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The present study focuses on characterizing the time–frequency aspects of seasonal temperatures in India by integrating the complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive noise (CEEMDAN) algorithm with the Hilbert–Huang transform (HHT) decomposition method. The investigation also explores the connections between maximum temperature (Tmax) and minimum temperature (Tmin) with global climate oscillations, such as the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Sunspot Number (SN), and Pacific Decadal Oscillations (PDO). The findings indicate that intra and inter-decadal modes play a pivotal role in influencing temperature series across various seasons, with notable changes observed in the amplitudes of inter-decadal modes for seasonal Tmin and Tmax. The analysis of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) reveals that IMF2 closely align to ENSO with a periodicity of 5–7 years, IMF3 to the sunspot cycle with a frequency of approximately 11 years, and IMF5 to PDO with a long periodicity exceeding 60 years. The association between the IMF components of Tmin and Tmax temperature series and the three climate indices is most evident for low-frequency modes, demonstrating a consistent evolution of trend components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant ATP-binding cassette (ABC) protein family is the largest multifunctional highly conserved protein superfamily that transports diverse substrates across biological membranes by the hydrolysis of ATP and is also the part of the several other biological processes like cellular detoxification, growth and development, stress biology, and signaling processes. In the agriculturally important legume crop Cajanus cajan, a genome-wide identification and characterization of the ABC gene family was carried out. A total of 159 ABC genes were identified that belong to eight canonical classes CcABCA to CcABCG and CcABCI based on the phylogenetic analysis. The number of genes was highest in CcABCG followed by CcABCC and CcABCB class. A total of 85 CcABC genes were found on 11 chromosomes and 74 were found on scaffold. Tandem duplication was the major driver of CcABC gene family expansion. The dN/dS ratio revealed the purifying selection. The phylogenetic analysis revealed class-specific eight superclades which reflect their functional importance. The largest clade was found to be CcABCG which reflects their functional significance. CcABC proteins were mainly basic in nature and found to be localized in the plasma membrane. The secondary structure prediction revealed the dominance of α-helix. The canonical transmembrane and nucleotide binding domain, signature motif LSSGQ, Walker A, Walker B region, and Q loop were also identified. A class-specific exon-intron pattern was also observed. In addition to core elements, different cis-acting regulatory elements like stress, hormone, and cellular responsive were also identified. Expression profiling of CcABC genes at various developmental stages of different anatomical tissues was performed and it was noticed that CcABCF3, CcABCF4, CcABCF5, CcABCG66, and CcABCI3 had the highest expression. The results of the current study endow us with the further functional analysis of Cajanus ABC in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, the rapid development, large volume, and global access of multimedia applications have demanded the shifting of network functionality from the central server to the near user. In recent times, Edge Computing (EC) and Information Centric Networking (ICN) have been presented as arising advances for content dissemination near the end user. The EC aims to provide content locally by reducing the burden of the core networks, while ICN allows content routing and forwarding based on content names directly. The inherent in-network caching feature of ICN facilitates caching by intermediate network nodes. The combined use of EC and ICN can efficiently handle content dissemination and ultimately improves user experience. In this regards, an ICN based edge caching scheme has been proposed for handling multimedia big data traffic in IoT based smart cities, while incorporating four caching attributes in its proposed design. Firstly, a layered network architecture has been presented that offers Device-to-Device (D2D) communication and ICN support at the application layer of Base station (BS) for utilizing caching of the requested content at edge of the network. Secondly, a decision on caching of contents at network nodes in layered network architecture has been presented based on various centrality measures, which supports efficient caching. Thirdly, this work offers caching of content near the delivery path in ICN network tiers, while