMR titration spectra, ¹H-¹H COSY, ¹H-¹H NOESY, DOSY NMR, high resolution ESI mass spectra, and also by energy-minimized structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • This study provides an optimized protocol for a challenge by immersion with WSSV-NS in Penaeus vannamei post-larvae (PL). • The PL become susceptible to WSSV-NS at ≥50 mg body weight. • The well-defined challenge protocol will allow the development of virus control strategies for administration at early life stages. • This is the first report on variable WSSV susceptibility of three different weight ranges of P. vannamei within the post-larval life stage. White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) continues to cause considerable loss to shrimp farmers globally with frequent outbreaks even in specific pathogen free Peneaus vannamei. Our studies showed that the bodyweight (BW) of PL has a bearing on their susceptibility to the virus. To test this hypothesis, PL of the same age group and family were grouped according to BW (10–20, 30–40, and 50–60 mg) and challenged through immersion route with two viral doses (106 and 107 virus copies/L of water). It was observed that the PL became susceptible to WSSV at ≥50 mg BW. In the 50–60 mg PL group, the higher challenge dose shows a sharp mortality curve with 100% mortality at 10 days post immersion, while the lower dose shows a steady increase in cumulative mortality that reaches 100% on the 13th day post immersion. The study also brings out that an in vivo viral load of approximately 3.5 to 4.5 × 107 WSSV copies/100 ng shrimp DNA results in mortality. This is the first report on the relationship between BW and WSSV susceptibility in shrimp PL. Also reported here is a quantitative assessment of WSSV infection in P. vannamei PL and an optimized challenge protocol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OsMADS29 (M29) is a crucial regulator of seed development in rice. The expression of M29 is strictly regulated at transcriptional as well as post‐transcriptional levels. The MADS‐box proteins are known to bind to DNA as dimers. However, in the case of M29, the dimerization also plays a vital role in its localization into the nucleus. The factor(s) that affect oligomerization and nuclear transport of MADS proteins have not yet been characterized. By using BiFC in transgenic BY‐2 cell lines and Yeast‐2‐hybrid assay (Y2H), we show that calmodulin (CaM) interacts with M29 in a Ca2+‐dependent manner. This interaction specifically takes place in the cytoplasm, probably in association with the endoplasmic reticulum. By generating domain‐specific deletions, we show that both sites in M29 are involved in this interaction. Further, by using BiFC‐FRET‐FLIM, we demonstrate that CaM may also help in the dimerization of two M29 monomers. Since most MADS proteins have CaM binding domains, the interaction between these proteins could be a general regulatory mechanism for oligomerization and nuclear transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ß-glucans are structurally varied, naturally occurring components of the cell walls, and storage materials of a variety of plant and microbial species. In the human diet, mixedlinkage glucans [MLG - ß-(1,3/4)-glucans] influence the gut microbiome and the host immune system. Although consumed daily, the molecular mechanism by which human gut Grampositive bacteria utilize MLG largely remains unknown. In this study, we used Blautia producta ATCC 27340 as a model organism to develop an understanding of MLG utilization. B. producta encodes a gene locus comprising a multi-modular cell-anchored endo-glucanase (BpGH16MLG), an ABC transporter, and a glycoside phosphorylase (BpGH94MLG) for utilizing MLG, as evidenced by the upregulation of expression of the enzyme- and solute binding protein (SBP)-encoding genes in this cluster when the organism is grown on MLG. We determined that recombinant BpGH16MLG cleaved various types of ß-glucan, generating oligosaccharides suitable for cellular uptake by B. producta. Cytoplasmic digestion of these oligosaccharides is then performed by recombinant BpGH94MLG and ß-glucosidases (BpGH3-AR8MLG and BpGH3-X62MLG). Using targeted deletion, we demonstrated BpSBPMLG is essential for B. producta growth on barley ß-glucan. Furthermore, we revealed that beneficial bacteria, such as Roseburia faecis JCM 17581T, Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum JCM 1200T, Bifidobacterium adolescentis JCM 1275T, and Bifidobacterium bifidum JCM 1254, can also utilize oligosaccharides resulting from the action of BpGH16MLG. Disentangling the ß-glucan utilizing the capability of B. producta provides a rational basis on which to consider the probiotic potential of this class of organism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HfxZr1−xO2 (HZO) ceramics with x = 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75 were prepared by conventional solid-state reaction technique. Structural studies of the synthesized stoichiometric compounds were done by X-ray diffraction. The microstructure/morphology and composition of ceramics were obtained with field emission-scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray, respectively. Impedance spectroscopic studies were done to study the temperature-dependent and frequency-dependent