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Recently, a new class of two-dimensional (2D) materials known as MXenes, such as Ti3C2Tx, have received significant attention due to their exceptional structural and physiochemical properties. MXenes are widely used in a variety of applications, including sensors, due to their excellent charge transport, high catalytic, and conducive properties, making them superior materials for sensing applications. Sensing technology has attracted significant interest from the scientific community due to its wide range of applications. In particular, gas sensing technology is essential in today’s world due to its vital role in detecting various gases. Gas sensors have an essential role in real-time environmental monitoring health assessment, and the demand for air quality monitoring is driving the gas sensor market forward. Similarly, optical sensors are a related technology that can rapidly detect toxic substances and biomaterials using optical absorption spectroscopy. MXenes are highly desirable for gas and optical sensing applications due to their abundant active sites, metallic conductivity, optical properties, customizable surface chemistry, and exceptional stability. In this review article, we compile recent advancements in the development of gas sensors and optical sensors using MXenes and their composite materials. This review article would be beneficial for researchers working on the development of MXenes-based gas sensors and optical sensors.

L-tryptophan is an amino acid that significantly impacts metabolic activity in both humans and herbivorous animals. It is also known as a precursor for melatonin and serotonin, and its levels must be regulated in the human body. Therefore, there is a need to develop a cost-effective, simple, sensitive, and selective method for detecting L-tryptophan. Herein, we report the fabrication of an L-tryptophan sensor using a nickel-doped tungsten oxide ceramic-modified electrode. The Ni-WO3 was synthesized using simple strategies and characterized by various advanced techniques such as powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and photoelectron X-ray spectroscopy. Furthermore, a glassy carbon electrode was modified with the synthesized Ni-WO3 and explored as the L-tryptophan (L-TRP) sensor. Cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry were used to investigate the sensing ability of the modified electrode (Ni-WO3/GC). The Ni-WO3/GC exhibited an excellent limit of detection of 0.4 µM with a good dynamic linear range. The Ni-WO3/GC also demonstrated excellent selectivity in the presence of various electroactive molecules. The Ni-WO3/GC also showed decent reproducibility, repeatability, stability, and storage stability. This work proposes the fabrication of novel Ni-WO3/GC for the sensing of L-tryptophan. So far, no report is available on the use of Ni-WO3/GC for the sensing of L-TRP. This is the first report on the use of Ni-WO3/GC for the sensing of L-TRP sensing applications.

Ultrasound-assisted extraction using response surface methodology was employed to extract marigold flower, resulting in a marigold flower extract (MFE) with elevated levels of total phenolic compounds (TPCs), total flavonoid content (TFC), total carotenoid content (TCC), and antioxidant activity, as assessed by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays, under conditions of 40 °C temperature, 15 min extraction time, and 68% ethanol concentration. The MFE was subsequently encapsulated using spray drying with 45% maltodextrin (MD) (MFE–MD; 1:1, 1:2) and 20% gum arabic (GA) (MFE–GA; 1:2, 1:3). The MD (1:2 ratio) sample showed the highest encapsulation yield, while the 45% MD (1:1 ratio) sample exhibited the highest encapsulation efficiency (p ≤ 0.05). Samples containing 45% MD (1:1 ratio) and 20% GA (1:2 ratio) had the highest moisture content, with the 45% MD (1:1 ratio) sample showing the lowest water activity (p > 0.05). These samples also displayed higher L* and a* values compared to the 20% GA samples, which had increased b* values (p ≤ 0.05). Micrographs of the 20% GA (1:3 ratio) and 45% MD (1:2 ratio) samples revealed spherical shapes with smooth surfaces. The 20% GA (1:2 ratio) microcapsules exhibited the highest total phenolic content (TPC) among the samples (p ≤ 0.05). Thus, ultrasound-enhanced extraction combined with response surface methodology proved effective in producing functional food ingredients from plants.

This study was conducted to determine the indentation behavior of thin AlSi10Mg specimens manufactured using Selective Laser Melting (SLM) in the as-built condition along with two post-treatments, namely solution heat treatment and artificial aging. Four different thicknesses of 1.0 mm, 1.5 mm, 2 mm, and 2.5 mm of SLM specimens, with the different post-treatments, underwent standardized Rockwell hardness tests using a spherical indenter to determine their hardness values and assess the impression using a stereo microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The as-built specimens showed a trend of smaller indentation depths with increasing specimen thickness, and finally creased with 0.1547 mm depth at 2.5 mm. However, the post-treatments altered the behavior of the specimens to a certain degree, giving larger experimental indentation depths of 0.2204 mm, 0.1962 mm, and 0.1798 mm at 1.0 mm, 1.5 mm, and 2.5 mm thickness, respectively, after solution heat treatment. Artificial aging showed a general decrease in indentation depth with increasing specimen thickness in contrast to solution treatment, and resulted in depths of 0.1888 mm and 0.1596 mm at 1.0 mm and 2.5 mm thickness. Furthermore, a material numerical model was made using stress–strain data on ANSYS Workbench to develop a predictive model for the indentation behavior of the specimens in contrast to experimentation. Under multi-linear isotropic hardening, the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) simulation produced indentation geometry with an average accuracy of 95.4% for the artificial aging series.

Hydrazine is considered a powerful reducing agent and catalyst, showing diverse applications in agricultural industries, toxic degradation research, and wastewater management. Additionally, hydrazine can trigger some specific reactions when combined with suitable oxidants. Due to its highly polar nature, hydrazine can easily dissolve in alcohol, water, and various other polar solvents. Therefore, it can be extensively utilized in different areas of application and industries such as rocketry and various chemical applications. Despite its beneficial properties, hydrazine is unstable, posing significant risk due to its highly toxic nature. It is extremely hazardous to both human health and the environment. It can cause various illnesses and symptoms such as dizziness, temporary blindness, damage to the central nervous system, and even death when inhaled in sufficient quantities. Therefore, it is highly important to monitor the level of hydrazine to prevent its toxic and hazardous effects on human beings and the environment. In the present study, we discuss the simple fabrication of a disposable cost-effective and eco-friendly hydrazine sensor. We used a screen-printed carbon electrode, i.e., SPCE, as a base for the construction of a hydrazine sensor. The Ti3AlC2 MAX has been used as a suitable and efficient electrode material for the fabrication of disposable hydrazine sensors. We modified the active surface of the SPCE using a drop-casting approach. The resulting Ti3AlC2 MAX modified SPCE (Ti3AlC2@SPCE) has been utilized as an efficient and low-cost hydrazine sensor. Cyclic voltammetry, i.e., CV, and linear sweep voltammetry, viz., LSV, was employed as a sensing technique in this study. The optimization of pH and electrode material loading was conducted. The Ti3AlC2@SPCE exhibited excellent sensing performance toward hydrazine oxidation. A reasonable detection limit (0.01 µM) was achieved for hydrazine sensing. The fabricated sensor also demonstrated a reasonable linear range of 1–50 µM. This work provides the design and fabrication of simple disposable Ti3AlC2@SPCE as a suitable electrode for the determination of hydrazine using LSV technology.