leveraging near path caching for fast content dissemination. Lastly, reproactive caching where proactive caching is followed by reactive caching for controlling the network traffic during peak hours has been integrated in to the design model. The performance of the proposed scheme has been evaluated by conducting simulations in Icarus- an ICN caching simulator against various caching benchmark schemes. The results received from the experiments have shown significant performance improvement of our proposed scheme for different performance metrics including cache hit ratio, content retrieval delay, content path stretch, and internal link load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AP2/ERF (APETALA2/Ethylene Response Factor) is a family of transcription factors that play essential roles in regulating gene expression in response to various environmental stimuli, including biotic and abiotic stresses, hormone signaling, and developmental processes. Pisum sativum (L.), commonly known as garden pea, is a winter crop sensitive to high temperatures and can also be affected by extreme cold and drought conditions. This study performed a genome-wide analysis of AP2/ERF genes and identified 153 AP2/ERF genes in P. sativum. Based on the conserved AP2/ERF domain and sequence homology, they were classified into AP2 (APETALA2), ERF (Ethylene Response Factor), DREB (Dehydration responsive element-binding), RAV (Related to Abscisic Acid Insensitive 3/ Viviparous 1) and Soloist subfamily. The DREB and ERF subfamily were further divided into groups A1–6 and B1–B6. Tandem and segmental duplication events were more frequent in the ERF subfamily, which can have important implications for their evolution and functional diversification. Under cold stress, the expression of DREB1A was highly induced in leaves, whereas DREB1B was suppressed. Similarly, the DREB2A, DREB2C, DREB2E, and DREB2F were induced in leaves under drought stress. The putative target genes of AP2/ERF transcription factors are highly diversified, suggesting that they play essential roles in various physiological responses in plants, including responses to biotic and abiotic stresses as well as developmental processes. Thus, this study of AP2/ERF genes and their functions provides valuable insight into how P. sativum responds to different environmental conditions, including cold and drought stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: While dealing with the COVID-19-related morbidities and mortalities in general, its adverse impact on non-COVID-19 maternal mortalities was completely forgotten so our aim is to study the adverse consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on non-COVID-19 hospital births and non-COVID-19 maternal mortalities. Methodology: Retrospective observational study was done in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Swaroop Rani Hospital, Prayagraj, to compare the non-COVID-19 hospital births, referrals, and non-COVID-19 maternal mortalities during 15 months of pre-pandemic period (March 2018 to May 2019) and 15 months of pandemic period (March 2020 to May 2021 period) and to assess their relation to GRSI using chi-square test, paired T test and Pearson's Correlation Coefficient. Result: The total non-COVID-19 hospital births decreased by 4.32% in pandemic period as compared to pre-pandemic period. Monthly hospital births decreased drastically, to 32.7% during the end of the first pandemic wave and to 60.17% during the second wave. 67% increase in the total referral and a significant decrease in the quality of referral leading to significantly higher non-COVID-19 maternal mortality figures (p value 0.00003) during the pandemic period. Leading causes of mortalities were uterine rupture (p value 0.00001), septic abortion (p value 0.0001), primary postpartum hemorrhage (p value 0.002) and preeclampsia (p value 0.003). Conclusion: While the world is talking only about COVID deaths, increased non-COVID-19 maternal mortalities during the COVID pandemic need equal attention and call for more stringent government guidelines for the care of non-COVID-19 pregnant women as well during the pandemic period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: We evaluated real-world outcomes in patients with advanced ovarian cancer (AOC) based on their cumulative risk profile and maintenance therapy (MT) status following first-line (1L) treatment. Methods: This retrospective observational study of a nationwide electronic health record-derived de-identified database included adult patients diagnosed with stage III/IV OC from January 1, 2011 to February 28, 2021, who received 1L therapy and had ≥ 12 weeks of follow-up after the index date (end of 1L therapy). Patients were grouped according to whether they received MT or