Search

The outbreak of epidemiological diseases creates a major impact on humanity as well as on the world's economy. The consequence of such infectious diseases affects the survival of mankind. The government has to stand up to the negative influence of these epidemiological diseases and facilitate society with medical resources and economical support. In recent times, COVID-19 has been one of the epidemiological diseases that created lethal effects and a greater slump in the economy. Therefore, the prediction of outbreaks is essential for epidemiological diseases. It may be either frequent or sudden infections in society. The unexpected raise in the application of prediction models in recent years is outstanding. A study on these epidemiological prediction models and their usage from the year 2018 onwards is highlighted in this article. The popularity of various prediction approaches is emphasized and summarized in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the precise molecular mechanisms responsible for neuronal death and motor dysfunction in late-onset Parkinson's disease (PD) are unknown, evidence suggests that mitochondrial dysfunction and neuroinflammation occur early, leading to a collective increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and oxidative stress. However, the lack of methods for tracking oxidative stress in the living brain has precluded its use as a potential biomarker. The goal of the current study is to address this need through the evaluation of the first superoxide (O2•−)-sensitive radioactive tracer, [18F]ROStrace, in a model of late-onset PD. To achieve this goal, MitoPark mice with a dopaminergic (DA) neuron-specific deletion of transcription factor A mitochondrial (Tfam) were imaged with [18F]ROStrace from the prodromal phase to the end-stage of PD-like disease. Our data demonstrate [18F]ROStrace was sensitive to increased oxidative stress during the early stages of PD-like pathology in MitoPark mice, which persisted throughout the disease course. Similarly to PD patients, MitoPark males had the most severe parkinsonian symptoms and metabolic impairment. [18F]ROStrace retention was also highest in MitoPark males, suggesting oxidative stress as a potential mechanism underlying the male sex bias of PD. Furthermore, [18F]ROStrace may provide a method to identify patients at risk of Parkinson's before irreparable neurodegeneration occurs and enhance clinical trial design by identifying patients most likely to benefit from antioxidant therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), is a highly destructive lepidopteran pest known for its extensive feeding on maize (Zea mays L.) and other crops, resulting in a substantial reduction in crop yields. Understanding the metabolic response of maize to FAW infestation is essential for effective pest management and crop protection. Metabolomics, a powerful analytical tool, provides insights into the dynamic changes in maize's metabolic profile in response to FAW infestation. This review synthesizes recent advancements in metabolomics research focused on elucidating maize's metabolic responses to FAW and other lepidopteran pests. It discusses the methodologies used in metabolomics studies and highlights significant findings related to the identification of specific metabolites involved in FAW defense mechanisms. Additionally, it explores the roles of various metabolites, including phytohormones, secondary metabolites, and signaling molecules, in mediating plant–FAW interactions. The review also examines potential applications of metabolomics data in developing innovative strategies for integrated pest management and breeding maize cultivars resistant to FAW by identifying key metabolites and associated metabolic pathways involved in plant–FAW interactions. To ensure global food security and maximize the potential of using metabolomics in enhancing maize resistance to FAW infestation, further research integrating metabolomics with other omics techniques and field studies is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Floods are highly destructive natural disasters. Climate change and urbanization greatly impact their severity and frequency. Understanding flood causes in urban areas is essential due to significant economic and social impacts. Hydrological data and satellite imagery are critical for assessing and managing flood effects. This study uses satellite images, climate anomalies, reservoir data, and cyclonic activity to examine the 2015 and 2023 floods in Chennai, Kanchipuram, and Thiruvallur districts, Tamil Nadu. Synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) satellite data were used to delineate flood extents, and this information was integrated with reservoir data to understand the hydrological dynamics of floods. The classification and regression tree (CART) model delineates flood zones in Chennai, Kanchipuram, and Thiruvallur during the flood years. The study region is highly susceptible to climatic events such as monsoons and cyclones, leading to recurrent flooding. The region's reservoirs discharged floodwaters exceeding 35,000 cubic meters per second in 2015 and 15,000 cubic meters per second in 2023. Further, the study examines the roles of the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), which reached its peak values of 0.33 and 3.96 (positive IOD), and El Niño in causing floods here. The complex network of waterways and large reservoirs poses challenges for flood management. This research offers valuable insights for improving the region's flood preparedness, response strategies, and overall disaster management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dental resin composites are widely used in clinical settings but often face longevity issues due to the development and accumulation of microcracks, which eventually lead to larger cracks and restoration failure. The incorporation of microcapsules into these resins has been explored to introduce self-healing capability, potentially extending the lifespan of the restorations. This study aims to enhance the performance of self-healing dental resins by optimizing the microcapsules–resin matrix physicochemical interactions. Poly(urea–formaldehyde) (PUF) microcapsules were reinforced with melamine and subsequently subjected to surface functionalization with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) and (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane (MPTMS). Additionally, microcapsules were functionalized with a bilayer approach, incorporating tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) with either APTES or MPTMS. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) confirmed an increased Si:C ratio from 0.006 to 0.165. The functionalization process did not adversely affect the structure of the microcapsules or their healing agent volume. Compared to PUF controls, the functionalized microcapsules demonstrated enhanced healing efficiency, with TEOS/MPTMS-functionalized microcapsules showing the highest performance, showing a toughness recovery of up to 35%. This work introduces a novel approach to functionalization of microcapsules by employing advanced silanizing agents such as APTES and MPTMS, and pioneering bilayer functionalization protocols through their combination with TEOS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers are currently exploring the anticipated sixth-generation (6G) wireless communication network, poised to deliver minimal latency, reduced power consumption, extensive coverage, high-level security, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability. Quality of Service (QoS) improvements can be attained through effective resource management facilitated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) techniques. This paper proposes two models for enhancing QoS through efficient and sustainable resource allocation and optimization of base stations. The first model, a Hybrid Quantum Deep Learning approach, incorporates Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). CNNs handle resource allocation, network reconfiguration, and slice aggregation tasks, while RNNs are employed for functions like load balancing and error detection. The second model introduces a novel neural network named the Base Station Optimizer net. This network includes various parameters as input and output information about the condition of the base station within the network. Node coverage, number of users, node count and user locations, operating frequency, etc., are different parametric inputs considered for evaluation, providing a binary decision (ON or SLEEP) for each base station. A dynamic allocation strategy aims for network lifetime maximization, ensuring sustainable operations and power consumption are minimized across the network by 2 dB. The QoS performance of the Hybrid Quantum Deep Learning model is evaluated for many devices based on slice characteristics and congestion scenarios to attain an impressive overall accuracy of 98%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose of review: This review investigates the oral microbiome's composition, functions, influencing factors, connections to oral and systemic diseases, and personalized oral care strategies. Recent findings: The oral microbiome is a complex ecosystem consisting of bacteria, fungi, archaea, and viruses that contribute to oral health. Various factors, such as diet, smoking, alcohol consumption, lifestyle choices, and medical conditions, can affect the balance of the oral microbiome and lead to dysbiosis, which can result in oral health issues like dental caries, gingivitis, periodontitis, oral candidiasis, and halitosis. Importantly, our review explores novel associations between the oral microbiome and systemic diseases including gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, endocrinal, and neurological conditions, autoimmune diseases, and cancer. We comprehensively review the efficacy of interventions like dental probiotics, xylitol, oral rinses, fluoride, essential oils, oil pulling, and peptides in promoting oral health by modulating the oral microbiome. Summary: This review emphasizes the critical functions of the oral microbiota in dental and overall health, providing insights into the effects of microbial imbalances on various diseases. It underlines the significant connection between the oral microbiota and general health. Furthermore, it explores the advantages of probiotics and other dental care ingredients in promoting oral health and addressing common oral issues, offering a comprehensive strategy for personalized oral care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to a rise in industrial pollutants in modern life, the climate and energy crisis have grown more widespread. One of the best ways to deal with dye degradation, hydrogen production, and carbon dioxide reduction issues is the photocatalytic technique. Among various methods, catalytic technology has demonstrated tremendous promise in recent years as a cheap, sustainable, and environmentally benign technology. The expeditious establishment of carbon-based metal nanoparticles as catalysts in the disciplines of materials and chemical engineering for catalytic applications triggered by visible light is largely attributed to their advancement. There have been many wonderful catalysts created, but there are still many obstacles to overcome, which include the cost of catalysts being reduced and their effectiveness being increased. Carbon-based materials exhibit a unique combination of characteristics that make them ideal catalysts for various reaction types. These characteristics include an exceptional electrical conductivity, well-defined structures at the nanoscale, inherent water repellency, and the ability to tailor surface properties for specific applications. This versatility allows them to be effective in diverse catalytic processes, encompassing organic transformations and photocatalysis. The emergence of carbon-based nanostructured materials, including fullerenes, carbon dots, carbon nanotubes, graphitic carbon nitride, and graphene, presents a promising alternative to conventional catalysts. This review focuses on the diverse functionalities of these materials within the realm of catalysis materials for degradation, hydrogen production, and carbon dioxide reduction. Additionally, it explores the potential for their commercialization, delving into the underlying mechanisms and key factors that influence their performance. It is anticipated that this review will spur more research to develop high-performance carbon-based materials for environmental applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nuclear lamins, a type V intermediate filament, are crucial components of the nuclear envelope's inner layer, maintaining nuclear integrity and mediating interactions between the nucleus and cytoplasm. Research on human iPSC-derived cells and animal models has demonstrated the importance of lamins in cardiac and skeletal muscle development and function. Mutations in lamins result in laminopathies, a group of diseases including muscular dystrophies, Hutchison–Gilford progeria syndrome, and cardiomyopathies with conduction defects. These conditions have been linked to disrupted autophagy, mTOR, Nrf2-Keap, and proteostasis signaling pathways, indicating complex interactions between the nucleus and cytoplasm. Despite progress in understanding these pathways, many questions remain about the mechanisms driving lamin-induced pathologies, leading to limited therapeutic options. This review examines the current literature on dysregulated pathways in cardiac and skeletal muscle laminopathies and explores potential therapeutic strategies for these conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we describe the supervised dynamic correlated topic model (sDCTM) for classifying categorical time series. This model extends the correlated topic model used for analyzing textual documents to a supervised framework that features dynamic modeling of latent topics. sDCTM treats each time series as a document and each categorical value in the time series as a word in the document. We assume that the observed time series is generated by an underlying latent stochastic process. We develop a state-space framework to model the dynamic evolution of the latent process, i.e., the hidden thematic structure of the time series. Our model provides a Bayesian supervised learning (classification) framework using a variational Kalman filter EM algorithm. The E-step and M-step, respectively, approximate the posterior distribution of the latent variables and estimate the model parameters. The fitted model is then used for the classification of new time series and for information retrieval that is useful for practitioners. We assess our method using simulated data. As an illustration to real data, we apply our method to promoter sequence identification data to classify E. coli DNA sub-sequences by uncovering hidden patterns or motifs that can serve as markers for promoter presence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examines the significance of restoring efficient water management systems in India's semiarid environment, with special emphasis on the role of traditional irrigation structures, such as tanks, in collecting and storing limited water resources. Assessing the benefits of any restoration program, especially when socioeconomic and environmental benefits are involved, is challenging. In the context of tank rehabilitation, a cost-benefit analysis will be conducted regarding economic and ecological returns in the post-desiltation phase. Since the restoration process requires a significant investment, assessing the project's viability during the planning stage is better. The present study proposes a novel method to indirectly analyse the cost-benefit of the tank restoration process by correlating run-off and storage capacity of tanks before the planning phase. The Ambuliyar sub-basin, which covers an area of 930 square kilometres in Tamil Nadu, India, comprising 181 tanks (water bodies) of varying sizes and shapes, was taken for this study. This study employed the Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN) method, incorporating factors such as soil type, land cover, land use practices, and advanced remote sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) tools to simulate surface run-off. Run-off volume and tank capacity were compared for all seasons at the micro-watershed level. The results demonstrated that the run-off volume in each micro-watershed significantly exceeded the tank capacity across all seasons. Even during the summer, the run-off volumes in the micro-watershed were considerably higher than the tank capacity. The findings suggest tank restoration can effectively store run-off and significantly fulfil agricultural and other essential needs throughout the year, thereby improving the local rural economy. This study also highlights the need for periodic maintenance and rehabilitation of these tank systems to retain their functionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cargo encapsulation through emulsion-based methods has been pondered over the years. Although several microemulsification techniques have been employed for the microcapsule's synthesis, there are still no clear guidelines regarding the suitability of one technique over the others or the impacts on the morphological and physicochemical stability of the final particles. Therefore, in this systematic study, we investigated the influence of synthesis parameters on the fabrication of emulsion-based microcapsules concerning morphological and physicochemical properties. Using poly(urea-formaldehyde) (PUF) microcapsules as a model system, and after determining the optimal core/shell ratio, we tested three different microemulsification techniques (magnetic stirring, ultrasonication, and mechanical stirring) and two different cargo types (100% TEGDMA (Triethylene glycol dimethacrylate) and 80% TEGDMA + 20% DMAM (N,N-Dimethylacrylamide)). The resulting microcapsules were characterized via optical and scanning electron microscopies, followed by size distribution analysis. The encapsulation efficiency was obtained through the extraction method, and the percentage reaction yield was calculated. Physicochemical properties were assessed by incubating the microcapsules under different osmotic pressures for 1 day and 1, 2, or 4 weeks. The data were analyzed statistically with one-way ANOVA and Tukey's tests (α = 0.05). Overall, the mechanical stirring resulted in the most homogeneous and stable microcapsules, with an increased reaction yield from 100% to 50% in comparison with ultrasonication and magnetic methods, respectively. The average microcapsule diameter ranged from 5 to 450 µm, with the smallest ones in the ultrasonication and the largest ones in the magnetic stirring groups. The water affinities of the encapsulated cargo influenced the microcapsule formation and stability, with the incorporation of DMAM leading to more homogeneous and stable microcapsules. Environmental osmotic pressure led to cargo loss or the selective swelling of the shells. In summary, this systematic investigation provides insights and highlights commonly overlooked factors that can influence microcapsule fabrication and guide the choice based on a diligent analysis of therapeutic niche requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increased use of chemicals in rice farming poses significant issues regarding the emergence of pesticide/fungicide resistance and environmental