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Abstract Whole‐exome sequencing of two patients with idiopathic complex neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) identified biallelic variants of unknown significance within FIBCD1, encoding an endocytic acetyl group‐binding transmembrane receptor with no known function in the central nervous system. We found that FIBCD1 preferentially binds and endocytoses glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chondroitin sulphate‐4S (CS‐4S) and regulates GAG content of the brain extracellular matrix (ECM). In silico molecular simulation studies and GAG binding analyses of patient variants determined that such variants are loss‐of‐function by disrupting FIBCD1‐CS‐4S association. Gene knockdown in flies resulted in morphological disruption of the neuromuscular junction and motor‐related behavioural deficits. In humans and mice, FIBCD1 is expressed in discrete brain regions, including the hippocampus. Fibcd1 KO mice exhibited normal hippocampal neuronal morphology but impaired hippocampal‐dependent learning. Further, hippocampal synaptic remodelling in acute slices from Fibcd1 KO mice was deficient but restored upon enzymatically modulating the ECM. Together, we identified FIBCD1 as an endocytic receptor for GAGs in the brain ECM and a novel gene associated with an NDD, revealing a critical role in nervous system structure, function and plasticity.

G-quadruplexes (G4) are non-canonical, four-stranded, nucleic acid secondary structures formed in the guanine-rich sequences, where guanine nucleotides associate with each other via Hoogsteen hydrogen bonding. These structures are widely found near the functional regions of the mammalian genome, such as telomeres, oncogenic promoters, and replication origins, and play crucial regulatory roles in replication and transcription. Destabilization of G4 by various carcinogenic agents allows oncogene overexpression and extension of telomeric ends resulting in dysregulation of cellular growth–promoting oncogenesis. Therefore, targeting and stabilizing these G4 structures with potential ligands could aid cancer prevention and therapy. The field of G-quadruplex targeting is relatively nascent, although many articles have demonstrated the effect of G4 stabilization on oncogenic expressions; however, no previous study has provided a comprehensive analysis about the potency of a wide variety of nutraceuticals and some of their derivatives in targeting G4 and the lattice of oncogenic cell signaling cascade affected by them. In this review, we have discussed bioactive G4-stabilizing nutraceuticals, their sources, mode of action, and their influence on cellular signaling, and we believe our insight would bring new light to the current status of the field and motivate researchers to explore this relatively poorly studied arena. Schematic diagram depicting nutraceuticals' role in attenuating cancer progression [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish, being highly sensitive to changes in the physico-chemical parameters of water, are good indicators of contamination. Teesta, a prominent northern West Bengal River system, is increasingly contaminated due to anthropogenic activities. This study aims to determine agricultural pesticide contamination and its genotoxic impact on the resident fish, Pethia conchonius, as an experimental organism. Sample water analysis from three riverine sites I, II & III, showed the presence of the insecticides imidacloprid (IMI), chlorpyrifos (CPF), bifenethrin (BF), cypermethrin (CP), difenthiuron, acetamiprid (AC) in the sites II and III only with adjoining agricultural lands. Comet assay revealed a significantly lower % Head DNA (~ 1.2 times), higher %Tail DNA (~ 16 times), and %Tail length (~ 3.1 times) in the gills of Pethia conchonius from sites II and III. About 4 and 10 times increase of micronuclei and other nuclear abnormalities were also noted in the erythrocytes of the fish from sites II and III than I, which was not contaminated. The antioxidant enzymes SOD, CAT, and GST activity and MDA levels were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the liver samples from sites II and III, while AChE activity was significantly decreased (p < 0.001) in the brain tissues. Moreover, the sod, cat, and gpx expression in the hepatic cells were significantly upregulated compared to the β actin mRNA indicating increased oxidative stress. Increased genomic damage, antioxidant enzyme activity, higher MDA levels, decreased AChE activity in the brain, and the upregulation of hepatic genes strongly suggested the genotoxic effects of the detected insecticides in combination with other contaminants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of polar, water-miscible organic solvents (POS) on protein structure, stability, and functional activity is a subject of significant interest and complexity. This study examines the effects of acetonitrile (ACN), a semipolar, aprotic solvent, on the solvation properties of blocked Ace-Gly-X-Gly-Nme tripeptides (where Ace and Nme stands for acetyl and N-methyl amide groups respectively and X is any amino acid) through extensive molecular dynamics simulations. Individual simulations were conducted for each peptide, encompassing five different ACN concentrations within the range of χACN = 0.1–0.9. The preferential solvation parameter (Γ) calculated using the Kirkwood-Buff integral method was used for the assessment of peptide interactions with water/ACN. Additionally, weighted Voronoi tessellation was applied to obtain a three-way data set containing four time-averaged contact surface area types between peptide atoms and water/ACN atoms. A mathematical technique known as N-way Partial Least Squares (NPLS) was utilized to anticipate the preferential interactions between peptides and water/ACN from the contact surface areas. Furthermore, the temperature dependency of peptide-solvent interactions was investigated using a subset of 10 amino acids representing a range of hydrophobicities. MD simulations were conducted at five temperatures, spanning from 283 to 343 K, with subsequent analysis of data focusing on both preferential solvation and peptide-solvent contact surface areas. The results demonstrate the efficacy of utilizing contact surface areas between the peptide and solvent constituents for successfully predicting preferential interactions in water/ACN mixtures across various ACN concentrations and temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cloud load balancer should be proficient to modify it's approach to handle the various task kinds and the dynamic environment. In order to prevent situations where computing resources are excess or underutilized, an efficient task scheduling system is always necessary for optimum or efficient utilization of resources in cloud computing. Task Scheduling can be thought of as an optimization problem. As task scheduling in the cloud is an NP-Complete problem, the best solution cannot be found using gradient-based methods that look for optimal solutions to NP-Complete problems in a reasonable amount of time. Therefore, the task scheduling problem should be solved using evolutionary and meta-heuristic techniques. This study proposes a novel approach to task scheduling using the Cuckoo Optimization algorithm. With this approach, the load is effectively distributed among the virtual machines that are available, all the while keeping the total response time and average task processing time(PT) low. The comparative simulation results show that the proposed strategy performs better than state-of-the-art techniques such as Particle Swarm optimization, Ant Colony optimization, Genetic Algorithm and Stochastic Hill Climbing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater is an essential natural resource for mankind. Due to various geogenic and anthropogenic causes, groundwater quality has raised serious concern over the years. In this study, groundwater quality was evaluated for its suitability for irrigation in the Jorhat and Golaghat Districts of Assam, India. A total of 100 groundwater samples were collected from shallow aquifers (< 35 m) from different locations during the pre-monsoon season (March–April 2022). Groundwater in the study area is slightly alkaline in nature (mean pH value of 7.44). The average cations and anions chemistry are in the order of