active surveillance (AS) following 1L treatment and by the cumulative number of risk factors (RF) present (stage IV disease; no surgery/treated with neoadjuvant therapy and interval debulking surgery; had postoperative visible residual disease; and had BRCA wild-type disease/unknown BRCA status). Time to next treatment (TTNT) and overall survival (OS) were assessed with a cloning and inverse probability of censoring (IPC)-weighted Kaplan–Meier method. Results: Among 1920 patients, 22.2% received MT and 77.8% received AS. Median IPC-weighted TTNT and OS were 13.3 months (95% CI 11.7–15.8) and 39.1 months (95% CI 32.5–48.6) in the MT cohort, respectively, and 8.6 months (95% CI 8.0–9.5) and 38.4 months (95% CI 36.4–41.0) in the AS cohort, respectively. Almost all patients had ≥ 1 RF (MT 95.3%; AS 96.7%). Median IPC-weighted TTNT was shorter among patients with more RF in both cohorts (MT: 1 RF, 19.3 months, 95% CI 13.5–37.8; 2 RF, 17.2 months, 95% CI 12.8–20.2; 3 RF, 11.0 months, 95% CI 8.2–13.8; 4 RF, 7.0 months, 95% CI 6.2–8.8; AS: 1 RF, 17.7 months, 95% CI 13.5–22.3; 2 RF, 10.2 months, 95% CI 9.1–11.5; 3 RF, 6.5 months, 95% CI 5.8–7.4; 4 RF, 4.1 months, 95% CI 3.5–4.5). Conclusion: Regardless of RF number, MT was associated with longer TTNT in real-world patients with AOC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vehicular Content Networks (VCNs) represent key empowering solution for content distribution in fully distributed manner for vehicular infotainment applications. In VCN, both on board unit (OBU) of each vehicle and road side units (RSUs) facilitate content caching to support timely content delivery for moving vehicles when requested. However, due to limited caching capacity available at both RSUs and OBUs, only selected content can be cached. Moreover, the contents being demanded in vehicular infotainment applications are transient in nature. The transient content caching in vehicular content networks with the use of edge communication for delay free services is fundamental issue and need to get addressed (Yang et al. in ICC 2022-IEEE international conference on communications. IEEE, pp 1–6, 2022). Therefore, this study focuses on edge communication in VCNs by firstly organizing a region based classification for vehicular network components including RSUs and OBUs. Secondly, a theoretical model is designed for each vehicle to decide its content fetching location (i.e. either RSU or OBU) in current region or neighboring region. Further, the caching of transient contents inside vehicular network components (such as RSU, OBU) is based on content caching probability. Finally, the proposed scheme is evaluated under different network condition in Icarus simulator for various performance parameters. The simulation results proved outstanding performance of the proposed approach over various state of art caching strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glutathione S-transferases are a multifunctional protein superfamily that is involved in diverse plant functions such as defense mechanisms, signaling, stress response, secondary metabolism, and plant growth and development. Although the banana whole-genome sequence is available, the distribution of GST genes on banana chromosomes, their subcellular localization, gene structure, their evolutionary relation with each other, conserved motifs, and their roles in banana are still unknown. A total of 62 full-length GST genes with the canonical thioredoxin fold have been identified belonging to nine GST classes, namely tau, phi, theta, zeta, lambda, DHAR, EF1G, GHR, and TCHQD. The 62 GST genes were distributed into 11 banana chromosomes. All the MaGSTs were majorly localized in the cytoplasm. Gene architecture showed the conservation of exon numbers in individual GST classes. Multiple Em for Motif Elicitation analyses revealed few class-specific motifs and many motifs were found in all the GST classes. Multiple sequence alignment of banana GST amino acid sequences with rice, Arabidopsis, and soybean sequences revealed the Ser and Cys as conserved catalytic residues. Gene duplication analyses showed the tandem duplication as a driving force for GST gene family expansion in banana. Cis-regulatory element analysis showed the dominance of light-responsive element followed by stress- and hormone-responsive elements. Expression profiling analyses were also done by RNA-seq data. It was observed that MaGSTs are involved in various stages of fruit development. MaGSTU1 was highly upregulated. The comprehensive and organized studies of MaGST gene family provide groundwork for further functional analysis of MaGST genes in banana at molecular level and further for plant breeding approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myofacial pain, a chronic painful