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A promising method for additive manufacturing that makes it possible to produce intricate and personalized parts is selective laser melting (SLM). However, the mechanical properties of as-corroded SLM parts are still areas of concern. This research investigates the mechanical behavior of SLM parts that are exposed to a saline environment containing a 3.5% NaCl solution for varying lengths of time. The exposure times chosen for this study were 10 days, 20 days, and 30 days. The results reveal that the tensile strength of the parts is significantly affected by the duration of exposure. Additionally, the study also examined the influence of porosity on the corrosion behavior of the parts. The analysis included studying the mass loss of the parts over time, and a regression analysis was conducted to analyze the relationship between exposure time and mass loss. In addition, the utilization of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photo spectroscopy (XPS) techniques yielded valuable insights into the fundamental mechanisms accountable for the observed corrosion and mechanical behavior. It was found that the presence of corrosion products (i.e., oxide layer) and pitting contributed to the degradation of the SLM parts in the saline environment. This research emphasizes the importance of considering part thickness in the design of SLM components for corrosive environments and provides insights for enhancing their performance and durability.

Engineers often play vital roles in technical planning, designing, and operating projects, as well as implementing standard requirements in the physical sites. Although architectural designs may be similar in a construction project, the technical problems, including soil conditions, loading calculations, team combination, etc., often vary between projects. Although previous studies focus on the stress management of construction professionals, little research has been particularly conducted for the effects of stressors and stress of engineers on their organizational commitment. It is inevitable for engineers to experience different uncertainties, harsh working environments, and serious legal liabilities, while there is often no tolerance when it comes to deadlines and safety requirements. All this definitely puts great pressure on them and may subsequently affect their commitment to their organizations. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of stressors and stress on the commitment of engineers in the construction industry. A total of 146 respondents participated in a questionnaire survey, and various statistical analyses including a reliability test, correlation, and hierarchical multiple regressions were adopted for developing the optimized commitment models. The research results revealed that (1) Type A personality was a key factor, which had a significant positive effect on all the three organizational commitments of professional engineers in the construction industry; (2) poor office environment, job overload, and role ambiguity were positively associated with continuance and normative commitment, whereas poor site environment and lack of job autonomy were negatively linked with affective commitment; and (3) stress had a negative relationship with affective commitment; (4) however, there was no relationship between stress and continuance or normative commitment. In order to establish holistic organizational commitment strategies in the industry well, the current study indicates key stressors to upper management to help them efficiently manage complicated project teams in construction projects. In addition, it contributes the body of knowledge by developing an integrated commitment model for engineers. Finally, numerous recommendations are made, such as encouraging Type A personality behaviors, providing sufficient job autonomy, improving worksite conditions to enhance the organizational commitment of engineers, and reducing the adverse impacts of these stressors and stress.

One in every five occupational deaths occurs in the construction sector. A proactive approach for improving on-site safety is identifying and analyzing accident precursors, such as near-misses, that provide early warnings of accidents. Despite the importance of near-misses, they are frequently left unreported and unrecorded in the construction sector. The adoption of modern technologies can prevent accidents by automated data collection and analysis. This study aims to develop near-miss detection metrics to facilitate the automated detection of near-misses through sensors. The study adopted a mixed method approach including both qualitative and quantitative approaches. First, a quantifiable definition of near-misses was developed from the literature. Hazards, accidents, and the causes of accidents were identified. Through empirical and statistical analyses of accidents from the OSHA repository, combinations of unsafe acts and conditions responsible for a near-miss were identified. The identified factors were analyzed using a frequency analysis, correlation, and a lambda analysis. The results revealed twelve significant near-misses, such as A1—approach to restricted areas and C2—unguarded floor/roof openings, A5—equipment and tool inspection was incomplete and C8—unsafely positioned ladders and scaffolds, A2—no or improper use of PPE and C2—unguarded floor or roof openings, etc. Lastly, measurable data required by sensors for autonomous detection of near-misses were determined. The developed metric set the basis for automating near-miss reporting and documentation using modern sensing technology to improve construction safety. This study contributes to improving construction safety by addressing the underreporting of near-miss events. Overall, the developed metrics lay the groundwork for enhancing construction safety through automated near-miss reporting and documentation. Furthermore, it helps for the establishment of safety management schemes in the construction industry, specifically in identifying near-misses. This research offers valuable insight into developing guidelines for safety managers to improve near-miss reporting and detection on construction sites. In sum, the findings can be valuable for other industries also looking to establish or assess their own safety management systems.

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of dimethyl dicarbonate (DMDC) at various concentrations (0–250 ppm) in inhibiting the growth of Escherichia coli TISTR 117 and spoilage microbes in passion fruit juice (PFJ) and its impact on the physicochemical and antioxidant quality of the juice during refrigerated storage. The highest log reduction in the total viable count, yeast/molds and E. coli was attained in PFJ samples with 250 ppm of DMDC (p ≤ 0.05) added. Microbial growth inhibition by DMDC followed the first-order kinetic model with a coefficient of determination (R2) and inhibition constants (k) ranging from 0.98 to 0.99 and 0.022 to 0.042, respectively. DMDC at 0–250 ppm showed an insignificant effect on pH, °Brix, color (L*, a*, b*), ascorbic acid, total phenolic compound (TPC), total flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity (DPPH, FRAP) (p > 0.05). Control (untreated PFJ), DMDC-250 ppm, and pasteurized (15 s at 72 °C) samples were subjected to 27 days of cold storage at 4 °C. A decreasing trend in pH, total soluble solid, ascorbic acid content, DPPH and FRAP values were observed in all the samples during refrigerated storage. However, the DMDC-250 ppm sample showed a better prospect in physicochemical quality changes compared to the pasteurized and untreated control PFJ samples. ΔE values showed marked changes in the control sample than the DMDC-250 ppm and pasteurized samples at 27 days of storage. Additionally, the total viable count and yeast/mold count were augmented during storage, and an estimated shelf-life of the control, DMDC-250 ppm, and pasteurized samples was approximately 3, 24 and 18 days, respectively. In conclusion, DMDC at 250 ppm could ensure microbial safety without affecting the quality attributes of PFJ during 24 days of storage at 4 °C.