Na+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+ > K+ and HCO3− > Cl− > SO42− > CO32−, respectively. Ca-Mg-HCO3 followed by Na-Ca-HCO3-Cl are the primary water types in the study area. Pearson's correlation matrix showed a positive correlation between TDS and EC (r = 0.78) and sodium showed a positive correlation with TDS and bicarbonate (r = 0.62 and r = 0.65), respectively. Gibbs plot indicated that rock-water interaction is the dominant factor that controls the chemistry of the groundwater of the area. Irrigation parameters like Sodium Absorption Ratio (SAR), Permeability Index (PI), Magnesium Absorption Ratio (MAR), Kelly's Ratio (KR), and Irrigation Water Quality Index (IWQI) indicated that groundwater is overall suitable for irrigation. USSL diagram illustrated that most of the samples fell into the C2 (medium salinity) and S1 (low sodium hazard) categories. Wilcox plot showed the samples fell in excellent to good categories indicating fitness of groundwater for irrigation in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biofloc environment needs specific heterotrophic nitrifying bacteria for optimal system performance, hence screening perfect bacterial strains is crucial. Enterobacter cloacae sp. was identified as a novel heterotrophic bacterium isolated from freshwater pond sediment during July, 2022. Through high-throughput sequencing, the isolated bacterium was identified as E. cloacae CAUCoF_BF_01, which demonstrated potential nitrogen removal via heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification, as well as a preference for different C/N ratios (C/N10, 15, 20, and 25) for consuming nitrogen sources. The bacteria performed superior (p < 0.05) ammonia-N and nitrite-N removal in C/N20, with efficiencies of 91.70% and 91.0%, respectively. C/N15, on the other hand, had higher nitrate-N removal efficiency (69.20%). Furthermore, the optimum temperature for the chosen strain was determined to be 30 °C. This strain, on the other hand, can thrive in temperatures ranging from 20 to 37 °C and pH levels ranging from 6 to 10. Furthermore, the biofilm test reveals that the selected bacterial strain has the potential to form biofilm via extracellular polymeric compound secretion, besides passing ecological safety requirement. The current investigation will be helpful in the development of a successful biofloc-based probiotic for managing system generated ammonia to an optimal level, as well as floc production to maximize system efficiency.Article Highlights: A novel HNAD, Enterobacter cloacae CAUCoF_BF_01 is isolated from pond sediment with superior ammonia-N and nitrite-N removal efficiencies of 91.70% and 91.0% at a C/N20 ratio The strain grows best at 30 °C with a functional range of 20–37 °C and pH 6–10 ensuring versatility in various environment Capable of forming biofilms through extracellular polymeric compound secretion, enhancing system capability and efficiency [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The objective of our study was to analyze methylomic and clinical features of a cohort of spinal meningiomas (SMs) resected at our institution. Methods: This is a retrospective study of patients undergoing SM resection at our institution between 2010 and 2023. Clinical and radiographic characteristics were reviewed and analyzed with standard statistical methods. A Partitioning Around Medoids approach was used to cluster SMs with methylation data in a combined cohort from our institution and a publicly available dataset by methylation profiles. Clinical variables and pathway analyses were compared for the resulting clusters. Results: Sixty-five SMs were resected in 53 patients with median radiographic follow-up of 34 months. Forty-six (87%) patients were female. The median age at surgery was 65 years and median tumor diameter was 1.9 cm. The five-year progression-free survival rate was 90%, with subtotal resection being associated with recurrence or progression (p =.017). SMs clustered into hypermethylation, intermediate methylation, and hypomethylation subgroups. Tumors in the hypermethylated subgroup were associated with higher WHO grade (p =.046) and higher risk histological subtypes (p <.001), while tumors in the hypomethylated subgroup were least likely to present with copy-number loss in chromosome 22q (p <.0001). SMs classified as immune-enriched under a previously developed intracranial meningioma classifier did not have increased leukocyte fractions or hypomethylation of genes typically hypomethylated in immune-enriched tumors. Conclusion: SMs are more benign than their intracranial counterparts, and gross-total resection results in long term PFS. Methylation profiling identifies subgroups with differences in clinical variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solid waste management is a critical issue in India as the country continues to develop. Accurately estimating the types, quantities, and distribution of solid waste is essential for effective waste management. The methods and processes for managing waste in any city, including collection, transportation, treatment, and disposal, rely heavily on accurate estimations of waste quantities. These estimates are in turn influenced by various factors, including socio-cultural, economic, environmental, political, and technological factors. The research aims to identify specific social and spatial factors that influence solid waste generation in municipal cities of the present times through a literature study. It then undertakes the study of a selected area in the city of Cuttack, Orissa, India, as a case study and formulates a model for quantifying solid waste based on the measurements of derived indicators. The research utilizes both primary and secondary data to achieve its objectives. The analysis revealed that factors such as monthly family income, house occupancy, and occupation have a strong positive correlation with the quantity of solid waste. Conversely, factors such as educational qualification and the incentive system provided to citizens exhibit a negative correlation with the amount of solid waste generated. Based on these factors, the model derived will facilitate the accurate estimation of solid waste generated in similar contexts, thereby aiding efficient waste management. By conducting this case study in Cuttack City, we aim to contribute to the existing body of knowledge on solid waste management in India and provide a comprehensive understanding of the factors affecting waste quantity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses the pressing issue of customer impatience and dissatisfaction with queueing systems, a critical aspect of modern businesses. It delves into specific aspects of customer behavior, viz., reverse balking, reneging, and retention of reneged customers, which significantly influence queue dynamics. A novel finite-buffer two-server heterogeneous queueing model is introduced, taking into account reverse balking, and position-dependent reneging (reneging till the beginning of service i.e., R _ B O S and reneging till the end of service i.e., R _ E O S ) along with the retention of reneged customers. The probability distribution of the number of customers in the system is ferret out and the key performance measures are derived along with sensitivity analysis. Extending the analysis, this study tackles a cost optimization problem using an algorithm based on the Quasi-Newton Method (QNM) to achieve optimal solutions for both the server that optimize the cost function. A numerical example is provided to illustrate the practical implications and benefits of the proposed optimization approach for the queueing model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The widespread adoption of utility-based real-time applications has placed the necessity of widescale deployment of edge computing infrastructure. Crowdsourced edge computing is deemed a suitable way out. On the other hand, a collection of today's powerful smart mobile devices (SMDs) can cumulatively offer high-performance computing. The public-owned SMDs are utilized opportunistically to form a dynamic ad-hoc computing grid known as mobile crowd computing (MCC). This paper aspires to establish a proof-of-concept for the feasibility and use of MCC as a sustainable edge computing solution (MCC-edge). A typical smart HVAC system of an office building has been considered for the