sustainability concerns. This study was aimed at the genetic improvement of blast, bacterial leaf blight (BB) and gall midge resistance in a popular rice variety CO 51 which already harbours a blast resistance gene Pi54. Efforts were made to pyramid an additional blast resistance gene Pi9 along with two BB resistance genes (xa13 and Xa21) and two gall midge resistance genes (Gm1 and Gm4) into an elite rice variety CO 51 to enhance the resistance level to biotic stresses. The superior lines were selected using functional markers conferring resistance to blast (NBS4 and Pi54MAS linked to Pi9 and Pi54 genes, respectively) and BB [(xa13Prom (xa13) and pTA248 (Xa21)] and SSR markers linked to Gm1 (RM1328) and Gm4 (RM22550) for phenotypic screening and agronomic evaluation. The genotyping and phenotyping of F6 and BC2F6 progenies of CO 51 X 562-4, for agronomic traits and resistance to BB and blast, identified ten superior progenies in F6 and five superior progenies in BC2F6. The breeding lines harbouring both xa13+Xa21 exhibited high levels of resistance to BB (score ≤ 1 cm) and Pi9+Pi54 exhibited strong resistance to blast (score ≤ 2). Identified lines can be evaluated further for varietal improvement or utilised as genetic stocks in breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of SO (shrimp oil) at various levels (5, 10, and 15%) on the stability of mayonnaise was investigated. Droplet size (d32 and d43), polydispersity index, and microstructure results showed an upsurge in droplet sizes with augmenting level of SO in mayonnaise (5 to 15%) (p < 0.05). SO imparted a bright orange color to the mayonnaise as evidenced by increased a* and b* values with lower L* values (p < 0.05). Moreover, the impact of a fish myofibrillar protein (FMP) substitution for egg yolk (0, 25, 50, 75%) in mayonnaise containing SO (5% and 10%) was also studied. Increasing the level of FMP substitution in SO-added mayonnaise showed a dilution effect and reduced a* and b* values (p < 0.05). In addition, excessive FMP substitution up to 75% drastically increased centrifugal and thermal creaming indices, indicating lowered stability (p < 0.05). Nevertheless, with the augmenting FMP substitutions, the viscosity, texture, and rheological properties in mayonnaise became lower (p < 0.05). However, there were no differences in overall acceptability scores between 5% SO-added mayonnaise with 25% FMP substitution (SO5:FMP25) and 5% SO-added mayonnaise without FMP substitution (SO5:FMP0) (p > 0.05). A confocal laser scanning microscopic (CLSM) study revealed a smaller droplet and less aggregation in the SO5:FMP0 sample, compared to SO5:FMP25. The incorporation of SO and FMP substitution yielded the resulting mayonnaise, which met the requirements of a healthy food since SO is rich in PUFA and the replacement of egg yolk by FMP can contribute several health benefits. The incorporation of SO as well as FMP as substitution for egg yolk therefore has potential in the development of functional foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gene therapy holds promise as a life-changing option for individuals with genetic variants that give rise to disease. FDA-approved gene therapies for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy, β-Thalassemia, hemophilia A/B, retinal dystrophy, and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy have generated buzz around the ability to change the course of genetic syndromes. However, this excitement risks over-expansion into areas of genetic disease that may not fit the current state of gene therapy. While in situ (targeted to an area) and ex vivo (removal of cells, delivery, and administration of cells) approaches show promise, they have a limited target ability. Broader in vivo gene therapy trials have shown various continued challenges, including immune response, use of immune suppressants correlating to secondary infections, unknown outcomes of overexpression, and challenges in driving tissue-specific corrections. Viral delivery systems can be associated with adverse outcomes such as hepatotoxicity and lethality if uncontrolled. In some cases, these risks are far outweighed by the potentially lethal syndromes for which these systems are being developed. Therefore, it is critical to evaluate the field of genetic diseases to perform cost–benefit analyses for gene therapy. In this work, we present the current state while setting forth tools and resources to guide informed directions to avoid foreseeable issues in gene therapy that could prevent the field from continued success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Current means of bladder cancer diagnosis are invasive or lack sensitivity. Dysbiosis of the urinary microbiome has been implicated in the development of bladder cancer, though its potential as a diagnostic tool is unknown. This study attempts to characterize bladder cancer-specific dysbiosis of the urinary microbiome to explore its diagnostic potential. Numerous species were observed to be differentially abundant between the urine samples of patients with bladder cancer and healthy individuals. Specific immune modulations were observed with respect to these species, as was the enrichment of select pathways known to be implicated in the progression of bladder cancer. The study suggests that the urinary microbiome may reflect dysregulations of the tumor microenvironment. Further investigation may reveal the potential of the identified species as urinary biomarkers of this disease. In this way, the urinary microbiome may allow for the noninvasive and earlier detection of bladder cancer, regardless of stage or subtype. There are a total of 82,290 new cases and 16,710 deaths estimated for bladder cancer in the United States in 2023. Currently, urine cytology tests are widely used for bladder cancer diagnosis, though they suffer from variable sensitivity, ranging from 45 to 97%. More recently, the microbiome has become increasingly recognized for its role in human diseases, including cancers. This study attempts to characterize urinary microbiome bladder cancer-specific dysbiosis to explore its diagnostic potential. RNA-sequencing data of urine samples from patients with bladder cancer (n = 18) and matched controls (n = 12) were mapped to bacterial sequences to yield species-level abundance approximations. Urine samples were analyzed at both the population and species level to reveal dysbiosis associated with bladder cancer. A panel of 35 differentially abundant species was discovered, which may be useful as urinary biomarkers for this disease. We further assessed whether these species were of similar significance in a validation dataset (n = 81), revealing that the genera Escherichia, Acinetobacter, and Enterobacter were consistently differentially abundant. We discovered distinct patterns of microbial-associated immune modulation in these samples. Several immune pathways were found to be significantly enriched with respect to the abundance of these species, including antigen processing and presentation, cytosolic DNA sensing, and leukocyte transendothelial migration. Differential cytokine activity was similarly observed, suggesting the urinary microbiome's correlation to immune modulation. The adherens junction and WNT signaling pathways, both implicated in the development and progression of bladder cancer, were also enriched with these species. Our findings indicate that the urinary microbiome may reflect both microbial and immune dysregulations of the tumor microenvironment in bladder cancer. Given the potential biomarker species identified, the urinary microbiome may provide a non-invasive, more sensitive, and more specific diagnostic tool, allowing for the earlier diagnosis of patients with bladder cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the advent of the "Internet of Things" (IoT), insurers are increasingly leveraging remote sensor technology in the development of novel insurance products and risk management programs. For example, Hartford Steam Boiler's (HSB) IoT freeze loss program uses IoT temperature sensors to monitor indoor temperatures in locations at high risk of water-pipe burst (freeze loss) with the goal of reducing insurances losses via real-time monitoring of the temperature data streams. In the event these monitoring systems detect a potentially risky temperature environment, an alert is sent to the end-insured (business manager, tenant, maintenance staff, etc.), prompting them to take remedial action by raising temperatures. In the event that an alert is sent and freeze loss occurs, the firm is not liable for any damages incurred by the event. For the program to be effective, there must be a reliable method of verifying if customers took appropriate corrective action after receiving an alert. Due to the program's scale, direct follow up via text or phone calls is not possible for every alert event. In addition, direct feedback from customers is not necessarily reliable. In this paper, we propose the use of a non-linear, auto-regressive time series model, coupled with the time series intervention analysis method known as causal impact, to directly evaluate whether or not a customer took action directly from IoT temperature streams. Our method offers several distinct advantages over other methods as it is (a) readily scalable with continued program growth, (b) entirely automated, and (c) inherently less biased than human labelers or direct customer response. We demonstrate the efficacy of our method using a sample of actual freeze alert events from the freeze loss program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant water loss caused by pipeline leaks emphasizes the importance of effective pipeline leak detection and localization techniques to minimize water wastage. All of the state-of-the-art