condition of muscle origin, has numerous precipitating factors, if undiagnosed or left untreated could lead to compromised function and poor quality of life. In this case report, a female patient giving a history of 10 years of pain in the head and neck region was eventually diagnosed with myofacial pain secondary to bowing posture. The patient was successfully treated with combination of treatment modalities (TENS therapy, exercises, occlusal splint, etc.), which resulted in relief from chronic pain and improvement in quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant glutathione S-transferases are an ancient protein superfamily having antioxidant activity. These proteins are primarily involved in diverse plant functions such as plant growth and development, secondary metabolism, signaling pathways and defense against biotic and abiotic stresses. The current study aimed to comprehensively identify and characterize the GST gene family in the medicinally important crop Papaver somniferum. A total of 93 GST proteins were identified belonging to eight GST classes and found to be majorly localized in the cytoplasm. All GST genes were found on eleven opium chromosomes. Gene duplication analysis showed segmental duplication as a key factor for opium GST gene family expansion under strong purifying selection. Phylogenetic analysis with gymnosperm, angiosperm and bryophyte revealed the evolution of GSTs earlier than their division into separate groups and also prior to the divergence of monocot and dicot. The secondary structure prediction showed the dominance of α-helices indicative of PsomGSTs as structurally stable and elastic proteins. Gene architecture showed the conservation of number of exons across the classes. MEME analysis revealed only a few class specific and many across class conserved motifs. Ser was found to be the active site residue of tau, phi, theta and zeta class and Cys was catalytic residue of DHAR, lambda and GHR class. Promoter analyses identified many cis-acting regulatory elements related to hormonal, cellular, stress and light response functions. Ser was the key phosphorylation site. Only three glycosylation sites were found across the 93 PsomGSTs. 3D structure prediction was also performed and was validated. Interactome analyses revealed the correlation of PsomGSTs with glutathione metabolizing proteins. Gene enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway analyzed the involvement of PsomGSTs in three major pathways i.e. glutathione metabolism, tyrosine metabolism and ascorbate metabolism. The outcome revealed high model quality of PsomGSTs. The results of the current study will be of potential significance to understand the functional and structural importance of the GST gene family in opium, a medicinally important crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the pattern and trend of seasonal and annual precipitation along with extreme precipitation events in a data scare, south Asian country, Afghanistan. Seven extreme precipitation indices were considered based on the intensity, duration, and frequency of precipitation events. The study revealed that the precipitation pattern of Afghanistan is unevenly distributed at seasonal and yearly scales. Southern and southwestern provinces remain significantly dry whereas, the northern and northeastern provinces receive comparatively higher precipitation. Spring and winter seasons bring about 80% of yearly precipitation in Afghanistan. However, a notable declining precipitation trend was observed in these two seasons. An increasing trend in precipitation was observed for the summer and autumn seasons, however; these seasons are the lean periods for precipitation. A declining annual precipitation trend was also revealed in many provinces of Afghanistan. Analysis of extreme precipitation indices reveals a general drier condition in Afghanistan. Large spatial variability was found in precipitation indices. In many provinces of Afghanistan, significantly declining trends were observed in intensity-based (Rx1-day, RX5-day, SDII, and R95p) and frequency-based (R10) precipitation indices. The duration-based precipitation indices (CDD and CWD) also infer a general drier climatic condition in Afghanistan. This study will assist the agriculture and allied sectors to take well-planned adaptive measures in dealing with the changing patterns of precipitation, and additionally, facilitate future studies for Afghanistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present time, reactive oxygen species (ROS) hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and gases hydrogen sulfide (H2S), nitric oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide (CO) have been acknowledged as foremost signaling molecules in plants. Adverse