experiment case. We aim to process the HVAC data in real-time using the MCC-edge setup within the building for auto adjustment of the AC controller and error notifications. To maintain the ideal comfort level of the occupants, we present an extensive calculation using the dew point and heat index of the room. A high-level layered architecture of the MCC-edge for HVAC is presented along with a general framework of the MCC-edge. We report the module-wise design and implementation procedures with exhaustive details. The performance of MCC-edge is statistically compared with the commercial edge and cloud computing solutions in terms of cost, energy consumption, latency, and environmental impact, showing a significant advantage over the two. Every procedural detail of each module's design, development, and implementation is meticulously presented, which would aid interested readers and researchers in rebuilding such an application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we have studied a multi-lepton final state arising from sneutrino and left-handed slepton production at the high-luminosity and high-energy LHC in the context of R-parity violating supersymmetry when only the lepton number violating λ 121 and/or λ 122 couplings are non-zero. We have taken into account both pair production and associated production of the three generations of left-handed sleptons and sneutrinos, which are assumed to be mass degenerate. The lightest supersymmetric particle is assumed to be bino and it decays via the R-parity violating couplings into light leptons and neutrinos. Our final state has a large lepton multiplicity, N l ≥ 4 (l = e , μ) . We perform both cut-based and machine learning-based analyses for comparison. We present our results in the bino-slepton/sneutrino mass plane in terms of exclusion and discovery reach at the LHC. Following our analysis, the slepton mass can be discovered up to ∼ 1.54 TeV and excluded up to ∼ 1.87 TeV at the high-luminosity LHC, while these ranges go up to ∼ 2.46 and ∼ 3.06 TeV, respectively, at the high-energy LHC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we discuss various phenomenological implications of possible R-parity violating (RPV) supersymmetric scenarios. In this context, the implications of both bilinear and trilinear RPV terms are reviewed from the viewpoint of neutrino physics, anomalous muon magnetic moment, different flavor observables, and collider physics. Apart from discussing the distinctive phenomenological implications of the RPV scenarios, we also survey the updated results from different studies to highlight the present status of the RPV couplings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Naturally infected Channa punctata exhibiting bacterial septicemic syndrome including ulcerations along with mortality records were collected from a fish farm in Assam during winter season (early November 2020 to early January 2021). The moribund fishes were subjected for bacterial isolation followed by identification of the bacteria. Two dominant emerging bacterial pathogens were identified as Aeromonas veronii (isolate ZooGURD-01) and Aeromonas hydrophila (isolate ZooGURD-05) by standard biochemical characterization and 16S rRNA and rpo B gene amplification. Re-infection experiments of both the bacterial isolates in healthy disease-free C. punctata showed similar symptoms to that of natural infection thus confirming their virulence. The LD50 calculated during challenge test for both the isolates ZooGURD-01 and ZooGURD-05 found to be pathogenic at 2.6 × 104 and 1.6 × 104 CFU/fish respectively. Further PCR amplification of specific virulent genes (aerolysin, hemolysin and enterotoxin) confirmed pathogenicity for both isolates. Histopathological examinations of liver and kidney in re-infection experiments showed prominent changes supporting bacterial septicaemia. Antibiotic sensitivity pattern showed that the isolates ZooGURD-01 and ZooGURD-05 were sensitive to 22 and 19 out of 25 antimicrobials respectively. The present study was the first report on the mortality of farmed C. punctata associated with natural infection caused by A. veronii and A. hydrophila with no record of pathogenicity of A. veronii in C. punctata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

5G cellular network is becoming a preferred choice for future deployments of IoT, due to its flexibility, low latency and high bandwidth. It has introduced small cells like femtocells, picocells and microcells to provide higher bandwidth. However, small cells have less signalling coverage, which leads to frequent handover authentication. Therefore, for seamless mobility in 5G cellular network, the existing handover authentication process, which is referred to as '5G-Handover-AKA' in this paper and illustrated in section 6.9.2.3.2 of the 3GPP technical specification TS 33.501, should be made faster. It also has to be made efficient, considering the resource constraints of IoT devices. In this paper, we propose a blockchain based fast and secure handover authentication scheme for 5G cellular network. Unlike 5G-Handover-AKA, the proposed protocol is designed to be robust against security attacks like false base station attack and key compromise attack. While informal security analysis shows the scheme to be robust against various security attacks like de-synchronization attack, eavesdropping attack, denial of service attack, etc., formal security analysis using BAN logic and Scyther tool shows that the scheme meets all the security goals. Performance analysis of the scheme shows that it achieves its goals with 15.84% lesser communication overhead and 18.08% lesser computation overhead at the resource constrained IoT device in comparison to 5G-Handover-AKA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research aimed to explore the durability of MMO electrodes through electro-oxidation (EO) in purifying secondary treated actual sewage wastewater using batch and pilot-scale setups. The main aim is to inactivate bacteria in sewage treatment plants before they are released into the environment, thus contaminating water and soil. Process parameters such as current density (j), NaCl dose (n), and treatment time (t) were optimized using response surface methodology in a lab-scale EO reactor under batch conditions. The results showed that optimization of current density at 5.90 mA/cm2 and NaCl concentration at 1.31 g/L led to 93.90% of bacterial inactivation (Q1) within 8 min of treatment and 0.48 kWh/m3 energy consumption (Q2). Biological analysis was conducted to validate bacterial cell destruction and count coliform bacteria in the EO-treated sewage wastewater. XRD, cyclic voltammetry studies, and FE-SEM/EDS analysis were done to confirm the MMO anode's durability and stability after 100 recycles. The study prioritized bacterial inactivation along with organic matter degradation. Besides that, a small pilot-scale study on the actual sewage wastewater with a volume of 10–50 L was done in batch mode under previously optimized conditions to analyze the efficacy of the MMO anodes in terms of bacterial inactivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conditional regulation is a highly beneficial system for studying the function of essential genes in Plasmodium falciparum and dimerizable Cre recombinase (DiCre) is a recently adapted conditional regulation system suitable for this purpose. In the DiCre system, two inactive fragments of Cre are reconstituted to form a functionally active enzyme in the presence of rapamycin. Different loci have been targeted to generate parasite lines that express the DiCre enzyme. Here, we have used marker-free CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing to integrate the DiCre cassette in a redundant cg6 locus. We have shown the utility of the newly generated ∆cg6DC4 parasites in mediating robust, rapid, and highly specific excision of exogenously encoded gfp sequence. The ∆cg6DC4 parasites are also capable of conditional excision of an endogenous parasite gene, PF3D7_1246000. Conditional deletion of PF3D7_1246000 did not cause any inhibition in the asexual proliferation of the parasites. Furthermore, the health and morphology of the mutant parasites were comparable to that of the control parasites in Giemsa smears. The availability of another stable DiCre parasite strain competent for conditional excision of target genes will