In this work we reported the hydrothermal preparation of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2). The phase purity and crystalline nature of the synthesized MoS2 were examined via the powder X-ray diffraction method. The surface morphological structure of the MoS2 was examined using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The specific surface area of the MoS2 was calculated using the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method. The elemental composition and distribution of the Mo and S elements were determined using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The oxidation states of the Mo and S elements were studied through employing X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In further studies, we modified the active surface area (3 mm) of the glassy carbon (GC) electrode using MoS2 as an electrocatalyst. The MoS2 modified GC electrode (MSGC) was used as an electrochemical sensor for the detection of thiabendazole (TBZ). Linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) was used as the electrochemical sensing technique. The MSGC exhibited good performance in the detection of TBZ. A limit of detection of 0.1 µM with a sensitivity of 7.47 µA/µM.cm2 was obtained for the detection of TBZ using the LSV method. The MSGC also showed good selectivity for the detection of TBZ in the presence of various interfering compounds. The obtained results showed that MoS2 has good electrocatalytic properties. This motivated us to explore the catalytic properties of MoS2 in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Thus, we have fabricated DSSCs using MoS2 as a platinum-free counter electrode material. The MoS2 counter electrode-based DSSCs showed good power conversion efficiency of more than 5%. We believe that the present work is beneficial for the scientific community, and especially for research surrounding the design and fabrication of catalysts for electrochemical sensing and DSSC applications.

Using clarifying agents is essential in the production of fruit juice. This study utilized gelatin and bentonite as clarifying agents to improve the quality and shelf-life of Indian gooseberry juice (IGBJ). Different treatments were prepared using varying levels of gelatin and bentonite alone or in combination (1.5–2 mg/mL and 1–2 mg/mL, respectively). The untreated IGBJ was used as a control. The results showed the combined treatment of 1.5 mg/mL gelatin and 1 mg/mL bentonite significantly (p ≤ 0.05) improved the transmittance, △E value, total acidity, vitamin C, and antioxidant activity of the IGBJ sample. During storage for 49 days at 4 °C, the quality changes in the IGBJ were minimal with the use of 1.5 mg/mL gelatin and 1 mg/mL bentonite compared to the control (p > 0.05). The treated samples showed no signs of spoilage bacteria, yeast, or mold during cold storage. The combined use of gelatin and bentonite (1.5 mg/mL gelatin and 1 mg/mL bentonite) was found to effectively preserve the sensory quality, bioactivity, and color properties of IGBJ, thereby extending its shelf-life. Thus, gelatin and bentonite can be used as preferred filtering aids for quality and shelf-life extension in the food industry, as they have synergistic effects.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is characterized by an absolute decline in insulin secretion and peripheral resistance and is the most prevalent metabolic and endocrine disorder. However, the pathogenesis of DM also includes adipocyte insulin resistance, increased glucagon secretion, increased renal glomerular glucose absorption, and neurotransmitter dysfunction. Although there is a wide spectrum of therapeutics available for glycemic control, owing to the identification of various pathogenic determinants of DM, management of DM remains challenging and complex. Current therapeutic interventions against DM focus mostly on glycemic control without considering the other pathological determinants that eventually lead to treatment failure and the progression of DM. Furthermore, long-term use of these conventionally available anti-diabetic drugs leads to various side effects, henceforth development of novel drugs against DM remains an unending search strategy for researchers. Various studies conducted in various parts of the world have proposed that these novel therapeutic interventions target multiple and alternate pathogenic hotspots involved in DM. The current review article discusses novel therapeutic options that hold particular promise to support their safety and discuss the side effects resulting from their use so that these novel candidate drugs can be effectively fabricated into potential drugs for the treatment of DM.

Oral cancer (OC) is a serious health concern that has a high fatality rate. The oral cavity has seven kinds of OC, including the lip, tongue, and floor of the mouth, as well as the buccal, hard palate, alveolar, retromolar trigone, and soft palate. The goal of this study is to look into new biomarkers and important pathways that might be used as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic candidates in OC. The publicly available repository the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) was to the source for the collection of OC-related datasets. GSE74530, GSE23558, and GSE3524 microarray datasets were collected for analysis. Minimum cut-off criteria of |log fold-change (FC)| > 1 and adjusted p < 0.05 were applied to calculate the upregulated and downregulated differential expression genes (DEGs) from the three datasets. After that only common DEGs in all three datasets were collected to apply further analysis. Gene ontology (GO) and pathway analysis were implemented to explore the functional behaviors of DEGs. Then protein–protein interaction (PPI) networks were built to identify the most active genes, and a clustering algorithm was also implemented to identify complex parts of PPI. TF-miRNA networks were also constructed to study OC-associated DEGs in-depth. Finally, top gene performers from PPI networks were used to apply drug signature analysis. After applying filtration and cut-off criteria, 2508, 3377, and 670 DEGs were found for GSE74530, GSE23558, and GSE3524 respectively, and 166 common DEGs were found in every dataset. The GO annotation remarks that most of the DEGs were associated with the terms of type I interferon signaling pathway. The pathways of KEGG reported that the common DEGs are related to the cell cycle and influenza A. The PPI network holds 88 nodes and 492 edges, and CDC6 had the highest number of connections. Four clusters were identified from the PPI. Drug signatures doxorubicin and resveratrol showed high significance according to the hub genes. We anticipate that our bioinformatics research will aid in the definition of OC pathophysiology and the development of new therapies for OC.

Azithromycin (AZY) is a well-known top-prioritized antibiotic and is used by humans in strong concentrations. However, the side effects of the AZY antibiotic may cause some serious and significant damage to humans and the environment. Thus, there is a need to develop effective and sensitive sensors to monitor accurate concentrations of AZY. In the last decade, electrochemistry-based sensors have received enormous attention from the scientific community because of their high sensitivity, selectivity, cost-effectiveness, fast response, rapid detection response, simple fabrication, and working principle. It is important to mention that electrochemical sensors rely on the properties of electrode modifiers. Hence, the selection of electrode materials is of great significance when designing and developing efficient and robust electrochemical sensors. In this study, we fabricated an AZY sensor by utilizing a molybdenum disulfide/titanium aluminum carbide (MoS2@Ti3AlC2) composite as the electrode material. The MoS2@Ti3AlC2 composite was synthesized via a simple sonication process. The synthesized MoS2@Ti3AlC2 composite was characterized using a powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) method to examine the phase purity and formation of the MoS2@Ti3AlC2 composite. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to study the surface morphological features of the prepared MoS2@Ti3AlC2 composite, whereas energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX) was adopted to determine the elemental composition of the prepared MoS2@Ti3AlC2 composite. The glassy carbon (GC) electrode was modified with the prepared MoS2@Ti3AlC2 composite and applied as the AZY sensor. The sensing performance of the MoS2@Ti3AlC2 composite-modified GC electrode was studied using linear sweep voltammetry. The sensor demonstrated excellent performance when determining AZY and showed a good detection limit of 0.009 µM with a sensitivity of 6.77 µA/µM.cm2.