approaches use deep learning (DL) for leak detection and cross-correlation for leak localization. The existing methods' complexity is very high, as they detect and localize the leak using two different architectures. This paper aims to present an independent architecture with a single sensor for detecting and localizing leaks with enhanced performance. The proposed approach combines a novel EMD with an optimal mode selector, an MFCC, and a two-dimensional convolutional neural network (2DCNN). The suggested technique uses acousto-optic sensor data from a real-time water pipeline setup in UTAR, Malaysia. The collected data are noisy, redundant, and a one-dimensional time series. So, the data must be denoised and prepared before being fed to the 2DCNN for detection and localization. The proposed novel EMD with an optimal mode selector denoises the one-dimensional time series data and identifies the desired IMF. The desired IMF is passed to the MFCC and then to 2DCNN to detect and localize the leak. The assessment criteria employed in this study are prediction accuracy, precision, recall, F-score, and R-squared. The existing MFCC helps validate the proposed method's leak detection-only credibility. This paper also implements EMD variants to show the novel EMD's importance with the optimal mode selector algorithm. The reliability of the proposed novel EMD with an optimal mode selector, an MFCC, and a 2DCNN is cross-verified with cross-correlation. The findings demonstrate that the novel EMD with an optimal mode selector, an MFCC, and a 2DCNN surpasses the alternative leak detection-only methods and leak detection and localization methods. The proposed leak detection method gives 99.99% accuracy across all the metrics. The proposed leak detection and localization method's prediction accuracy is 99.54%, precision is 98.92%, recall is 98.86%, F-score is 98.89%, and R-square is 99.09%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Needle abscission in balsam fir has been linked to both cold acclimation and changes in lipid composition. The overall objective of this research is to uncover lipid changes in balsam fir during cold acclimation and link those changes with postharvest abscission. Branches were collected monthly from September to December and were assessed for cold tolerance via membrane leakage and chlorophyll fluorescence changes at −5, −15, −25, −35, and −45 °C. Lipids were extracted and analyzed using mass spectrometry while postharvest needle abscission was determined gravimetrically. Cold tolerance and needle retention each significantly (p < 0.001) improved throughout autumn in balsam fir. There were concurrent increases in DGDG, PC, PG, PE, and PA throughout autumn as well as a decrease in MGDG. Those same lipids were strongly related to cold tolerance, though MGDG had the strongest relationship (R2 = 55.0% and 42.7% from membrane injury and chlorophyll fluorescence, respectively). There was a similar, albeit weaker, relationship between MGDG:DGDG and needle retention (R2 = 24.3%). Generally, a decrease in MGDG:DGDG ratio resulted in better cold tolerance and higher needle retention in balsam fir, possibly due to increased membrane stability. This study confirms the degree of cold acclimation in Nova Scotian balsam fir and presents practical significance to industry by identifying the timing of peak needle retention. It is suggested that MGDG:DGDG might be a beneficial tool for screening balsam fir genotypes with higher needle retention characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stable, drought-tolerant, and high-yielding dual-purpose hybrids are needed for cultivation in the drought-prone areas of India. Working towards this, this study was conducted to assess the associations between grain yield and its component traits and the relationships among genotypes to select the most promising hybrids based on multiple traits. In the present investigation, thirty newly developed three-way hybrids (TWHs), along with four popular commercial single-cross hybrids and two open pollinated varieties (OPVs) were evaluated at three sites in the drought-prone ecology of India during the rainy season of 2021–2022. A principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that the first three component axes (PC) were significant, with eigenvalues more than one, and together contributed to 74.10% of the total variance. A hierarchical cluster analysis based on the Euclidean distance between hybrids suggested the existence of three clusters. Cluster III (C-III) had hybrids with maximum grain yield, dry fodder yield, and important component traits such as panicle harvest index and grain harvest index that are required for adaptation to drought-prone environments. A genotype by yield × trait (GYT) biplot and a superiority index (SI) were generated to identify the best hybrids with high grain yield and other component traits. These results were used to identify TWHs, namely TH-114, TH-138, TH-49, TH-67, and TH-79, with more than 30% standard heterosis and stable performance coupled with better drought-adaptive traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollution has become a global health issue, affecting millions of people annually. It is essential to obtain accurate and up-to-date information on air quality levels to reduce the impact of air pollution on human health. Traditional air quality monitoring methods are limited by spatial coverage and the time required for sample collection and analysis. However, the Internet of Things (IoT), drone technology, and Geographic Information System (GIS) technology have enabled the development of real-time air quality monitoring systems that provide accurate and up-to-date information on air quality levels across large areas. The study found that gas concentration varied significantly at different heights, with the highest concentration at 3 m from the ground and the lowest at 9 m. The concentration of gases also varied by month, with the highest concentration of CO recorded in March at 45 ppm at 3 m, and the highest concentration of NH4 recorded in September at 66.7 ppm at 3 m. Kodungaiyur dump yard needs environmental monitoring due to the high levels of environmental pollution and health risks caused by unsegregated waste. In conclusion, developing real-time air quality monitoring systems using GIS technology is necessary to obtain accurate and up-to-date information on air quality levels. It is essential to monitor the Kodungaiyur dump yard and other, similar sites regularly to prevent the health risks associated with environmental pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field of dental materials is undergoing rapid advancements in the pursuit of an innovative generation of dental polymeric restorative materials. There is a growing interest in the development of a distinct category of dental polymers that transcend the conventional role of inertly filling prepared cavities. Instead, these materials possess the capacity to actively detect and respond to alterations within the host environment by undergoing dynamic and controlled molecular changes. Despite the well-established status of stimuli-responsive polymeric systems in other fields, their implementation in dentistry is still in its nascent stages, presenting a multitude of promising opportunities for advancement. These systems revolve around the fundamental concept of harnessing distinctive stimuli inherent in the oral environment to trigger precise, targeted, predictable, and demand-driven responses through molecular modifications within the polymeric network. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the diverse categories of stimuli-responsive polymers, accentuating the critical aspects that must be considered during their design and development phases. Furthermore, it evaluates their current application in the dental field while exploring potential alternatives for future advancements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurotoxic side effects of chemotherapy include deficits in attention, memory, and executive functioning. Currently, there are no FDA-approved therapies. In mice, cisplatin causes long-term cognitive deficits, white matter damage, mitochondrial dysfunction, and loss of synaptic integrity. We hypothesized that MSC-derived small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) could restore cisplatin-induced cognitive impairments and brain damage. Animals were injected with cisplatin intraperitoneally and treated with MSC-derived sEVs intranasally 48 and 96 h after the last cisplatin injection. The puzzle box test (PBT) and the novel object place recognition test (NOPRT) were used to determine cognitive deficits. Synaptosomal mitochondrial morphology was analyzed by transmission electron microscopy. Immunohistochemistry using antibodies against synaptophysin and PSD95 was applied to assess synaptic loss. Black-Gold II staining was used to quantify white matter integrity. Our data show that sEVs enter the brain in 30 min and reverse the cisplatin-induced deficits in executive functioning and working and spatial memory. Abnormalities in mitochondrial morphology, loss of white matter, and synaptic integrity in the hippocampus were restored as well. Transcriptomic analysis revealed upregulation of regenerative functions after treatment with sEVs, pointing to a possible role of axonal guidance signaling, netrin signaling, and Wnt/Ca2+ signaling in recovery. Our data suggest that intranasal sEV treatment could become a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of chemobrain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent identification of four additional polyaminopathies, including Bachmann–Bupp syndrome, have benefited from previous research on Snyder–Robinson syndrome in order to advance