expedite functional characterization and validation of novel drug and vaccine targets against malaria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past few years, photovoltaic (PV) installations have experienced a surge in popularity, primarily driven by growing environmental concerns. However, the rise of large-scale PV installations has brought about challenges, such as the risk of overvoltage and grid overload. Instances of voltage violations notably escalate with increased PV penetration, often leading to inverter shutdowns. These occurrences cast a shadow over the viability of implementing high PV penetration. Moreover, integrating a substantial intermittent power source into an outdated power grid raises concerns about the reliability of the entire power network. Enhancing the power system to accommodate significant intermittent power poses a considerable challenge, and retrofitting the entire system would be prohibitively expensive. To address these issues without incurring exorbitant costs, the adoption of flexible power point tracking (FPPT) emerges as a crucial solution. FPPT effectively reduces ripple current stress, thereby extending the lifespan of critical components in a grid-connected PV system, including PV panels, DC link capacitors, and PV inverters. The significance of this research is underscored through an analytical study that scrutinizes various system entities, considering maximum power point tracking (MPPT) and FPPT separately. Furthermore, theoretical observations are substantiated by simulation results on the Matlab platform, illustrating the practical impact of FPPT compared to MPPT. Analytical findings highlight an overall improvement in the lifespan of system components when FPPT is employed as a substitute for MPPT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ga₂O₃ nanowire arrays were fabricated on silicon substrates using a combination of e-beam evaporation and glancing angle deposition (GLAD). Microscopic imaging and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) mapping confirmed the formation of nanowire-like structures with precise stoichiometry. X-ray diffraction verified the crystalline β-Ga2O3 structure. Optical bandgap values of 3.2 eV and 4.5 eV were determined through UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy utilizing Tauc's plot. The optoelectronic properties of an Au/Ga2O3 nanowire/p-Si/In device were assessed via current-voltage (I-V) measurements, with a free carrier concentration (Nd) of 5.6 × 1017 cm− 3 obtained from capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements. Temperature-dependent I-V characteristics revealed a decrease in Ideality factor and series resistance with increasing temperature, along with an increase in barrier height, indicating barrier inhomogeneities. Wavelength-dependent responsivity and detectivity measurements demonstrated enhanced performance in the UV (~ 300 nm) and near-UV (~ 400 nm) regions. In the UV region, the device exhibited responsivity values of 2.29 A/W and 6.54 A/W, and detectivity values of 2.51 × 109 Jones and 8.64 × 109 Jones, respectively. Highlights: Ga2O3 nanowire arrays were successfully fabricated using a combination of e-beam evaporation and glancing angle deposition (GLAD) on silicon substrates. Optical bandgap values of 3.2 eV and 4.5 eV were determined, highlighting the material's suitability for optoelectronic applications. Capacitance-Voltage (C-V) measurements revealed a free carrier concentration (Nd) of 5.6 × 1017 cm−3, offering valuable insights into the electrical properties of the material. Temperature-dependent I-V characteristics indicated the presence of barrier inhomogeneities, suggesting complex electrical behaviour. Enhanced device performance was demonstrated through wavelength-dependent responsivity and detectivity measurements, with R = 2.29 A/W & 6.54 A/W and D* = 2.51 × 109 Jones & 8.64 × 109 Jones, respectively, in the UV (~ 300 nm) and near-UV (~ 400 nm) regions. The Ga2O3-based device exhibited significant potential as a detector or sensor, especially for deep UV and near-UV wavelengths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fault level is increasing day-by-day due to huge expansion of electrical network. To cope with the increasing fault level, Fault Current Limiter (FCL) is a good solution. Presently, use of DC loads as well as DC transmission is increasing a lot. Each DC load contains a rectifier circuit with it which helps it to convert the AC power source to DC source. Faults may occur at different positions of the network. This paper gives a detailed discussion on the working analysis of a PMFCL for faults occurring at different position in the rectifier circuit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring semiconductor materials with enhanced photocatalytic activity is essential for practical applications. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the photocatalytic reaction mechanisms. The discussion highlights recent progress in perovskite oxide materials for various environmental and energy applications, including H2/O2 production, organic pollutant degradation, heavy metal removal, radionuclide removal, CO2 reduction, and N2 fixation. The structural characteristics of perovskite oxides including titanates, tantalates, niobates, ferrites, and complex perovskite oxides are discussed, focusing on current strategies to enhance their photocatalytic activity. Furthermore, recent advances in the design and development of perovskite-based photocatalytic reactors are reviewed, emphasizing their potential for increased efficiency and practical implementation. This review aims to provide insights into the abilities, research gaps, future perspectives, and recommendations for further studies of perovskite oxide photocatalysts in addressing significant environmental and energy challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study investigates the impact of polyethylene glycol (PEG), sodium nitroprusside (SNP), and different carbon sources on the in vitro callus induction and regeneration of drought-tolerant and drought-sensitive rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes. PEG, a known osmotic agent, mimics drought conditions, thus providing insights into the plant's response mechanisms under stress. SNP, a nitric oxide donor, is evaluated for its role in modulating stress responses and promoting growth under adverse conditions. Various carbon sources are evaluated to determine their efficacy in supporting callus induction and subsequent regeneration. Results indicate differential responses between drought-tolerant and drought-sensitive rice genotypes, highlighting the potential for optimizing tissue culture protocols to enhance the resilience and regenerative capacity of rice under drought stress. While moderate PEG (5%) stimulated callus induction and regeneration, higher concentrations resulted in adverse effects, including reduced callus mass and regeneration potential. Morphological changes were also observed in response to PEG concentrations, highlighting genotype-specific responses. Meanwhile, combined effect of carbon sources such as maltose and sorbitol along with nitrogen sources "SNP" enhanced callus induction (> 90%) and regeneration (> 90%) under 20% PEG stress in both drought-tolerant and drought-sensitive rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of carbon storage, fractionation, and mineralization in soil, biochar and organic manure are essential. Regarding the impact of these interconnected procedures that link to soil C-cycling, there are still some doubts. At the ICAR-Sikkim Centre in Gangtok, India, a ten-year field experiment was conducted during 2013–2022 to investigate the effects of maize stalk and cob biomass-derived biochar (pyrolyzed at 600 °C) and different organic manure (5.0 t ha−1 to 10.0 t ha−1) applications on soil carbon fractions and sequestration in maize-black gram system. The biochar was morpho-mineralogically characterized by SEM, TEM, EDS, TGA, FT-IR, and XRD. Types of organic manure and biochar significantly enhanced total carbon and oxidizable carbon. It also influenced water-soluble, hot water extractable, and particulate organic carbon than control. Combinations of biochar and organic manure both considerably lowered soil bulk density. The vermicompost influenced highest in particulate organic carbon and pig manure