Recently, two-dimensional (2D) MXenes materials have received enormous attention because of their excellent physiochemical properties such as high carrier mobility, metallic electrical conductivity, mechanical properties, transparency, and tunable work function. MXenes play a significant role as additives, charge transfer layers, and conductive electrodes for optoelectronic applications. Particularly, titanium carbide (Ti3C2Tx) MXene demonstrates excellent optoelectronic features, tunable work function, good electron affinity, and high conductivity. The Ti3C2Tx has been widely used as electron transport (ETL) or hole transport layers (HTL) in the development of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Additionally, Ti3C2Tx has excellent electrochemical properties and has been widely explored as sensing material for the development of electrochemical biosensors. In this review article, we have summarized the recent advances in the development of the PSCs using Ti3C2Tx MXene as ETL and HTL. We have also compiled the recent progress in the fabrication of biosensors using Ti3C2Tx-based electrode materials. We believed that the present mini review article would be useful to provide a deep understanding, and comprehensive insight into the research status.

Inflammation is a defense mechanism of the body in response to harmful stimuli such as pathogens, damaged cells, toxic compounds or radiation. However, chronic inflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of a variety of diseases. Multiple anti-inflammatory drugs are currently available for the treatment of inflammation, but all exhibit less efficacy. This drives the search for new anti-inflammatory compounds focusing on natural resources. Marine organisms produce a broad spectrum of bioactive compounds with anti-inflammatory activities. Several are considered as lead compounds for development into drugs. Anti-inflammatory compounds have been extracted from algae, corals, seaweeds and other marine organisms. We previously reviewed anti-inflammatory compounds, as well as crude extracts isolated from echinoderms such as sea cucumbers, sea urchins and starfish. In the present review, we evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of compounds from other marine organisms, including macroalgae (seaweeds), marine angiosperms (seagrasses), medusozoa (jellyfish), bryozoans (moss animals), mollusks (shellfish) and peanut worms. We also present a review of the molecular mechanisms of the anti-inflammatory activity of these compounds. Our objective in this review is to provide an overview of the current state of research on anti-inflammatory compounds from marine sources and the prospects for their translation into novel anti-inflammatory drugs.

A recently discovered coronavirus (COVID-19) poses a major danger to human life and health across the planet. The most important step in managing and combating COVID-19 is to accurately screen and diagnose affected people. The imaging technology of lung X-ray is a useful imaging identification/detection approach among them. The help of such computer-aided machines and diagnoses to examine lung X-ray images of COVID-19 instances can give supplemental assessment ideas to specialists, easing their workload to some level. The novel concept of this study is a hybridized approach merging pertinent manual features with deep spatial features for the classification of COVID-19. Further, we employed traditional transfer learning techniques in this investigation, utilizing four different pre-trained CNN-based deep learning models, with the Inception model showing a reasonably accurate result and a diagnosis accuracy of 82.17%. We provide a successful diagnostic approach that blends deep characteristics with machine learning classification to further increase clinical performance. It employs a complete diagnostic model. Two datasets were used to test the suggested approach, and it did quite well on several of them. On 1102 lung X-ray scans, the model was originally evaluated. The results of the experiments indicate that the suggested SVM model has a diagnostic accuracy of 95.57%. When compared to the Xception model’s baseline, the diagnostic accuracy had risen by 17.58 percent. The sensitivity, specificity, and AUC of the proposed models were 95.37 percent, 95.39%, and 95.77%, respectively. To show the adaptability of our approach, we also verified our proposed model on other datasets. Finally, we arrived at results that were conclusive. When compared to research of a comparable kind, our suggested CNN model has a greater accuracy of classification and diagnostic effectiveness.

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most widespread foodborne bacteria that cause high morbidity, mortality, and economic loss, primarily if foodborne diseases are caused by pathogenic and multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of S. aureus in chicken meat in Egyptian markets. Thus, this study might be the first to assess the efficiency of different natural phenolic compounds as novel antibacterial agents against MDR S. aureus pathogens isolated from raw chicken meat in the Egyptian market. The incidence and quantification of pathogenic S. aureus were detected in retail raw chicken meat parts (breast, thigh, fillet, and giblets). In total, 73 out of 80 (91.3%) of the chicken meat parts were contaminated, with S. aureus as the only species isolated. Of the 192 identified S. aureus isolates, 143 were coagulase-positive S. aureus and 117 isolates were MDR (81.8%, 117/143). Twenty-two antibiotic resistance profile patterns were detected. One strain was randomly selected from each pattern to further analyze virulence and resistance genes. Extracted DNA was assessed for the presence of antibiotic-resistance genes, i.e., vancomycin-resistance (vanA), aminoglycosides-resistance (aacA–aphD), apramycin-resistance (apmA), and methicillin-resistance (mecA), penicillin-resistance (blaZ), and virulence genes staphylococcal enterotoxins (sea and seb), Panton–Valentine leucocidin (pvl), clumping factor A (clfA), and toxic shock syndrome toxin (tst). Clustering analyses revealed that six S. aureus strains harbored the most virulence and resistance genes. The activity of hydroquinone was significantly higher than thymol, carvacrol, eugenol, and protocatechuic acid. Therefore, phenolic compounds, particularly hydroquinone, could potentially alternate with conventional antibiotics against the pathogenic MDR S. aureus inhabiting raw chicken meat. Hence, this study indicates that urgent interventions are necessary to improve hygiene for safer meat in Egyptian markets. Moreover, hydroquinone could be a natural phenolic compound for inhibiting foodborne pathogens.

The automated assessment of tumors in medical image analysis encounters challenges due to the resemblance of colon and lung tumors to non-mitotic nuclei and their heteromorphic characteristics. An accurate assessment of tumor nuclei presence is crucial for determining tumor aggressiveness and grading. This paper proposes a new method called ColonNet, a heteromorphous convolutional neural network (CNN) with a feature grafting methodology categorically configured for analyzing mitotic nuclei in colon and lung histopathology images. The ColonNet model consists of two stages: first, identifying potential mitotic patches within the histopathological imaging areas, and second, categorizing these patches into squamous cell carcinomas, adenocarcinomas (lung), benign (lung), benign (colon), and adenocarcinomas (colon) based on the model’s guidelines. We develop and employ our deep CNNs, each capturing distinct structural, textural, and morphological properties of tumor nuclei, to construct the heteromorphous deep CNN. The execution of the proposed ColonNet model is analyzed by its comparison with state-of-the-art CNNs. The results demonstrate that our model surpasses others on the test set, achieving an impressive F1 score of 0.96, sensitivity and specificity of 0.95, and an area under the accuracy curve of 0.95. These outcomes underscore our hybrid model’s superior performance, excellent generalization, and accuracy, highlighting its potential as a valuable tool to support pathologists in diagnostic activities.