from research to treatment more quickly. As a result of the discovery of these conditions, the potential for treatment within this pathway, and for other possible unidentified polyaminopathies, the International Center for Polyamine Disorders (ICPD) was created to help promote understanding of these conditions, research opportunities, and appropriate care for families. This case study provides insights from two new patients diagnosed with Bachmann–Bupp syndrome, further expanding our understanding of this ultra-rare condition, as well as a general discussion about other known polyaminopathies. This work also presents considerations for collaborative research efforts across these conditions, along with others that are likely to be identified in time, and outlines the role that the ICPD hopes to fill as more patients with these polyaminopathies continue to be identified and diagnosed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wearable Sensor (WS) data accumulation and transmission are vital in analyzing the health status of patients and elderly people remotely. Through specific time intervals, the continuous observation sequences provide a precise diagnosis result. This sequence is however interrupted due to abnormal events or sensor or communicating device failures or even overlapping sensing intervals. Therefore, considering the significance of continuous data gathering and transmission sequence for WS, this article introduces a Concerted Sensor Data Transmission Scheme (CSDTS). This scheme endorses aggregation and transmission that aims at generating continuous data sequences. The aggregation is performed considering the overlapping and non-overlapping intervals from the WS sensing process. Such concerted data aggregation generates fewer chances of missing data. In the transmission process, allocated first-come-first-serve-based sequential communication is pursued. In the transmission scheme, a pre-verification of continuous or discrete (missing) transmission sequences is performed using classification tree learning. In the learning process, the accumulation and transmission interval synchronization and sensor data density are matched for preventing pre-transmission losses. The discrete classified sequences are thwarted from the communication sequence and are transmitted post the alternate WS data accumulation. This transmission type prevents sensor data loss and reduces prolonged wait times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aflatoxins are immunosuppressive and carcinogenic secondary metabolites, produced by the filamentous ascomycete Aspergillus flavus, that are hazardous to animal and human health. In this study, we show that multiplexed host-induced gene silencing (HIGS) of Aspergillus flavus genes essential for fungal sporulation and aflatoxin production (nsdC, veA, aflR, and aflM) confers enhanced resistance to Aspergillus infection and aflatoxin contamination in groundnut (<20 ppb). Comparative proteomic analysis of contrasting groundnut genotypes (WT and near-isogenic HIGS lines) supported a better understanding of the molecular processes underlying the induced resistance and identified several groundnut metabolites that might play a significant role in resistance to Aspergillus infection and aflatoxin contamination. Fungal differentiation and pathogenicity proteins, including calmodulin, transcriptional activator-HacA, kynurenine 3-monooxygenase 2, VeA, VelC, and several aflatoxin pathway biosynthetic enzymes, were downregulated in Aspergillus infecting the HIGS lines. Additionally, in the resistant HIGS lines, a number of host resistance proteins associated with fatty acid metabolism were strongly induced, including phosphatidylinositol phosphate kinase, lysophosphatidic acyltransferase-5, palmitoyl-monogalactosyldiacylglycerol Δ-7 desaturase, ceramide kinase-related protein, sphingolipid Δ-8 desaturase, and phospholipase-D. Combined, this knowledge can be used for groundnut pre-breeding and breeding programs to provide a safe and secure food supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nuclear factor, erythroid 2 like 2 (Nfe2l2 or Nrf2), is a transcription factor that protects cells by maintaining a homeostatic redox state during stress. The constitutive expression of Nrf2 (CaNrf2-TG) was previously shown to be pathological to the heart over time. We tested a hypothesis that the cardiac-specific expression of full length Nrf2 (mNrf2-TG) would moderately increase the basal antioxidant defense, triggering a pro-reductive environment leading to adaptive cardiac remodeling. Transgenic and non-transgenic (NTG) mice at 7–8 months of age were used to analyze the myocardial transcriptome, structure, and function. Next generation sequencing (NGS) for RNA profiling and qPCR-based validation of the NGS data, myocardial redox levels, and imaging (echocardiography) were performed. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that out of 14,665 identified mRNAs, 680 were differently expressed (DEG) in TG hearts. Of 680 DEGs, 429 were upregulated and 251 were downregulated significantly (FC > 2.0, p < 0.05). Gene set enrichment analysis revealed that the top altered pathways were (a) Nrf2 signaling, (b) glutathione metabolism and (c) ROS scavenging. A comparative analysis of the glutathione redox state in the hearts demonstrated significant differences between pro-reductive vs. hyper-reductive conditions (233 ± 36.7 and 380 ± 68.7 vs. 139 ± 8.6 µM/mg protein in mNrf2-TG and CaNrf2-TG vs. NTG). Genes involved in fetal development, hypertrophy, cytoskeletal rearrangement, histone deacetylases (HDACs), and GATA transcription factors were moderately increased in mNrf2-TG compared to CaNrf2-TG. Non-invasive echocardiography analysis revealed an increase in systolic function (ejection fraction) in mNrf2-TG, suggesting an adaptation, as opposed to pathological remodeling in CaNrf2-TG mice experiencing a hyper-reductive stress, leading to reduced survival (40% at 60 weeks). The effects of excess Nrf2-driven antioxidant transcriptome revealed a pro-reductive condition in the myocardium leading to an adaptive cardiac remodeling. While pre-conditioning the myocardial redox with excess antioxidants (i.e., pro-reductive state) could be beneficial against oxidative stress, a chronic pro-reductive environment in the myocardium might transition the adaptation to pathological remodeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aflatoxin contamination of maize is a major food safety issue worldwide. The problem is of special significance in African countries because maize is a staple food. This manuscript describes a low-cost, portable, non-invasive device for detecting and sorting aflatoxin-contaminated maize kernels. We developed a prototype employing a modified, normalized difference fluorescence index (NDFI) detection method to identify potentially aflatoxin-contaminated maize kernels. Once identified, these contaminated kernels can be manually removed by the user. The device consists of a fluorescence excitation light source, a tablet for image acquisition, and detection/visualization software. Two experiments using maize kernels artificially infected with toxigenic Aspergillus flavus were implemented to evaluate the performance and efficiency of the device. The first experiment utilized highly contaminated kernels (71.18 ppb), while mildly contaminated kernels (1.22 ppb) were used for the second experiment. Evidently, the combined approach of detection and sorting was effective in reducing aflatoxin levels in maize kernels. With a maize rejection rate of 1.02% and 1.34% in the two experiments, aflatoxin reduction was achieved at 99.3% and 40.7%, respectively. This study demonstrated the potential of using this low-cost and non-invasive fluorescence detection technology, followed by manual sorting, to significantly reduce aflatoxin levels in maize samples. This technology would be beneficial to village farmers and consumers in developing countries by enabling safer foods that are free of potentially lethal levels of aflatoxins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of varying concentrations of longkong pericarp extract (LPE) on the physicochemical properties of alginate-based edible nanoparticle coatings (NP-ALG) on shrimp. For developing the nanoparticles, the alginate coating emulsion with different LPE concentrations (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5%) was ultrasonicated at 210 W with a frequency of 20 kHz for 10 min and a pulse duration of 1s on and 4 off. After that, the coating emulsion was separated into four treatments (T): T1: Coating solution containing basic ALG composition and without the addition of LPE or ultrasonication treatment; T2: ALG coating solution converted into nano-sized particles with ultrasonication and containing 0.5% LPE; T3: ALG coating solution converted into nano-sized particles with ultrasonication and containing 1.0% LPE; T4: ALG coating solution converted into nano-sized particles with ultrasonication and containing 1.5% LPE. A control (C) was also used, where distilled water was used instead of ALG coating. Before coating the shrimp, all the coating materials were tested for pH, viscosity, turbidity, whiteness index, particle size, and polydispersity index. The control samples had the highest pH and whiteness index and was followed by the lowest viscosity and turbidity (p < 0.05). Among the T1–T4 coating materials, T4 coating had higher turbidity, particle size, polydispersity index, but lower pH, viscosity, and whiteness index (p < 0.05). To study the quality and shelf-life of the shrimp, all coated shrimp samples were refrigerated at 4 °C for a period of 14 days. At 2-day intervals, physiochemical and microbial analyses were performed. The coated shrimp also had a lower increase