lowest compared to other manure and control. The treatment poultry manure 5 t ha−1 + biochar 2.5 t ha−1 (48.93) decreased water-soluble carbon (µg g−1 soil) significantly, followed by pig manure 5 t ha−1 + biochar 2.5 t ha−1 (52.33) as compared to control T1 (76.24) from initial value 71.39. An increase in organic manure and biochar application rate significantly increased carbon sequestration potential. Manures with biochar resulted in more influence on the annual rate of carbon sequestration than only manure without biochar. Among the manures with biochar, the treatment vermicompost 5 t ha−1 + biochar 5 t ha−1 (30.41) increased carbon retention efficiency (%) significantly, followed by goat manure 5 t ha−1 + biochar 5 t ha−1 (30.10), as compared to control T1 (3.53). Manures with biochar resulted in less influence in potentially mineralizable carbon than manure without biochar. FYM at 10 t ha−1 + biochar 5 t ha−1 (33.49) decreased potentially mineralizable nitrogen (mg NH4+-N kg−1) significantly, followed by pig manure 5 t ha−1 + biochar 5 t ha−1 (34.12) than manure without biochar. Our work unequivocally showed that applying biochar and organic manure to a maize-black gram system has great potential for C-sequestration and can play a vital role in C-fractionations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additive manufacturing (AM) provides an alternate and efficient route for producing intricate geometries, such as turbine blades in the high-pressure compression stages of an aero-engine. Herein, we present a multi-scale modeling approach involving the simulation of the laser-based directed energy deposition (L-DED) process and the resulting microstructure evolution to identify the process parameters for producing defect-free directionally solidified (DS)/single-crystalline (SX) Ni-based superalloy components. Notably, our approach involves a novel process model formulated in a diffuse-interface framework in contrast to the volume of fluid (VoF) and level-set methods documented in the literature. The temperature history obtained from the process simulations serves as an input for a Monte Carlo-based solidification microstructure model, which predicts the feasibility of epitaxial growth for a given set of process parameters. A parametric study is conducted using the above models by varying the laser power and scanning velocity to obtain an optimal processing window for epitaxial growth, which is validated experimentally. The study reveals that higher laser power and scanning velocities lead to epitaxial growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a syndrome of liver failure due to an acute hepatic insult leading to liver failure with or without extra-hepatic organ failure in a patient of chronic liver disease (CLD) with or without cirrhosis presenting for the first time. The definition is still with controversy; hence, homogeneity and clarity of the case is an unmet need. There is a paradigm shift noted as far as the etiology of CLD is concerned with rise in metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) and ethanol as the dominant cause even in developing countries. MAFLD is the change in nomenclature from NAFLD to justify the metabolic derangement in these group of patients. The shift from an exclusion-based criteria to one that has evolved to a diagnosis that requires positive criteria has profound significance. Clearly there is a difference in terms of its prevalence, disease progression, and liver-related events, as well as management of metabolic risk factors and MAFLD itself which requires further understanding. In tandem with the global rise in MAFLD, the incidence of MAFLD-ACLF is increasing. Excessive alcohol consumption causes metabolic and toxic injury to the liver resulting in nearly similar pathway of fatty liver, hepatitis, and cirrhosis. The interaction of MAFLD as an additional underlying chronic liver injury in ACLF patients is complex due to the presence of metabolic risk factors that are unique to MAFLD. There is lack of clarity on how MAFLD affects the clinical course of ACLF due to scarcity of this specific data. This narrative review aims to understand the unique effects, consequences, and management of MAFLD as the chronic liver injury component in ACLF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substitution of lost neurons by neurotransplantation would be a possible management of advanced degenerative cerebellar ataxias in which insufficient cerebellar reserve remains. In this study, we examined the volume and structure of solid embryonic cerebellar grafts in adult Lurcher mice, a model of olivocerebellar degeneration, and their healthy littermates. Grafts taken from enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-positive embryos were injected into the cerebellum of host mice. Two or six months later, the brains were examined histologically. The grafts were identified according to the EGFP fluorescence in frozen sections and their volumes were estimated using the Cavalieri principle. For gross histological evaluation, graft-containing slices were processed using Nissl and hematoxylin–eosin staining. Adjustment of the volume estimation approach suggested that it is reasonable to use all sections without sampling, but that calculation of values for up to 20% of lost section using linear interpolation does not constitute substantial error. Mean graft volume was smaller in Lurchers than in healthy mice when examined 6 months after the transplantation. We observed almost no signs of graft destruction. In some cases, compact grafts disorganized the structure of the host's cerebellar cortex. In Lurchers, the grafts had a limited contact with the host's cerebellum. Also, graft size was of greater variability in Lurchers than in healthy mice. The results are in compliance with our previous findings that Lurcher phenotype-associated factors have a negative effect on graft development. These factors can hypothetically include cerebellar morphology, local tissue milieu, or systemic factors such as immune system abnormalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adverse effects of abiotic components of the environment have led to noteworthy increases in drip global agricultural productivity. Among abiotic stresses, heavy metal (HM) stress is an important environmental factor with a significant negative impact on plants and requires serious attention due to its global presence. HMs are mostly found as key chemical components integrated into rock, particularly in industrial and urban areas. Rapid industrial development coupled with urbanization has amplified the accumulation of anthropogenic HMs in the environment. In comparison with organic substances, HMs cannot be decayed by biological interventions and thus remain in the environment for an extended period and subsequently pass through the food chain and subsequently accumulate in the bodies of humans and animals. This review provides a detailed account of the occurrence and behaviour of HMs in the environment, especially in the pedosphere, which affects the soil processes and physiology and biochemistry of plants. However, plants, particularly HM accumulators, are equipped with complex multilevel defense mechanisms to survive HM-induced stress. Here, we attempted to provide an explicit overview of these mechanisms at the cellular and molecular levels. Special emphasis has been given to the potential applications of these HM-tolerant traits in the transgenic development and phytoremediation of HMs, which might shape the future of research in the domains of plant science and agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 pandemic, which has exhibited a wide clinical spectrum and an unexpected surge in mucormycosis cases, understanding various biomarkers' roles becomes pivotal. As mucormycosis leads to clinical morbidity and mortality through angioinvasion and thromboembolism, unveiling the correlation between these markers and disease progression can shed light on the reasons behind mucormycosis's emergence as an epidemic, especially following the second wave of COVID-19. This long term ambispective observational study, conducted from May 2020 to July 2023, aimed to assess specific biomarkers as predictors of severity in COVID-19-associated mucormycosis (CAM). Biomarkers measured included ESR, CRP, D-dimer, IL-8, PCT, serum