In this article, we investigate some fixed-point results under certain functional contractive mappings in a relation metric space. In the process, we utilize more general contraction condition which must be verified for comparative elements only. Our results enrich, modify, refine, unify and sharpen several existing fixed-point results. We construct some examples in support of our results. To attest to the applicability of our results, we establish the existence and uniqueness of theorems regarding the solutions of certain nonlinear integral equations.

Background: The literature on the use of static magnetic field (SMF), particularly in orthodontics, has certain gaps. Furthermore, the mechanism by which SMF affects orthodontic tooth movement (OTM) is still unclear and quite contradictory. Thus, the goal of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess SMF’s effect on OTM. This study also sought to analyse the variability of the studies included in the analysis and the size of the impact of SMF on OTM. Methods: Using the PRISMA guidelines, reviewers implemented a search strategy across several online databases, filtering out the initial articles that were obtained by applying relevant inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results: The overall effect size for the odds ratio was found to be 0.58, with a 95% confidence interval ranging from 0.40 to 0.86. This indicates that exposure to static magnetic fields is associated with a significantly reduced likelihood of orthodontic tooth movement in the animal studies analysed. Similarly, the overall effect size for the risk ratio was calculated to be 0.71, with a 95% confidence interval ranging from 0.55 to 0.91. The risk ratio also suggests a significant impact of SMF on OTM, with animals exposed to magnetic fields being at a lower risk of experiencing substantial tooth movement compared to those not exposed. However, it is important to note that moderate heterogeneity was observed among the included studies. Conclusion: The findings of this systematic review and meta-analysis indicate that there may be a causal relationship between OTM and SMF. However, the small number of studies included in this review and their poor methodological quality limit the available data, highlighting the need for further well-designed research to support these conclusions.

This study evaluated the efficiency of UV radiation doses (4.68–149.76 J/cm2) and nisin (50–200 ppm) and their combination in comparison with thermal pasteurization on the microbial inhibition kinetics and physicochemical properties of tangerine juice. It was noted that UV-149.76 J/cm2 and nisin (NS) at 200 ppm in conjunction exhibited the highest log reduction in spoilage and pathogenic microbes including Escherichia coli, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, yeast and molds, and total plate count in tangerine juice. Additionally, the first-order kinetic model provides a better fit for spoilage and pathogenic strains compared with the zero-order model (higher coefficient of determination, R2), particularly for E. coli. UV and NS showed insignificant effects (p > 0.05) on pH, TSS, and TA values compared with pasteurization. However, there were notable differences observed in color analysis, total phenolic compound, total flavonoid content, vitamin C, carotenoid content, and antioxidant activity using DPPH and FRAP assays. The optimized UV + NS samples were subjected to refrigerated storage for 21 days. The results revealed that during the entire storage period, the pH values and the TSS values slightly decreased, and the TA values increased in the treated samples. The UV + NS treatment insignificantly impacted the color properties. The total phenolic, total flavonoid, and carotenoid contents, and vitamin C decreased over time for all sample treatments, whereas the antioxidant properties exhibited varying outcomes, compared with an untreated control and pasteurization. Therefore, UV radiation and nisin (UV-149.76 J/cm2 + NS-200 ppm) in combination could serve as a viable alternative to traditional heat pasteurization of fruit juice during cold storage.

The current study attempts to evaluate the formation, morphology, and physico-chemical properties of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) synthesized from Clinopodium vulgare extract at different pH values and to investigate their antimicrobial and biomedical application potential. The reduction of zinc ions to ZnO NPs was determined by UV spectra, which revealed absorption peaks at 390 nm at pH 5 and 348 nm at pH 9, respectively. The spherical morphology of the nanoparticles was observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the size was 47 nm for pH 5 and 45 nm for pH 9. Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to reveal the presence of functional groups on the surface of nanoparticles. The antibacterial activity was examined against Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Klebsiella pneumonia via the agar-well diffusion method. Comparatively, the highest activities were recorded at pH 9 against all bacterial strains, and among these, biogenic ZnO NPs displayed the maximum inhibition zone (i.e., 20.88 ± 0.79 mm) against S. aureus. ZnO NPs prepared at pH 9 exhibited the highest antifungal activity of 80% at 25 mg/mL and antileishmanial activity of 82% at 400 mg/mL. Altogether, ZnO NPs synthesized at pH 9 show promising antimicrobial potential and could be used for biomedical applications.

The condylar guidance value (CGV) measurement constitutes an important part of a holistic prosthodontic treatment plan, with horizontal CGVs (HCGVs) and lateral CGVs (LCGVs) being two of the most prominently recognized. This systematic review aimed at evaluating the efficacy of two different types of CGV measurement protocols—articulators (both arcon and non-arcon) and panoramic radiographs. Additionally, it attempts to determine which of the mentioned methods performs better across several parameters. Several important web databases were searched using search terms derived from medical subject headings (MeSH), using keywords linked to “Arcon articulator”, “Condylar guidance angle”, “non-arcon articulator”, “Panoramic x-ray” and “Radiographic examination”, which constituted the first step in the study selection strategy. After completion, the search strategy which initially turned up to 831 papers, eventually ended up with 13 studies. The review and subsequent meta-analysis revealed that panoramic radiographs had noticeably greater efficacy in terms of the CGVs as compared to the articulators in the majority of the studies. Within the articulators, the arcon types recorded slightly higher CGVs than the non-arcon variety owing to the precision of jaw movement simulation in the former. However, further studies are required to validate these findings and establish more precise guidelines for the use of CGV measurement protocols in prosthodontic practice.

The treatment and outcome of respiratory virus infections differ. SARS-CoV-2, as well as other respiratory viruses such as influenza virus (A and B) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), require simultaneous, cost-effective, and rapid differential detection. We used a gold standard five-target single-step RT-PCR to detect influenza viruses, RSV, and SARS-CoV-2, and this method can be extended to detect influenza virus subtypes. As a result, this five-target single-step RT-PCR method is ideal for differentiating respiratory viruses. The 5’ nuclease activity of Taq DNA polymerase is used in the real-time reverse transcription PCR assay. The Taq man fast viral 1-step enzyme is a 4× Master mix and five-target primer probe mix that detects influenza A, influenza B, SARS-CoV-2 ORF1ab, respiratory syncytial viruses A/B and actin. When compared with TaqMan TM and Invitrogen superscript TM III Platinum and the Meril Kit for SARS-CoV-2, the assay demonstrated 100% sensitivity, specificity, and amplification efficiency of 90.1% for target genes. In conclusion, our one-tube multiplex RT-PCR assay offers a rapid and reliable method for the simultaneous detection of influenza A/B, RSV, and SARS-CoV-2 from nasopharyngeal swabs. This assay has the potential to enhance diagnostic capabilities and improve public health responses during respiratory outbreaks, enabling timely interventions and informed decision making.