environmental conditions are key hazard, which pointedly disturb growth and developmental processes of photoautotroph (algae) associated with decrease in the endogenous level of important gas transmitters such as NO and H2S. To oppose stress factors, NO and H2S directly involved in the modulation of physio-biochemical phenomenon correlated with minimizing the oxidative stress under stressful condition. These signaling molecules have diverse functions inside the cell, i.e., act as a plant growth regulator; therefore, it is significant to study their numerous attributes together with their biosynthetic pathways followed by biochemical (enzymatic and non-enzymatic proteins) and molecular regulations (post-translational modifications, PTMs) via stress responsive proteins by the key process of nitrosylation and persulfidation that involve in minimizing the stress. The versatile roles of NO and H2S under environmental stress have also been discussed briefly. Thus, the details given here will be helpful to better understand the diverse functions of NO and H2S in microalgae and cyanobacteria under adverse conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Au nanoparticles are synthesized in a fullerene C60 matrix using the thermal co-evaporation technique. Fullerene C60 is chosen due to its high dielectric constant which gives a large tuning of SPR wavelength of Au nanoparticles in the visible region. A beam of 120 keV Ar ion is used to tune the SPR wavelength of Au nanoparticles in both the regions, lower wavelength (blue shift) and higher wavelength (red shift). The shift in SPR wavelength is found to be dependent on the dose of the beam. A ~ 161 nm red shift in SPR wavelength is obtained at a dose of 1 × 1015 ions/cm2, and then a blue shift of ~ 221 nm is obtained at a dose of 3 × 1016 ions/cm2. Growth in the size of Au nanoparticles is obtained with ion irradiation as confirmed by transmission electron microscopy on Au–C60 nanocomposite thin film which is responsible for the red shift in SPR wavelength. Raman spectroscopic study confirms the transformation of fullerene C60 matrix into amorphous carbon at higher doses, which gives a blue shift to SPR wavelength. The surface morphology of the Au–C60 nanocomposite film before and after irradiation was studied using FESEM and AFM. A growth of surface grains is achieved with an increasing dose. The chemical state of the Au and Carbon in nanocomposite film before and after the ion irradiation is studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wound healing is a highly coordinated and dynamic process of tissue repair after injury. The global burden of disease associated with wounds, both acute and chronic, is a significantly rising health concern. Upon skin wounding, neurons have the ability to sense the disruption to mediate the release of neurotransmitters into the wound microenvironment. Serotonin that has long been recognised as a potential vasoconstrictor is now also being contemplated to play a role in re-epithelialisation of wounds. While the role of neuropeptides in stimulating diabetic wound healing is being increasingly emphasised, on the other hand, dopamine is being widely studied for its dual role in mediating both pro- and antiangiogenic effects at the site of the wounds. Similarly, epinephrine levels that are known to be elevated during stress is now recognised as a contributing factor towards delayed wound closure, thereby serving as an inhibitor of wound healing. Thus, each neurotransmitter regulates wound repair and their active regeneration in a typical way. Strengthening our understanding of the molecular pathways via which the neurotransmitter modulates the immune system to control wound healing can yield potential therapeutic measures. Further investigations regarding the safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness of these processes are a prerequisite for their possible translation into clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current study, the role of chlorophyll precursor, 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) and its effect on growth attributes, photosynthetic pigments, indices of chlorophyll a fluorescence, nitrogen metabolism, and contents of protein and carbohydrate in seedlings of pigeon pea varities BAHAR and KB-17 under the enhanced ultraviolet (UV-B; 2.2 kJ m−2d−1) radiations was investigated. Ultraviolet radiations (UV-B) adversely affected the fresh mass of shoot and root, shoot and root length, photosynthetic pigments content (Chl a + b and ratios of Chl a/b and Chl/Car), photosynthetic oxygen yield and chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters: i.e., Fv/Fm (Phi_P0), ψ0 (Psi_0), φE0 (Phi_E0) and performance index of PS II (PIABS) along with Fv/F0 while increased the energy