ferritin, and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) at different time points. Data analysis employed descriptive statistics, repeated measure ANOVA, Spearman correlations, ROC curve analysis, and logistic regression. Of 290 patients, 198 completed the 2-year follow-up. Elevated baseline biomarker levels significantly decreased with treatment initiation. CRP and NLR emerged as significant predictors of severe CAM, with odds ratio 2.926 (95% CI 1.466–4.360) and 2.203 (95% CI 0.863–1.040) respectively. Factors influencing CAM progression included age, CRP, and NLR, while all biomarkers independently predicted mortality. A death prediction model using CRP, PCT, D-dimer, NLR, and IL-8 demonstrated exceptional performance, with a sensitivity of 83.1% and specificity of 100%. Elevated inflammatory markers in CAM patients showed a decline with treatment, with NLR and CRP proving crucial for predicting severity. Serial monitoring of IL-8, CRP, PCT, NLR, D-dimer, and ferritin provides insights into disease progression and prognosis. The study underscores the importance of biomarker assessment in managing CAM, especially in the context of the unpredictable clinical spectrum of COVID-19 and the subsequent mucormycosis surge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crop statistics are crucial for developing a demand-based export and import strategy to ensure a country's sustainable food security. Remote sensing efficiently generates essential crop statistics, while ground-based supplementary sensor data offers sufficient information for crop delineation. This study explored the multispectral satellite imagery using in-situ ground-based hyperspectral reflectance phenology information as training data to delineate wheat from other competitive winter crops in Northwestern Bangladesh as a case study. Wheat spectral signatures were primarily obtained through a hand-held Spectroradiometer at various phenological stages, aligned with Sentinel-2 data availability. Five vegetation indices (VIs), namely Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Red-edge NDVI (RENDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Greenness Chromatic Coordinate (GCC) and Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), were derived from Spectroradiometer-data across six wheat growth stages: seedling, tillering, booting, flowering, grain development, and maturity. Maximum and minimum threshold values for the VIs at those six growth stages were determined from regression analysis of the values collected from Spectroradiometer and Sentinel-2. A rule-based classification technique was then used to categorize Sentinel-2 for wheat crop delineation based on those threshold values. The results revealed that maps based on NDVI, EVI, and SAVI showed overall accuracies of 83.33%, 85.18%, and 81.48%, respectively. These accuracies were found to be statistically acceptable (p < 0.05) outcomes. A positive agreement was observed when comparing the remotely sensed area at the union (4th tier administrative level) with the officially reported data of Bangladesh. This innovative method has the potential to be extended for developing phenology and area delineation for other major crops locally and globally. Highlights: A phenology-based algorithm was applied for delineating winter wheat. The algorithm is developed by combining Sentinel-2 images and Spectroradiometer data. Vegetative indices of wheat exhibited a strong relationship between two sensors' data. Accuracy assessment and validation of the produced maps demonstrated significant results. The method has the potential to be extended to area mapping for other crops locally and globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human Activity Recognition (HAR) has gained much attention since sensor technology has become more advanced and cost-effective. HAR is a process of identifying the daily living activities of an individual with the help of an efficient learning algorithm and prospective user-generated datasets. This paper addresses the technical advancement and classification of HAR systems in detail. Design issues, future opportunities, recent state-of-the-art related works, and a generic framework for activity recognition are discussed in a comprehensive manner with analytical discussion. Different publicly available datasets with their features and incorporated sensors are also descr-processing techniques with various performance metrics like - Accuracy, F1-score, Precision, Recall, Computational times and evaluation schemes are discussed for the comprehensive understanding of the Activity Recognition Chain (ARC). Different learning algorithms are exploited and compared for learning-based performance comparison. For each specific module of this paper, a compendious number of references is also cited for easy referencing. The main aim of this study is to give the readers an easy hands-on implementation in the field of HAR with verifiable evidence of different design issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meningiomas are associated with inactivation of NF2/Merlin, but approximately one-third of meningiomas with favorable clinical outcomes retain Merlin expression. Biochemical mechanisms underlying Merlin-intact meningioma growth are incompletely understood, and non-invasive biomarkers that may be used to guide treatment de-escalation or imaging surveillance are lacking. Here, we use single-cell RNA sequencing, proximity-labeling proteomic mass spectrometry, mechanistic and functional approaches, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) across meningioma xenografts and patients to define biochemical mechanisms and an imaging biomarker that underlie Merlin-intact meningiomas. We find Merlin serine 13 (S13) dephosphorylation drives meningioma Wnt signaling and tumor growth by attenuating inhibitory interactions with β-catenin and activating the Wnt pathway. MRI analyses show Merlin-intact meningiomas with S13 phosphorylation and favorable clinical outcomes are associated with high apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). These results define mechanisms underlying a potential imaging biomarker that could be used to guide treatment de-escalation or imaging surveillance for patients with Merlin-intact meningiomas. The molecular mechanisms underlying merlin-intact meningioma growth remain to be explored. Here, the authors show that merlin activates Wnt signalling and tumour growth through its dephosphorylation on serine 13 attenuating the inhibitory interactions with β-catenin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While multiple factors impact disease, artificial intelligence (AI) studies in medicine often use small, non-diverse patient cohorts due to data sharing and privacy issues. Federated learning (FL) has emerged as a solution, enabling training across hospitals without direct data sharing. Here, we present FL-PedBrain, an FL platform for pediatric posterior fossa brain tumors, and evaluate its performance on a diverse, realistic, multi-center cohort. Pediatric brain tumors were targeted due to the scarcity of such datasets, even in tertiary care hospitals. Our platform orchestrates federated training for joint tumor classification and segmentation across 19 international sites. FL-PedBrain exhibits less than a 1.5% decrease in classification and a 3% reduction in segmentation performance compared to centralized data training. FL boosts segmentation performance by 20 to 30% on three external, out-of-network sites. Finally, we explore the sources of data heterogeneity and examine FL robustness in real-world scenarios with data imbalances. Federated learning (FL) has emerged as a potential solution to train machine learning models in multiple clinical datasets while preserving patient privacy. Here, the authors develop an MRI-based FL platform for pediatric posterior fossa brain tumors—FL-PedBrain—and evaluate it on a diverse multi-center cohort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teleportation across short distances has become relevant in view of some recent developments in quantum technology. The advantage here is that certain auxiliary qubits can be accessed and utilized by both the sender and the receiver. Such an act reduces the requirement of the number of qubits in the entangled quantum channel which would have been otherwise necessary. In this paper we present a short-distance teleportation protocol by which an unknown three-qubit state can be transferred with the help of auxiliary qubits and a maximally entangled Bell State. In the second part of the paper we introduce a probabilistic short-distance protocol for the same unknown three-qubit state by using a non-maximally entangled Bell-state. The success probability of the protocol is calculated and its relation with the first protocol is discussed. We presented a circuit diagram for the first protocol and executed it in the IBM-Quantum platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