In this research paper, we study a coupled system of piecewise-order differential equations (DEs) with variable kernel and impulsive conditions. DEs with variable kernel have high flexibility due to the freedom of changing the kernel. We study existence and stability theory and derive sufficient conditions for main results of the proposed problem. We apply Scheafer’s fixed point theorem and Banach fixed point theorem for the result of at least one and unique solution, respectively. In addition, stability results based on the Ulam–Hyers concept are derived. Being a coupled system of piecewise fractional-order DEs with variable kernel and impulsive effects, the obtained results have multi-dimension applications. To demonstrate the applications, we apply the derived results to a numerical problem.

Background and objectives: Investigation into the impact of dental trauma on the results of orthodontic treatment is crucial because it can have a major influence on patient care. However, there has not yet been a thorough review or meta-analysis of the available data, which is inconsistent and scant. Therefore, the goal of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to investigate the impact of dental trauma on orthodontic parameters. Search methods and criterion of selection: Major online databases were searched (beginning from the year 2011) for relevant articles using a properly defined search strategy. Analysis protocol: Risk of bias (RoB) and the Cochrane risk of bias tool were utilized for the purposes of bias evaluation within the individual studies and within the review, respectively. Results: Out of the six clinical trials selected, a significant impact of trauma was observed in individuals in all but one paper. Gender predilection varied across studies and could not be conclusively determined. The follow-up period ranged from two months to two years in the trials. The odds ratio (OR) 0.38 [0.19, 0.77] and the risk ratio (RR) 0.52 [0.32, 0.85] indicated that both the odds as well as the relative risk of experiencing dental trauma were lower in the group with negligible impact compared to the group with noticeable impact. Conclusion and further implications: The findings show that dental trauma significantly affects orthodontic parameters, with lower risk and likelihood of suffering dental trauma in the group with negligible impact than in the group with noticeable impact. However, given the substantial heterogeneity among the studies, it is advised to exercise caution when extrapolating the findings to all populations. Registration and protocol: Registration in the PROSPERO database was carried out before initiating the investigation [CRD42023407218].

(1) Background: The visual system homeobox 1 (VSX1) may contribute to the incidence of keratoconus (KC) in different populations. The present study investigated the role of VSX1 in autosomal recessive Pakistani families and sporadic KC patients using in silico analysis of the rare variants for the identification of the cis-acting elements in VSX1; (2) Methods: Mutation analysis of VSX1 was undertaken using Sanger sequencing of samples from seven KC families and 100 sporadic patients. In silico analysis of the rare variants and identification of cis-acting elements was determined using Human Splicing Finder (HSF), ESE finder, RESCUE-ESE and through Exon- Identity Element (EIEs) prediction software suits, combined with various algorithms to identify the effect of variations in splicing motifs; (3) Results: Screening of VSX1 did not reveal any novel mutation in the KC panel, but a synonymous polymorphism rs12480307 (c.546A>G; p.Ala182Ala) in exon three and 3′UTR rs76499395 (c.*496A>G) were observed in two separate probands. These polymorphisms were not found in any of the sporadic KC cases or 100 ethnically matched control samples. The analysis of these rare variants revealed a plausible role for these two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in KC development through the identification of novel cis-acting elements, an exonic splicing enhancer element (ESE) and binding motifs for two micro RNAs, miRNA-203 binding and hsa-miR-3938, in the VSX1 gene structure; (4) Conclusions: Rare genetic variations in the VSX1 were found to have a potential contribution to KC development.

The majority of patients strongly favor the use of aligners in the present time, especially with the advancement in esthetic dentistry. Today’s market is flooded with aligner companies, many of which share the same therapeutic ethos. We therefore carried out a systematic review and network meta-analysis to evaluate research that had looked at various aligner materials and attachments and their effect on orthodontic tooth movement in relevant studies. A total of 634 papers were discovered after a thorough search of online journals using keywords such as “Aligners”, “Orthodontics”, “Orthodontic attachments”, “Orthodontic tooth movement”, and “Polyethylene” across databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane. The authors individually and in parallel carried out the database investigation, removal of duplicate studies, data extraction, and bias risk. The statistical analysis demonstrated that the type of aligner material had a significant impact on orthodontic tooth movement. The low level of heterogeneity and significant overall effect further support this finding. However, there was little effect of attachment size or shape on tooth mobility. The examined materials were primarily concerned with influencing the physical/physicochemical characteristics of the appliances and not tooth movement directly. Invisalign (Inv) had a higher mean value than the other types of materials that were analyzed, which suggested a potentially greater impact on orthodontic tooth movement. However, its variance value indicated that there was also greater uncertainty associated with the estimate compared to some of the other plastics. These findings could have important implications for orthodontic treatment planning and aligner material selection. Registration: This review protocol was registered on the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO; registration number: CRD42022381466).

In the modern era of dentistry, role modeling/roleplaying is one of the most prevalent and recommended methods of dental education. Working on video production projects and using student-centred learning also help students create feelings of ownership and self-esteem. This study aimed to compare students’ perceptions of roleplay videos among genders, different disciplines of dentistry, and different levels of dental students. This study included 180 third- and fourth-year dental students registered in courses such as ‘Introduction to Dental Practice’ and ‘Surgical management of oral and maxillofacial diseases’, respectively, at the College of Dentistry at Jouf University. Four groups of recruited participants were pre-tested using a questionnaire about their clinical and communication skills. The students were tested again using the same questionnaire at the end of the workshop to evaluate improvements in their skills. The students were then assigned to create roleplay videos with respect to demonstrated skills related to all three disciplines (Periodontics, Oral Surgery, and Oral Radiology) in a week’s time. Students’ perceptions of the roleplay video assignments were collected through a questionnaire survey. The Kruskal–Wallis test was used to compare responses for each section of the questionnaire (p < 0.05). Improvements in problem-solving and project management skills during video production were reported by 90% of the participants. No significant difference (p > 0.05) in the mean scores of the responses was found with respect to the type of discipline involved in the process. There was a significant difference in the mean scores of the responses between male and female students (p < 0.05). The fourth year participants demonstrated increased mean scores and significantly higher (p < 0.05) mean scores than third-year participants. Students’ perceptions of roleplay videos differed by gender and the level of the students, but not by the type of discipline.