in pH and weight loss over the storage period (p < 0.05). Coatings containing 1.5% LPE significantly reduced the polyphenol oxidase activity in the shrimp (p > 0.05). The addition of LPE to NP-ALG coatings demonstrated dose-dependent antioxidant activity against protein and lipid oxidation. The highest LPE concentration (1.5%) led to increased total and reactive sulfhydryl content, along with a significant decrease in carbonyl content, peroxide value, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, p-anisidine, and totox values at the end of the storage period (p < 0.05). Additionally, NP-ALG-LPE coated shrimp samples exhibited an excellent antimicrobial property and significantly inhibited the growth of total viable count, lactic acid bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, and psychotropic bacteria during storage. These results suggested that NP-ALG-LPE 1.5% coatings effectively maintained the quality as well as extended the shelf-life of shrimp during 14 days of refrigerated storage. Therefore, the use of nanoparticle-based LPE edible coating could be a new and effective way to maintain the quality of shrimp during prolonged storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have previously reported that pathogenic variants in a key metabolite repair enzyme NAXD cause a lethal neurodegenerative condition triggered by episodes of fever in young children. However, the clinical and genetic spectrum of NAXD deficiency is broadening as our understanding of the disease expands and as more cases are identified. Here, we report the oldest known individual succumbing to NAXD-related neurometabolic crisis, at 32 years of age. The clinical deterioration and demise of this individual were likely triggered by mild head trauma. This patient had a novel homozygous NAXD variant [NM_001242882.1:c.441+3A>G:p.?] that induces the mis-splicing of the majority of NAXD transcripts, leaving only trace levels of canonically spliced NAXD mRNA, and protein levels below the detection threshold by proteomic analysis. Accumulation of damaged NADH, the substrate of NAXD, could be detected in the fibroblasts of the patient. In agreement with prior anecdotal reports in paediatric patients, niacin-based treatment also partly alleviated some clinical symptoms in this adult patient. The present study extends our understanding of NAXD deficiency by uncovering shared mitochondrial proteomic signatures between the adult and our previously reported paediatric NAXD cases, with reduced levels of respiratory complexes I and IV as well as the mitoribosome, and the upregulation of mitochondrial apoptotic pathways. Importantly, we highlight that head trauma in adults, in addition to paediatric fever or illness, may precipitate neurometabolic crises associated with pathogenic NAXD variants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work reports the synthesis of biomass derived activated carbon and its electrochemical behaviour in different electrolytes. Ricinus communis shell (RCS) was used as a raw material in this study for the synthesis of activated carbon (AC) following a high-temperature activation procedure using potassium hydroxide as the activating agent. The physical and structural characterization of the prepared Ricinus communis shell-derived activated carbon (RCS-AC) was carried by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis, X-ray diffraction analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Raman Spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy. The synthesized AC was electrochemically characterized using various techniques such as Cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge–discharge (GCD) tests, and Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements in different aqueous electrolytes (KOH, H2SO4, and Na2SO4). The results show that the double layer properties of the RCS-AC material in different electrolytes are distinct. In specific, the working electrode tested in 3 M KOH showed excellent electrochemical performance. It demonstrated a specific capacitance of 137 F g−1 (at 1 A g−1 in 3 M KOH) and exhibited high energy and power densities of 18.2 W hkg−1 and 663.4 W kg−1, respectively. The observed capacitance in 3 M KOH remains stable with 97.2% even after 5000 continuous charge and discharge cycles, indicating long-term stability. The study confirmed that the synthesized RCS-derived activated carbon (RCS-AC) exhibits good stability and physicochemical characteristics, making them commercially promising and appropriate for energy storage applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insulin is amongst the human genome's most well-studied genes/proteins due to its connection to metabolic health. Within this article, we review literature and data to build a knowledge base of Insulin (INS) genetics that influence transcription, transcript processing, translation, hormone maturation, secretion, receptor binding, and metabolism while highlighting the future needs of insulin research. The INS gene region has 2076 unique variants from population genetics. Several variants are found near the transcriptional start site, enhancers, and following the INS transcripts that might influence the readthrough fusion transcript INS–IGF2. This INS–IGF2 transcript splice site was confirmed within hundreds of pancreatic RNAseq samples, lacks drift based on human genome sequencing, and has possible elevated expression due to viral regulation within the liver. Moreover, a rare, poorly characterized African population-enriched variant of INS–IGF2 results in a loss of the stop codon. INS transcript UTR variants rs689 and rs3842753, associated with type 1 diabetes, are found in many pancreatic RNAseq datasets with an elevation of the 3′UTR alternatively spliced INS transcript. Finally, by combining literature, evolutionary profiling, and structural biology, we map rare missense variants that influence preproinsulin translation, proinsulin processing, dimer/hexamer secretory storage, receptor activation, and C-peptide detection for quasi-insulin blood measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aspergillus flavus is an opportunistic pathogen responsible for millions of dollars in crop losses annually and negative health impacts on crop consumers globally. A. flavus strains have the potential to produce aflatoxin and other toxic secondary metabolites, which often increase during plant colonization. To mitigate the impacts of this international issue, we employ a range of strategies to directly impact fungal physiology, growth and development, thus requiring knowledge on the underlying molecular mechanisms driving these processes. Here we utilize RNA-sequencing data that are obtained from in situ assays, whereby Zea mays kernels are inoculated with A. flavus strains, to select transcription factors putatively driving virulence-related gene networks. We demonstrate, through growth, sporulation, oxidative stress-response and aflatoxin/CPA analysis, that three A. flavus strains with knockout mutations for the putative transcription factors AFLA_089270, AFLA_112760, and AFLA_031450 demonstrate characteristics such as reduced growth capacity and decreased aflatoxin/CPA accumulation in kernels consistent with decreased fungal pathogenicity. Furthermore, AFLA_089270, also known as HacA, eliminates CPA production and impacts the fungus's capacity to respond to highly oxidative conditions, indicating an impact on plant colonization. Taken together, these data provide a sound foundation for elucidating the downstream molecular pathways potentially contributing to fungal virulence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Internet of Health Things (IoHT) has emerged as an attractive networking paradigm in wireless communications, integrated devices and embedded system technologies. In the IoHT, real-time health data are collected through smart healthcare sensors and, in recent years, the IoHT has started to have an important role in the Internet of Things technology. Although the IoHT provides comfort in health monitoring, it also imposes security challenges in maintaining patient data confidentiality and privacy. To overcome such security issues, in this paper, a novel blockchain-based privacy-preserving authentication scheme is proposed as an approach for achieving efficient authentication of the patient without the involvement of a trusted entity. Moreover, a secure handover authentication mechanism that ensures avoiding the patient re-authentication in multi-doctor communication scenarios and revoking the possible malicious misbehavior of medical professionals in the IoHT communication with the patient is developed. The performance of the proposed authentication and handover scheme is analyzed concerning the existing state-of-the-art authentication schemes. The results of the performance analyses reveal that the proposed authentication scheme is resistant to different types of security attacks. Moreover, the results of analyses show that the proposed authentication scheme outperforms similar state-of-the-art authentication schemes in terms of having lower computational, communication and storage costs. Therefore, the novel authentication and handover scheme has proven practical applicability and represents a valuable contribution to improving the security of communication in IoHT networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microgreens are immature young plants grown for their health benefits. A study was performed to evaluate the different mixed growing media on growth, chemical composition, and antioxidant activities of four microgreen species: namely, kale (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala), Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris var. cicla), arugula (Eruca vesicaria ssp. sativa), and