flux parameters, i.e., ABS/RC, TR0/RC, ET0/RC, and DI0/RC along with F0/Fv and also consequently raised the dark respiratory rate in test seedlings; however, exogenous application with both the doses of ALA (low dose: ALA1; 25 µM and high dose: ALA2; 100 µM) through seed priming notably counteracted UV-B induced negative effects on growth attributes and other important growth-regulating processes. Additionally, inorganic nitrogen contents, i.e., nitrate (NO3−) and nitrite (NO2−) and the activities of nitrate assimilating enzymes, viz., nitrate reductase and nitrite reductase and ammonia assimilating enzymes, viz., glutamine synthetase and glutamate synthase (GOGAT) along with carbohydrate and protein contents were rigorously affected and declined under UV-B toxicity; while in present study, ammonium (NH4+) content and glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) activity in both BAHAR and KB-17 varieties exhibited reverse trend. Furthermore, ALA priming induced significant alliveation against UV-B stress on these parameters except NH4+ content and GDH activity, which exhibited an apparent reduction under similar conditions. Our results suggest that ALA priming, particularly high dose (ALA2) more efficiently protects Cajanus cajan seedlings by attenuating UV-B toxicity in both the varieties (BAHAR and KB-17) by maintaining carbon and nitrogen status of seedlings through regulating photosynthesis and nitrogen metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patatin-related phospholipases A (pPLA) are involved in diverse plant metabolic processes, ranging from normal organ development to managing biotic and abiotic stresses. In the current study, the pPLA gene family was characterized in Vigna radiata, Vigna angularis, and Glycine max. A total of 13, 13, and 22 pPLA genes were identified in V. radiata, V. angularis, and G. max, respectively. The protein lengths varied from 91 to 1667 amino acid residues, the pI value ranged between 4.71 to 9, and molecular weight was between 10.12 to 185.64 (kDa), in the three crops. The conserved patatin domain was towards the N- terminus in the identified pPLA proteins. Subcellular localization showed that the pPLA proteins were present in the cytoplasm, mitochondria, extracellular space, plasma membrane and chloroplast. Gene organization of the pPLAs was in conformation with the canonical gene architecture of the pPLA gene family. Multiple Expectation Maximization for Motif Elicitation (MEME) analysis showed the presence of significantly conserved motifs in the pPLA proteins. Phylogeny analysis led to the clustering of the pPLAs in the three different groups (I, II and III) in accordance with their classification. The results of the current study will be of significant importance in the molecular and functional characterization of this gene family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we show that the q-deformation scheme applied on both sides of the difference equation of the logistic map is topologically conjugate to the canonical logistic map and therefore there is no dynamical changes by this q-deformation. We propose a correction on this q-deformation scheme and apply it on the logistic map to describe the dynamical changes. We illustrate the Parrondo's paradox by assuming chaotic region as the gain. Further, we compute the topological entropy in the parameter plane and show the existence of Li-Yorke chaos. Finally, we show that in the neighbourhood of a particular parameter value, q-logistic map has stochastically stable chaos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a probabilistic approach to study uncertainty quantification in electrical parameters associated with single diode model of a solar cell. Five parameters which governs the electrical behavior of a solar cell needs to be estimated for analyzing the performance of a solar cell. Here, three deterministic techniques for parameter estimation namely Black Widow Optimization, multi-variable Newton Raphson and Particle Swarm Optimization are presented. For verifying the proposed techniques, Solarex MSX83 experimental (Current-Voltage) I-V data is considered. I-V and (Power-Voltage) P-V curves are plotted under standard test conditions (1000 W / m 2 , 1.5 A.M. spectrum, 25 ∘ C ) for three deterministic techniques and are compared with experimental curves. Black Widow Optimization shows increased convergence speed and accuracy. Additionally, uncertainty quantification analysis is presented to study the behaviour of deterministic response of single diode model under Gaussian random parametric uncertainity. Random samples of uncertain electrical parameters are obtained using Latin hypercube and Monte Carlo sampling methods to estimate the output probabilistic response. It can be observed