The data on how lifestyle factors of school-going children affect their oral health are not sufficient; therefore, there is a need to analyze the adverse effects of poor lifestyle habits and the role of mothers’ education on oral health. The aim of this study was to analyze the association of socioeconomic and lifestyle factors with the oral health status of school-going children through a structured questionnaire and oral examination. Ninety-five (26.5%) children were from class 1. One hundred eighty-seven (52.1%) mothers were educated while 172 (47.9%) were uneducated. Two hundred seventy-six (76.9%) children had never visited the dentist. The results indicate that dental health behavior is associated with lifestyle factors as well as socio-demographic variables. Parent education and awareness regarding oral health plays a major role in determining the oral health of children.

This study aimed to assess the outcomes of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) with the conventional bracket (CB) and self-ligating (SL) bracket systems on root resorption (RR) during orthodontic treatment. A total of 32 patients were included in this randomized clinical trial. All the patients were randomly divided into four individual groups (SLL: self-ligating laser, CBL: conventional bracket laser, SLNL: self-ligating non-laser, CBNL: conventional bracket non-laser). RR was measured from the cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) radiographs which were taken at two stages of the orthodontic treatment: pre-treatment (T1) and after leveling and alignment stage (T2). Wilcoxon rank test for the comparison was conducted to compare the RR at T1 and T2 stages within each group and showed a significant difference (p < 0.05) for various variables. Mann Whitney test compared the RR in laser and non-laser groups irrespective of the bracket systems and exhibited no significant differences except the left lateral incisor. Moreover, CB and SL groups showed no significant difference in RR among any tooth. Kruskal Wallis test was performed to compare the RR among all groups which presented no significant differences. LLLT and bracket systems have no consequences on RR until the leveling and alignment stage of orthodontic treatment.

A variety of metals and alloys are employed in the field of orthodontics, of which the construction of wires happens to be predominant. Through this systematic review, our primary goal was to review and assess studies focusing on complications that emerged during or directly after the completion of an orthodontic treatment plan. We then used a meta-analysis to determine how these complications affected the patients who were receiving orthodontic treatment. A total of 634 documents were discovered after a thorough search of online journals, and 416 of the papers were initially selected. In the end, 14 papers, including in vitro experiments, literature reviews, comparative analyses, observational studies, and retrospective studies, were chosen that met the requisite inclusion and exclusion criteria. There were difficulties related to orthodontic treatment in all of the studies listed in our systematic review, but their severity varied greatly. The effects of gingival mucosa and root resorption were two of the most often mentioned periodontal problems in this review. More long-term studies are required to confirm the involvement of an orthodontic component in these issues, but the majority of the complications were assessed to initially arise after the treatment plan had begun and to resolve with time.

Background: The appropriate alignment of the lower teeth is indicated by the Curve of Spee (COS), which can be observed in the sagittal profile view of human skulls. Graf Von Spee made the initial observation on this occlusal curvature. Through this systematic review and meta-analysis, we evaluated studies that looked at how COS affected masticatory activities. Methods: The databases PubMed-MEDLINE, Web of Science, Cochrane, and Scopus were all searched. A total of 12 documents were ultimately picked because they met the necessary inclusion and exclusion requirements. The data was then loaded into the RevMan 5 programme for meta-analysis after being chosen for information on the sample size, variables analyzed, and various aspects of the research. Results: The Curve of Spee was found to have a noticeable impact on both the masticatory efficiency as well as dentofacial alignment in the 12 studies that we selected for the review and meta-analysis. In addition, other occlusal curvatures such as the Curve of Monson and the Curve of Wilson were found to be of vital importance on a similar level to the COS. The meta-analysis further revealed that seven of the included clinical trials had mentioned the noticeable impact on masticatory efficiency. Conclusions: This study focused on the significance of the COS on force distribution in the oral cavity as well as the necessity of COS corrections after receiving full orthodontic care. Following orthodontic treatment, the COS, along with other occlusal curves such as the Curve of Wilson and the Curve of Monson, is essential in removing strains from the condyle, as well as the maxilla and mandible, which enhances masticatory effectiveness and lessens the overall strain on a patient’s oral cavity.

Oral health is an important dimension in the overall health of an individual [...]

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major human pathogen that requires a better understanding of its interaction with host cells. There is a close association of HCV life cycle with host lipid metabolism. Lipid droplets (LDs) have been found to be crucial organelles that support HCV replication and virion assembly. In addition to their role in replication, LDs also have protein-mediated antiviral properties that are activated during HCV infection. Studies have shown that HCV replicates well in cholesterol and sphingolipid-rich membranes, but the ways in which HCV alters host cell lipid dynamics are not yet known. In this study, we performed a kinetic study to check the enrichment of LDs at different time points of HCV infection. Based on the LD enrichment results, we selected early and later time points of HCV infection for global lipidomic study. Early infection represents the window period for HCV sensing and host immune response while later infection represents the establishment of viral RNA replication, virion assembly, and egress. We identified the dynamic profile of lipid species at early and later time points of HCV infection by global lipidomic study using mass spectrometry. At early HCV infection, phosphatidylinositol phospholipids (PIPs), lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), triacyl glycerols (TAG), phosphatidylcholine (PC), and trihexosylceramides (Hex3Cer) were observed to be enriched. Similarly, free fatty acids (FFA), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), N-acylphosphatidylethanolamines (NAPE), and tri acylglycerols were enriched at later time points of HCV infection. Lipids enriched at early time of infection may have role in HCV sensing, viral attachment, and immune response as LPA and PIPs are important for immune response and viral attachment, respectively. Moreover, lipid species observed at later infection may contribute to HCV replication and virion assembly as PE, FFA, and triacylglycerols are known for the similar function. In conclusion, we identified lipid species that exhibited dynamic profile across early and later time points of HCV infection compared to mock cells, which could be therapeutically relevant in the design of more specific and effective anti-viral therapies.

Objective: The prime objective of this research was to study the effect of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) with an evaluation of bony changes via pre- and post-treatment 3DCBCT in orthodontic malocclusion cases treated with fixed orthodontic appliances. Materials and Methods: Subjects who attended the Orthodontic Clinic, were diagnosed with orthodontic malocclusion, treated with fixed orthodontic appliances, and had pre- and post-management CBCT were included in the study. Patients aged 14 to 25 years who met the inclusion criteria were assigned to two groups, group A (LLLT) and group B (non-LLLT). Group A participants were treated with LLLT therapy as per standard protocol after explaining the nature of the treatment. Group B (non-LLLT) participants were not treated with LLLT therapy and therefore served as the control. LLLT was used in the experimental group after placing each archwire. Interradicular bony changes at depth levels of 1 to 4 (2, 5, 8, and 11 mm) using 3DCBCT were measured as outcome parameters. Results: The information collected was analyzed using SPSS computer software. Mostly insignificant differences were noted among groups for the different parameters (p < 0.05). Student’s t-tests and paired t-tests were used to investigate the differences. Experimental Hypothesis: There will be significant differences in the interradicular width (IRW) measurements between the LLLT and non-LLLT groups. Conclusions: The hypothesis was rejected. Upon investigation of prospective changes, most of the measured parameters showed insignificant differences.