pak choi (Brassica rapa var. chinensis). The growing media were T1.1 (30% vermicast + 30% sawdust + 10% perlite + 30% PittMoss (PM)); T2.1 (30% vermicast + 20% sawdust + 20% perlite + 30% PM); PM was replaced with mushroom compost in the respective media to form T1.2 and T2.2. Positive control (PC) was Pro-mix BX™ potting medium alone. Root length was the highest in T1.1 while the shoot length, root volume, and yield were highest in T2.2. Chlorophyll and carotenoid contents of Swiss chard grown in T1.1 was the highest, followed by T2.2 and T1.1. Pak choi and kale had the highest sugar and protein contents in T2.2, respectively. Consistently, total phenolics and flavonoids of the microgreens were increased by 1.5-fold in T1.1 and T2.2 compared to PC. Antioxidant enzyme activities were increased in all the four microgreens grown in T1.1 and T2.2. Overall, T2.2 was the most effective growing media to increase microgreens plant growth, yield, and biochemical composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Promoter is an important component to drive the expression of desirable genes in the genetic modification of plants. Constitutive promoters that direct the expression of genes at all times in all tissues may affect the growth and development of plants. Therefore, there is a need to increase the availability of promoters that are induced by different environmental stresses and/or developmental stages. Extremophiles, such as halophytes, which thrive under harsh environmental stresses, are considered important sources of such stress-inducible (or stress-enhanced) promoters. To this end, we isolated the promoter region of a stress-responsive gene SaAsr1 from a grass halophyte smooth cordgrass. Characterization of the promoter and its deletion derivatives identified several regulatory elements that contribute to the expression of a gene at varying degrees under salt and drought stress. A known stress-responsive gene expressed under the control of the stress-enhanced promoter reported here produced plants that were normal and healthy in comparison with constitutive promoters that produced plants with compromised growth. Our results further validated the reports that gene expression under stress-inducible/enhanced promoter is a better strategy for genetic engineering to develop stress-resilient crop plants. Stress-inducible promoters are vital for the desirable expression of genes, especially transcription factors, which could otherwise compromise growth and development when constitutively overexpressed in plants. Here, we report on the characterization of the promoter region of a stress-responsive gene SaAsr1 from monocot halophyte cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora). Several cis-acting elements, such as ABRE (ABA-responsive element), DRE-CRT (dehydration responsive-element/C-Repeat), LTRE (low temperature-responsive element), ERE (ethylene-responsive element), LRE (light-responsive element), etc. contributed at varying degrees to salt-, drought- and ABA-enhanced expression of gusA reporter gene in Arabidopsis thaliana under the full-length promoter, pAsr11875 and its deletion derivatives with an assortment of cis-regulatory motifs. The smallest promoter, pAsr1491, with three cis-acting elements (a CCAAT box-heat responsive, an LRE, and a copper responsive element) conferred drought-enhanced expression of gusA; pAsr1755 (with an ABRE and a DRE) presented the highest expression in ABA and drought; and pAsr1994 with seven ABREs and two DREs conferred optimal induction of gusA, especially under drought and ABA. Arabidopsis transgenics expressing a known abiotic stress-responsive gene, SaADF2 (actin depolymerization factor 2), under both pAsr11875 and p35S promoters outperformed the wild type (WT) with enhanced drought and salt tolerance contributed by higher relative water content and membrane stability with no significant difference between pAsr11875:SaADF2 or p35S:SaADF2 lines. However, pAsr11875:SaADF2 lines produced healthy plants with robust shoot systems under salt stress and control compared to slightly stunted growth of the p35S:SaADF2 plants. This reestablished the evidence that transgene expression under a stress-inducible promoter is a better strategy for the genetic manipulation of crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of ultrasonication (25 kHz for 10 min) on physical, thermal, and structural properties and storage stability of palm oil-based oleogels prepared using different concentrations of carnauba wax (CW) (5% or 10%) were investigated and compared with oleogels prepared with a homogenizer (2000 rpm for 10 min). Overall, this study found that applying an ultrasonication process with higher CW concentration (10%) effectively improved the properties and stability of palm oil-based oleogel (p < 0.05). Oleogels processed with ultrasonication had higher lightness (L*), higher yellowness (b*), and lower redness (a*) than those processed with homogenizer (p < 0.05), irrespective of CW concentrations. However, a higher CW concentration (10%) increased the textural properties of oleogels such as hardness, stickiness, and tackiness as compared to oleogels with a lower CW concentration (5%) (p < 0.05). Thermal properties including melting onset temperature, melting peak temperature, and melting enthalpy were found to be significantly higher in ultrasonication-processed oleogels with high CW concentration (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the microscopic examination of the oleogels exhibited a strong gel network when prepared using a high concentration of CW and processed with ultrasonication. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectra of oleogels revealed that strong intra- and intermolecular interactions were formed by hydrogen bonding between CW and palm oil. X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed a smooth and fine structural network of oleogels and proved that ultrasonication increased the structural properties of oleogel. Moreover, oil loss and peroxide value of oleogels were increased during 90 days of storage (p < 0.05). However, oleogels processed with the ultrasonication had reduced oil loss and increased peroxidation stability during storage (p < 0.05). Overall, this study showed that application of ultrasonication with a higher CW concentration could improve properties and storage stability of palm oil-based oleogel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile operators must increase investments in network infrastructures due to the emergent growth of the internet and technological advancements. Mobile operators consider cloud-RAN and software defined networking to be developing technologies that can reduce costs and increase scalability for fifth-generation mobile communication networks (5G). A base station consists of two important components, namely baseband (BBU) and remote radio head (RRH) units. Unbalanced data traffic can arise, leading to call dropping and call blocking. When network traffic conditions start to vary, the performance of the system becomes suboptimal. Self-optimization of the network is necessary to reduce the load of overloaded eNode's with more call blocking, that increase the load of underloaded eNode's with less utilization of resources. The main objective of a self-organizing network is to reduce call blocking and optimize an unbalanced network. The proposed algorithm is an enhanced version of the cat swarm optimization algorithm performed by the host manager entity to select the best BBU-RRH combination after analyzing the quality-of-service (QoS) information from the remaining BBU-RRH configurations. Optimization is carried out on each user after a QoS analysis for every new BBU-RRH combination. The proposed algorithm is implemented in Matlab R2020a and evaluation is conducted in terms of blocking probability, response time, and throughput. The simulation results show that the proposed ECSO optimization algorithm reduces blocking probability by 10%, throughput is increased by 8%, and response time is reduced by 7% as compared with the existing PSO and CSO algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the dental field, many people undergo an extreme fear of injections, which is referred to as trypanophobia. The medical procedures that involve injections in the dental field to create numbness raises a certain level of discomfort to all of the patients to an extent that the patients avoid treating their teeth or show an anxious or avoidance behavior. Hence, needle phobia is one of the more common phobias amongst people but was not officially recognized as a phobia in dentistry for a long time. In rural areas, some patients, mainly elderly people, might go away without treating their damaged tooth due to fear of injections. Aim: Thus, setting this as the major point of consideration, the researchers have put forth a new concept of dental treatment of creating desensitization without injections rather by adopting a new concept as "iontophoresis", which causes the ions of specific charges to penetrate the semipermeable membrane, which helps in performing surgeries in the dental field. In the present manuscript, the 'iontophoresis' method, along with the imaging systems, was adopted and 45 tooth samples were taken and tested with four different ionic gels that are used in the dental field, and the results were analyzed using the imaging systems of SEM and EDAX for clear analysis. Results: The results through these imaging systems show that the ions have penetrated the tooth, which causes a desensitizing effect in the tooth and makes it numb, so that dental operations can be performed easier and with more perfection. The process of performing dental surgery with a needless process is that the patient to be treated by the dentist is exposed to a gel with electrodes wherein the ions penetrate the tooth, which causes numbness. Conclusion: The incorporation of needle-free injection through the concept of iontophoresis and imaging systems in the dental field introduces a new era in the field of dentistry, making the process simple. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study permutes edible palm oil (PO) into oleogel by incorporating carnauba wax (CW) at two different concentrations (5 g/100 g and 10 g/100 g, w/w) and processing using ultrasonication. The prepared oleogels (OG1: PO-CW (5 g/100 g); OG2: PO-CW (10 g/100 g); and OGU1: PO-CW (5 g/100 g) with ultrasonication, and OGU2: PO-CW (10 g/100 g) with ultrasonication) were compared with PO (control) to deep fry salted duck egg white (SDEW) fortified instant noodles. The impact of different frying mediums on the physicochemical properties of SDEW noodles was investigated. SDEW instant noodles that were fried using OGU and OG samples had a higher L* and b* but lower a* values than those that were fried in PO (p < 0.05). Among the oleogel-fried samples, noodles that were fried in OGU2 and OG2 effectively lowered the oil uptake and showed better cooking properties than OGU1- and OG1-fried noodles, respectively (p < 0.05). Textural attributes such as higher hardness, firmness, chewiness, tensile strength and elasticity, and lower stickiness were noticed in the samples that were fried in OGU, followed by OG and PO (p < 0.05). Scanning electron microstructure revealed a uniform and smoother surface of noodles fried in OGU and OG, whereas the PO-fried sample showed an uneven and rough surface with more bulges. Noodles were tested for fatty acid compositions, and the results found that oleogel-fried noodles retained more unsaturated fatty acids than the control (p < 0.05). During storage of the frying medium after frying the noodles, OGU and OG had higher oxidative stability with lower TBARS, PV, p-AnV, and Totox values than PO at room temperature for 12 days. Overall, using oleogel as frying media improved the physicochemical and nutritional properties of SDEW noodles. This finding could be beneficial for food industries to produce healthy fried food products for consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen extraction from nature is a time-consuming and energy-intensive procedure. Most of the current methods of extracting H2 are not eco-friendly, and the thermochemical copper-chlorine (Cu-Cl) cycle is a promising alternative since the ingredients are continuously recycled within the cycle without discharging pollutants into the atmosphere. In this study, the heat recovered from molten cuprous chloride (CuCl) salt produced in one of the reactors and quenched in a water bath is analyzed numerically to determine the amount of thermal energy that can be recovered and improve the efficiency of the Cu-Cl cycle. The quenching cell is simulated in an inert atmosphere since CuCl is highly reactive in the presence of oxygen. The interactions of various diameters of CuCl droplets within nitrogen (N2) are numerically modeled in COMSOL Multiphysics. Silver chloride (AgCl) is also used in this study to validate the phase-change process. It was discovered in this study that during the free fall, the outer surface of the molten droplets solidifies, and the phase change of droplets slowly propagates radially inwards, which slows down the energy dissipation. It was also determined that the average internal temperature of the droplet does not change substantially with droplet diameter or quenching height. Based on this study, the net energy recovered after quenching was calculated to be around 23 kJ during 1 kg of H2 production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) results from the destruction of pancreatic beta cells through a process that is primarily mediated by T cells. Emerging evidence suggests that dendritic cells (DCs) play a crucial role in initiating and developing this debilitating disease. DCs are professional antigen-presenting cells with the ability to integrate signals arising from tissue infection or injury that present processed antigens from these sites to naïve T cells in secondary lymphoid organs, thereby triggering naïve T cells to differentiate and modulate adaptive immune responses. Recent advancements in our knowledge of the various subsets of DCs and their cellular structures and methods of orchestration over time have resulted in a better understanding of how the T cell response is shaped. DCs employ various arsenal to maintain their tolerance, including the induction of effector T cell deletion or unresponsiveness and the generation and expansion of regulatory T cell populations. Therapies that suppress the immunogenic effects of dendritic cells by blocking T cell costimulatory pathways and proinflammatory cytokine production are currently being sought. Moreover, new strategies are being developed that can regulate DC differentiation and development and harness the tolerogenic capacity of these cells. Here, in this report, we focus on recent advances in the field of DC immunology and evaluate the prospects of DC-based therapeutic strategies to treat T1D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Balsam fir needle retention and fatty acid profile changes due to cold acclimation throughout autumn, but little is known about the relationship between these two phenomena. The objective was to examine differences in FAs in contrasting needle abscission resistant balsam fir genotypes throughout autumn and early winter. Branches from genotypes with low and high needle abscission resistance (NAR) were collected from September to January and analyzed for FA composition. High NAR genotypes retained needles 120–130% longer than low NAR genotypes and NAR increased through autumn in both genotypes. There was approximately a 3:1 ratio of unsaturated: saturated FAs, which increased by 4% in favor of unsaturated fatty acids through autumn. Palmitic, palmitoleic, and linolenic acid content was significantly higher in high NAR versus low NAR genotypes; arachidic, oleic, linoleic, pinolenic, coniferonic, icosadienoic, and sciadonic acids were lower in high NAR genotypes versus low. Linolenic acid was of particular interest because it tended to decrease throughout autumn, to the point that high NAR genotypes were significantly lower in linolenic acid than low NAR genotypes in January. These changes may be linked to an increase in abscisic acid and/or jasmonic acid synthesis depleting linolenic acid stores and promoting postharvest needle abscission resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metabolites are generated from critical biological functions and metabolism. This pediatric study reviewed plasma metabolites in patients suffering from multi-organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) using an untargeted metabolomics approach. Patients meeting the criteria for MODS were screened for eligibility and consented (n = 24), and blood samples were collected at baseline, 72 h, and 8 days; control patients (n = 4) presented for routine sedation in an outpatient setting. A subset of MODS patients (n = 8) required additional support with veno-atrial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) therapy. Metabolites from thawed blood plasma were determined from ion pairing reversed-phase liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis. Chromatographic peak alignment, identification, relative quantitation, and statistical and bioinformatics evaluation were performed using MAVEN and MetaboAnalyst 4.0. Metabolite analysis revealed 115 peaks per sample. From the partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) with variance of importance (VIP) scores above ≥2.0, 7 dynamic metabolites emerged over the three time points: tauro-chenodeoxycholic acid (TCDCA), hexose, p-hydroxybenzoate, hydroxyphenylacetic acid (HPLA), 2&lowbar;3-dihydroxybenzoic acid, 2-keto-isovalerate, and deoxyribose phosphate. After Bonferroni adjustment for repeated measures, hexose and p-hydroxybenzoate were significant at one time point or more. Kendall's tau-b test was used for internal validation of creatinine. Metabolites may be benign or significant in describing a patient's pathophysiology and require operator interpretation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aspergillus flavus is a fungal pathogen that infects maize and produces aflatoxins. Host- Induced Gene Silencing (HIGS) has been shown to reduce host infection by various fungal pathogens. Here, the A. flavus alkaline protease (alk) gene was targeted for silencing through HIGS. An RNAi vector carrying a portion of the alk gene was incorporated into the B104 maize genome. Four out of eight transformation events containing the alk gene, Alk-3, Alk-4, Alk-7 and Alk-9, were selfpollinated to T4/T6 generations. At T3, the Alk-transgenic lines showed up to 87% reduction in aflatoxin accumulation under laboratory conditions. T4 transgenic Alk-3 and Alk-7 lines, and T5 and T6 Alk-4 and Alk-9 showed an average of 84% reduction in aflatoxin accumulation compared to their null controls under field inoculations (p < 0.05). F1 hybrids of three elite maize inbred lines and the transgenic lines also showed significant improvement in aflatoxin resistance (p < 0.006 to p < 0.045). Reduced A. flavus growth and levels of fungal ß-tubulin DNA were observed in transgenic kernels during in vitro inoculation. Alk-4 transgenic leaf and immature kernel tissues also contained about 1000-fold higher levels of alk-specific small RNAs compared to null controls, indicating that the enhanced aflatoxin resistance in the transgenic maize kernels is due to suppression of A. flavus infection through HIGS of alk gene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]