dielectric properties. The dielectric constants at 10 kHz of HfxZr1−xO2 ceramics were increased from 17 to 40 with Hf varying from 0.25 to 0.75 at ambient conditions. Ferroelectric studies were also done on these compositions with the help of a polarization-electric field plot and are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • 49 compounds of imidazo[1,2- a ]pyridines with different aminomethyl thiomethyl and oxomethyl moieties were synthesized. • 5b showed anti-proliferative activity at 3.5 μM in HCT-116 cells in time dependent manner and no toxicity in normal cells. • ROS generation, decreased MMP and induced morphological changes in HCT-116 by 5b validate the apoptosis mechanism. • Anticancer potential of compound 5b was correlated with up regulation of PTEN and subsequent caspase-3 cleavage. • 5b displayed strong binding at the active site of PI3Kα with the dock score of −6.932. A library of 49 analogs of imidazo[1,2- a ]pyridine with 2-halo, aryl, styryl and phenylethynyl-substitution at C-2 position and N-/O-/S-methyl linkage at C-3 position, have been synthesized and evaluated for their anti-proliferative activity against breast (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231), pancreatic (MiaPaca-2), lung (A549), prostate (PC-3) and colon (HCT-116) cancer cell lines and normal cells (HEK-293). Among the screened compounds, 5b exhibited best anticancer potential in all tested cancer cells with IC 50 ranging from 3.5 to 61.1 µM and no toxicity in normal cells. Further, mechanistic study of 5b revealed concentration dependent increased generation of ROS, reduced mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), surface and nuclear morphological alterations and inhibition of colony formation in HCT-116 cells. Western blot results had shown that the cell death in HCT-116 colon cancer cells was achieved through the induction of apoptosis via upregulation of the PTEN gene and downregulation of AKT pathway. Similarly, 5b treatment induced caspase-3 cleavage which is a hallmark of apoptosis. Molecular docking and binding energy (ΔG) studies of hit 5b with respect to three important cancer targets (EGFR, mTOR and PI3Kα) revealed strong binding of inhibitor with PI3Kα (docking score −6.932 and ΔG −56.297). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malware remains a persistent threat to industrial operations, causing disruptions and financial losses. Traditional malware detection approaches struggle with the increasing complexity of false positives and negatives. However, existing Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs) often lack the capability to assess the severity of detected malware, crucial for effective threat mitigation. This paper presents a novel model, MAlware DEtection and Severity Analysis for eNcrypted Traffic (MADESANT), designed to detect and analyze malware severity in encrypted traffic data. MADESANT combines Deep Learning (DL)-based intrusion detection with Machine Learning (ML)-based severity analysis, specifically customized for the minutiae of IoT systems and assets. Notably, MADESANT introduces a cascading model integrating a Cascading Forward Back Propagation Neural Network (CFBPNN) with the J48 tree to systematically assess risk factors in network traffic. Our assessment, conducted on diverse encrypted datasets including UNSW-NB15, IoT23, and XIIoTID, highlights the remarkable efficacy of MADESANT. Impressively, it achieves a flawless 0% false positive rate in detecting binary attack instances, surpassing benchmarks set by conventional models. Additionally, MADESANT excels in accurately estimate malware severity, providing invaluable insights into the factors contributing to the risk. To further validate its efficiency, we compared MADESANT against prevalent Neural Network models like FeedForward and Recurrent Neural Networks, with MADESANT emerging as the superior choice. The experimentation encompasses both the entire dataset and subsets generated through meticulous risk factor analysis. These results underscore MADESANT’s prowess in not only identifying malware but also in evaluating its potential impact, signifying a significant leap forward in industrial cybersecurity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present investigation, biocorrosion behaviour of novel Mg-based multicomponent low-entropy alloy (Mg70Al18Zn6Ca4Y2 LEA), fabricated using disintegrated melt deposition technique has been evaluated. The electrochemical behaviour of this Mg LEA alloy at different simulated body fluid solutions, such as [artificial blood plasma (ABP), pH 7.4], [phosphate buffer saline (PBS), pH 7.4], [Hank's balanced salt solution (HBSS), pH 7.4] and artificial saliva solution (ASS, pH 6.2) has been studied using Potentio-dynamic polarization test followed by qualitative analysis attained from electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Further, the surfaces of the corroded samples were examined using scanning electron microscopy and its chemical composition were analysed using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The results show significant passive behaviour and improved corrosion resistance for sample in ASS solution compared to the ABP, PBS and HBSS. The rank of the Mg LEA alloy based on the corrosion resistance is in the following order: ABP