Introduction: In developing countries, neonatal mortality is the most neglected health issue by the health system, leading to its emergence as a public health problem. A study was undertaken to assess the influence of factors and newborn care practices influencing newborn health in the rural area of Bareilly district. Methodology: The descriptive cross-sectional study was organized in the rural areas of Bareilly. Study participants were selected based on the mothers who gave birth to a baby during the last six months. The mothers who delivered in that area within six months were included and, using the semi-structured questionnaire, data were collected. Data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS 2021 version for windows. Results: Out of 300 deliveries, nearly one-quarter of the deliveries, 66 (22%), were happening in homes, and most of the deliveries, 234 (78%), happened in hospitals. It was observed that unsafe cord care practices were observed more among nuclear families, 8 (53.4%), than joint families, 7 (46.6%), and it was found to be statistically insignificant. The Unsafe feed was given 48 (72.7%) more commonly among home deliveries than institutional deliveries 56 (23.9%). Mothers’ initiation of delayed breastfeeding was nearly the same in both home and hospital deliveries. Delayed bathing was observed in nearly three-fourths of mothers, 125 (70.1%), aged 24–29 years, followed by 29 (16.8%) in the age period of 30–35 years. Conclusion: The practice of essential newborn care still needs to improve in Bareilly; there is a need to create awareness among the mothers and family members on newborn and early neonatal care aspects, such as promoting exclusive and early initiation of breastfeeding and delayed bathing practices.

Distributed video coding (DVC) is based on distributed source coding (DSC) concepts in which video statistics are used partially or completely at the decoder rather than the encoder. The rate-distortion (RD) performance of distributed video codecs substantially lags the conventional predictive video coding. Several techniques and methods are employed in DVC to overcome this performance gap and achieve high coding efficiency while maintaining low encoder computational complexity. However, it is still challenging to achieve coding efficiency and limit the computational complexity of the encoding and decoding process. The deployment of distributed residual video coding (DRVC) improves coding efficiency, but significant enhancements are still required to reduce these gaps. This paper proposes the QUAntized Transform ResIdual Decision (QUATRID) scheme that improves the coding efficiency by deploying the Quantized Transform Decision Mode (QUAM) at the encoder. The proposed QUATRID scheme’s main contribution is a design and integration of a novel QUAM method into DRVC that effectively skips the zero quantized transform (QT) blocks, thus limiting the number of input bit planes to be channel encoded and consequently reducing both the channel encoding and decoding computational complexity. Moreover, an online correlation noise model (CNM) is specifically designed for the QUATRID scheme and implemented at its decoder. This online CNM improves the channel decoding process and contributes to the bit rate reduction. Finally, a methodology for the reconstruction of the residual frame (R^) is developed that utilizes the decision mode information passed by the encoder, decoded quantized bin, and transformed estimated residual frame. The Bjøntegaard delta analysis of experimental results shows that the QUATRID achieves better performance over the DISCOVER by attaining the PSNR between 0.06 dB and 0.32 dB and coding efficiency, which varies from 5.4 to 10.48 percent. In addition to this, results determine that for all types of motion videos, the proposed QUATRID scheme outperforms the DISCOVER in terms of reducing the number of input bit-planes to be channel encoded and the entire encoder’s computational complexity. The number of bit plane reduction exceeds 97%, while the entire Wyner-Ziv encoder and channel coding computational complexity reduce more than nine-fold and 34-fold, respectively.

Purple corn kernels were subjected to boiling and steaming times of 5–15 min to extract purple corn milk (PCM). Pasteurized and unpasteurized PCM samples were investigated for changes in anthocyanins, antioxidants, and physicochemical properties. Anthocyanins, total phenolics, antioxidant activity, color and viscosity values showed promising results in pasteurized PCM samples extracted from kernels steamed for 5 min (PPCM-S5) compared to other samples (p ≤ 0.05). Changes in L*, a* and b* values, total phenolics and DPPH activity were lowered in PPCM-S5 samples with higher retention of anthocyanins compared to the PCM extracted from boiled kernels (p ≤ 0.05). PCM extracted from 5 min steamed kernels fortified with 4% sucrose (PCM5-S4) after pasteurization revealed the lowest changes in color, pH, total soluble solid and viscosity during 12 days of storage at 4 °C compared to the unpasteurized PCM without sucrose and pasteurized PCM fortified with 6% sucrose. Additionally, pasteurized PCM5-S4 samples marked the highest anthocyanins, total phenolics and antioxidant activity during storage. Microbial load was lowest in pasteurized PCM5-S4 samples stored at 4 °C for 12 days. However, coliforms, yeast or mold and Escherichia coli were not present in the thermally processed PCM samples. The highest sensory scores were obtained in PCM5-S4 at day 12 of storage compared to PCM without any treatment. Therefore, pasteurized PCM extracted from 5 min steamed purple corn kernels retained bioactivity along with 4% sucrose fortification resulted in higher sensory acceptability. As a consequence the shelf-life of PCM5-S4 sample was extended up to 12 days at 4 °C.

In this study, the extraction of cocoa shell powder (CSP) was optimized, and the optimized extracts were spray-dried for encapsulation purposes. Temperature (45–65 °C), extraction time (30–60 min), and ethanol concentration (60–100%) were the extraction parameters. The response surface methodology analysis revealed that the model was significant (p ≤ 0.05) in interactions between all variables (total phenolic compound, total flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity as measured by 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP assays), with a lack of fit test for the model being insignificant (p > 0.05). Temperature (55 °C), time (45 min), and ethanol concentration (60%) were found to be the optimal extraction conditions. For spray-drying encapsulation, some quality metrics (e.g., water solubility, water activity) were insignificant (p > 0.05). The microcapsules were found to be spherical in shape using a scanning electron microscope. Thermogravimetric and differential thermogravimetric measurements of the microcapsules revealed nearly identical results. The gum arabic + maltodextrin microcapsule (GMM) showed potential antibacterial (zone of inhibition: 11.50 mm; lower minimum inhibitory concentration: 1.50 mg/mL) and antioxidant (DPPH: 1063 mM trolox/100g dry wt.) activities (p ≤ 0.05). In conclusion, the microcapsules in this study, particularly GMM, are promising antioxidant and antibacterial agents to be fortified as functional food ingredients for the production of nutraceutical foods with health-promoting properties.