North-Eastern (NE), India and its adjoining region is one of the sixth most seismically active regions of the world. In the present investigation, the return period of earthquake and probability of occurrence inferred from Gutenberg–Richter (GR) relation was estimated for NE, India region and its vicinity. When we consider the entire NE, India region and its vicinity, it evidently suggested that the return period of earthquakes of 7 ≤ Mw ≤ 8.6 is short, which ranges from 32.73 to 162.59 years. It was observed that the earthquake occurrence from infinitesimally short interval t~0 for Mw~3.6–4 is embedded with 100% probability. The earthquakes of Mw~4.1–5.3 reach 100% in 10 years. Similarly, Mw~5.4–5.7 reaches to 100% in 20 years. Likewise, Mw~5.8–5.9, 6.0–6.1 and 6.2 reach ~100% in 30, 40 and 50 years, respectively. For large earthquakes of Mw~7.0–8.0, the probability of occurrence reaches >80% in 100 years. This observation strongly indicates that the likelihood of earthquakes occurring in the north-eastern region of India and its surrounding areas tends to increase over time. Further, the region was divided into four zones, namely Block I (26.5–28.5ºN; 89–95ºE), Block II (26.5–28.5ºN; 95–97.5ºE), Block III (23–26.5ºN; 93–97.5ºE) and Block IV (23–26.5ºN; 89–93ºE) based on seismicity and the major tectonic domains of the region. In terms of return period based on GR-relation and stochastic observations, we may conclude that the risk associated with occurrence of earthquake is highest in Block IV, followed by Block III, Block I and Block II respectively. Further, a comparison of the probabilities of earthquake return period considering seismogenic depths along with hypocentral depth data for different blocks was investigated for a comprehensive understanding of seismic occurrences over time. However, overall, the patterns and trends observed remain consistent, emphasizing the seismic activity within each block and its associated return periods. The stochastic observations and findings are elaborately accentuated in the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent achievements in engineering include the development and production of hybrid aluminium metal matrix composites (AMMCs), which are widely employed in all automotive applications due to their significant weight reduction and better strength compared to the base metal used in various manufacturing processes. The present work used burnt sugarcane bagasse powder (SCBP) as the filler material in aluminum–alumina composite. This filler material is inexpensive, low in density, accessible and widely available, renewable and ecologically innocuous. The fabrication of various AMMCs has been implemented using SCBP and alumina at different weight percentage ratios by powder metallurgy process. The validity of elemental composition is tested using energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction and CHNS studies. The specimens are made using an Instron machine at a pressure of 474 MPa and sintered for various lengths of time and temperatures. All specimens were checked for microhardness, uniaxial compression and fractography using the FMV1-MC-AT model, the Instron 8801 MT model, and the JEOL JSM-7001F model, respectively. The outcomes were compared with the base composite. At 600°C and for 2.5 h with 3 wt% burned SCBP, it was observed that relative density, microhardness and ultimate compression strength improved by 1.98, 28.18 and 24.27%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Main conclusion: This article explores possible future initiatives, such as the development of targeted breeding and integrated omics approach to boost little millet production, nutritional value, and environmental adaptation. Little millet (P. sumatrense) is a staple grain in many parts of Asia and Africa owing to its abundance in vitamins and minerals and its ability to withstand harsh agro-ecological conditions. Enhancing little millet using natural resources and novel crop improvement strategy is an effective way of boosting nutritional and food security. To understand the genetic makeup of the crop and figure out important characteristics linked to nutritional value, biotic and abiotic resistance, and production, researchers in this field are currently resorting on genomic technology. These realizations have expedited the crop's response to shifting environmental conditions by enabling the production of superior cultivars through targeted breeding. Going forward, further improvements in breeding techniques and genetics may boost the resilience, nutritional content, and production of little millet, which would benefit growers and consumers alike. The research and development on little millet improvement using novel omics platform and the integration of genetic resources are summarized in this review paper. Improved cultivars of little millet that satisfy changing farmer and consumer demands have already been developed through the use of these novel breeding strategies. This article also explores possible future initiatives, such as the development of targeted breeding, genomics, and sustainable agriculture methods. The potential for these measures to boost little millet's overall production, nutritional value, and climate adaptation will be extremely helpful in addressing nutritional security. Integrated omics for little millet improvement [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic hepatitis caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is closely linked with the advancement of liver disease. The research hypothesis suggests that the NS5B enzyme (non-structural 5B protein) of HCV plays a pivotal role in facilitating viral replication within host cells. Hence, the objective of the present investigation is to identify the binding interactions between the structurally diverse phytotherapeutics and those of the catalytic residue of the target NS5B polymerase protein. Results of our docking simulations reveal that compounds such as arjunolic acid, sesamin, arjungenin, astragalin, piperic acid, piperidine, piperine, acalyphin, adhatodine, amyrin, anisotine, apigenin, cuminaldehyde, and curcumin exhibit a maximum of three interactions with the catalytic residues (Asp 220, Asp 318, and Asp 319) present on the Hepatitis C virus NS5B polymerase of HCV. Molecular dynamic simulation, particularly focusing on the best binding lead compound, arjunolic acid (−8.78 kcal/mol), was further extensively analyzed using RMSD, RMSF, Rg, and SASA techniques. The results of the MD simulation confirm that the NS5B-arjunolic acid complex becomes increasingly stable from 20 to 100 ns. The orientation of both arjunolic acid and sofosbuvir triphosphate (standard) within the active site was investigated through DCCM, PCA, and FEL analysis, indicating highly stable interactions of the lead arjunolic acid with the catalytic region of the NS5B enzyme. The findings of our current investigation suggest that bioactive therapeutics like arjunolic acid could serve as promising candidates for limiting the NS5B polymerase activity of the hepatitis C virus, offering hope for the future of HCV treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recommendation with better accuracy is one of the major concerns. The most of the existing works focused on the user–movie ratings and the movie features for offering the solution. But in context of today's OTT platform, the consumers' (users) attributes are supposed to be available and need to be considered as one of the decision variables within the recommendation process. We have attempted to propose a better recommendation scheme that considers all these three inputs (user attributes, movie features, user–movie rating) as decision variables. The contribution is to prepare a user (movie) profile that represents an affinity pattern of the specific user in context of movie rating. The said profiling approach helps to create groups of the homogeneous users (in terms of movie rating) that in turn assists in the process of more accurate recommendation. The proposed concept is implemented through rigorous experimentation on benchmark data sets for necessary validation. Moreover, we have compared the proposed approach with the notable existing approaches and significant improvement is noted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Interleukin-8 (IL8), Interleukin-12 (IL12) and Interleukin-13 (IL13) are cytokines that play regulatory role in cancer pathogenesis. We analysed their expression profile to evaluate as molecular biomarkers of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and their association with different parameters and patient survival. Methods: Expression analysis was performed by Real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was done. The expression profiles were associated with different clinicopathological and dietary factors. Survival and hazard analysis were also performed. Results: IL8 expression showed upregulation in tissue (p = 0.000) and blood samples (p = 0.481), IL12 expression showed downregulation in tissue samples (p = 0.064) and upregulation in blood samples (p = 0.689) and IL13 expression showed upregulation in tissue (p = 0.000) and blood samples (p = 0.006). IL13 expression in tissue showed the highest area under the curve (AUC) value (0.773) for ESCC diagnosis, followed by IL8 expression in tissue (0.704) and IL13 expression in blood (0.643). This study also reveals the correlation of studied cytokines in tissue and blood level. Different clinicopathological and dietary factors showed significant association (p < 0.05) with IL8, IL12 and IL13 expression and with survival of ESCC patients. IL8 expression in blood and IL12 expression in tissue and blood showed significant association (p < 0.05) with patient survival. Conclusion: Altered expression of IL8, IL12 and IL13 may be associated with ESCC progression. Overexpression of IL8 and IL13 in tissue samples may be potential biomarkers for ESCC screening. Additionally, both survival and hazard analysis data indicate the effects of different parameters on the prognosis of ESCC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Quantified Boolean Formulas QBFs, dependency schemes help to detect spurious or superfluous dependencies that are implied by the variable ordering in the quantifier prefix but are not essential for constructing countermodels. This detection can provably shorten refutations in specific proof systems, and is expected to speed up runs of QBF solvers. The proof system QCDCL recently defined by Beyersdorff and Boehm (LMCS 2023) abstracts the reasoning employed by QBF solvers based on conflict-driven clause-learning (CDCL) techniques. We show how to incorporate the use of dependency schemes into this proof system, either in a preprocessing phase, or in the propagations and clause learning, or both. We then show that when the reflexive resolution path dependency scheme D rrs is used, a mixed picture emerges: the proof systems that add D rrs to QCDCL in these three ways are not only incomparable with each other, but are also incomparable with the basic QCDCL proof system that does not use D rrs at all, as well as with several other resolution-based QBF proof systems. A notable fact is that all our separations are achieved through QBFs with bounded quantifier alternation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of peak temperature for post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) on the dissolution of Nb-rich carbonitrides, Nb(C,N), in the weldline of an electric resistance welded (ERW) X70 grade pipeline steel was investigated. Selected-area electron diffraction patterns and corresponding electron energy loss spectroscopy mappings revealed both Nb-rich carbonitrides and Ti-rich nitrides, (Ti,Nb)N, in the sample heat-treated to 1080 °C peak temperature. However, only Ti-rich nitrides were revealed in the sample heat-treated to 1220 °C peak temperature. During continuous heating to higher than the Ac3 temperature, i.e., near 1100 °C temperature, the dissolution of Nb(C,N) was observed in dilation and derivative of dilation. This experimental result agreed with the predictions by a DICTRA model. Furthermore, a phenomenological model was developed to explain the volume shrinkage during the dissolution of Nb(C,N) precipitates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermochemical conversion is a possible solution for effective disposal of sludge. In this paper, we report physico-chemical characterization and pyrolysis kinetics of three sludges, viz. biological (BS), chemical (CS), and oily sludge (OS). An attempt was made to deduce the chemical composition of sludges using XPS and FTIR analysis. Pyrolysis of sludges was studied using a Thermo-Gravimetric Analyzer (TGA). The TGA data was analysed using four isoconversional models (viz. OFW, KAS, Starink and Vyazovkin_AIC) for deduction of kinetic triplet, viz. activation energy, pre-exponential factors and reaction mechanism. For all sludges, the activation energy increased with conversion. The ranges of activation energies were: BS = 87.82–303.89, CS = 72.12–200.62, OS = 67.26–130.99 kJ/mol. The ranges of pre-exponential factors were BS = 2.09E + 09 to 1.79 E + 27, CS = 2.31E + 04 to 9.72E + 13, OS = 1.20E + 06 to 5.99E + 11. s–1. High pre-exponential factors indicated high reactivity of sludges during thermal conversion. The predominant mechanism of thermal conversion of all sludges was an order-based reaction (F1/F2/F3). This indicated homology among the components present in the organic matter in sludge. In essence, pyrolysis shows high promise as a useful pretreatment for the safe disposal of sludges of different origins. Highlights: Pyrolysis kinetics of three sludges: Biological (BS), Oily (OS), Chemical (CS) Determination of kinetic triplet of sludge pyrolysis using 4 isoconversional models Activation energy ranges: BS = 88–304, CS = 72–201, OS = 67–131 kJ/mol High pre-exponential factors show high reactivity of sludges for thermal conversion Predominant mechanism of thermal conversion of all sludges is order-based reaction [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The way a new type of state called a hybrid state, which contains more than one degree of freedom, is used in many practical applications of quantum communication tasks with lesser amount of resources. Similarly, our aim is here to perform multi-quantum communication tasks in a protocol to approach quantum information in multi-purpose and multi-directional. We propose a hybrid multi-directional six-party scheme of implementing quantum teleportation and joint remote state preparation under the supervision of a controller via a multi-qubit entangled state as a quantum channel with 100 % success probability. Moreover, we analytically derive the average fidelities of this hybrid scheme under the amplitude-damping and the phase-damping noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this report, we explore the effect of the amount of the reducing agent used during the synthesis of the GO–Ag (graphene oxide–silver) nanocomposites in the chemical reduction method. We have synthesized the nanocomposites utilizing AgNO 3 as a metal precursor and NaBH 4 as a reducing and stabilizing agent. Four nanocomposites were prepared using four different weight ratios (1, 2, 3, and 4) of NaBH 4 and AgNO 3 while keeping the weight ratio of GO and AgNO 3 fixed (2). Antibacterial activity was evaluated against the Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) and Bacillus subtilis (Gram-positive) bacterial strains. Our results show that a moderate amount of NaBH 4 is essential to grow small-sized Ag nanoparticles (NPs) on the GO sheets. Because for a large amount of NaBH 4 , a thick layer of BH 4 - is present in the aqueous solution of the NaBH 4 , which reduces the interaction between the GO sheets and Ag NPs. This process increases the self-agglomeration of silver nanoparticles, preventing small-sized Ag NPs' production on the GO sheet. The nanocomposite prepared with weight ratio 2 of NaBH 4 and AgNO 3 has the smallest-sized Ag NPs (average size of 9.15 nm), and this nanocomposite shows the highest antibacterial activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]