that the objective function shows a bi-modal distribution under random parametric variations primarily due to measurement error, shading losses, surface defects, uneven thermal management and manufacturing issues. Alternatively, Bayesian approach is performed using Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling to estimate the probabilistic distribution of model parameters from given set of observations. To avoid computational complexity, Gaussian process model is also considered using polynomial choas expansion. The expected variance in the model response is statistically explained using multi-variate global sensitivity analysis based on Sobol Indices. Based on computed values of first order, second order and total Sobol indices, it can be concluded that reverse saturation current ' I O ' is the most influential parameter among five electrical parameters and contributes about 68.9 % to the variance in model response under random uncertainties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to characterize niraparib pharmacokinetics (PK) and safety in patients with normal hepatic function (NHF) versus moderate hepatic impairment (MHI). Methods: Patients with advanced solid tumors were stratified by NHF or MHI (National Cancer Institute-Organ Dysfunction Working Group criteria [bilirubin > 1.5–3 × upper limit of normal and any aspartate aminotransferase elevation]). In the PK phase, all patients received one 300 mg dose of niraparib. In the extension phase, patients with MHI received niraparib 200 mg daily; patients with NHF received 200 or 300 mg based on weight (< 77 kg, ≥ 77 kg)/platelets (< 150,000/µL, ≥ 150,000/µL). PK parameters included maximum concentration (Cmax), area under the curve to last measured concentration (AUClast) and extrapolated to infinity (AUCinf). Safety was assessed in both phases. Exposure–response (E–R) modeling was used to predict MHI effects on exposure and safety of niraparib doses ≤ 200 mg or 300/200 mg or 200/100 mg weight/platelet regimens. Results: In the PK phase (NHF, n = 9; MHI, n = 8), mean niraparib Cmax was 7% lower in patients with MHI versus NHF. Mean exposure (AUClast, AUCinf) was increased by 45% and 56%, respectively, in patients with MHI without impacting tolerability. In the extension phase (NHF, n = 8; MHI, n = 7), the overall safety profile was consistent with previous trials. In patients with MHI, E–R modeling predicted niraparib 200 mg reduced Grade ≥ 3 thrombocytopenia incidence, whereas a 200/100 mg regimen yielded exposures below efficacy-associated levels in 15% of patients. Conclusion: These findings support adjusting the 300 mg niraparib starting dose to 200 mg QD in patients with MHI. Trial registration: NCT03359850; registered December 2, 2017 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is little data describing trends in the use of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 following publication of randomized trials that failed to demonstrate a benefit of this therapy. We identified 13,957 patients admitted for active COVID-19 at 85 U.S. hospitals participating in a national registry between March 1 and August 31, 2020. The overall proportion of patients receiving hydroxychloroquine peaked at 55.2% in March and April and decreased to 4.8% in May and June and 0.8% in July and August. At the hospital-level, median use was 59.4% in March and April (IQR 48.5–71.5%, range 0–100%) and decreased to 0.3% (IQR 0–5.4%, range 0–100%) by May and June and 0% (IQR 0–1.3%, range 0–36.4%) by July and August. The rate and hospital-level uniformity in deimplementation of this ineffective therapy for COVID-19 reflects a rapid response to evolving clinical information and further study may offer strategies to inform deimplementation of ineffective clinical care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many techniques for engineering and interrogating three-dimensional (3-D) muscle bundles from animal- or patient-derived myoblasts have recently been developed to overcome the limitations of existing in vitro and in vivo model systems. However, many approaches for engineering 3-D muscle bundles rely on specialized and time-consuming techniques, such as photolithography for fabrication and cryosectioning for histology. Cryosectioning also limits visualization to a single plane instead of the entire 3-D structure. To address these challenges, we first implemented a consumer-grade 3-D-printer to rapidly prototype multiple templates for engineering muscle bundles. We then employed our templates to engineer 3D muscle bundles and identify template geometries that promoted bundle survival over three weeks. Subsequently, we implemented tissue clearing, immunostaining, and confocal imaging to acquire z-stacks of intact muscle bundles labelled for myogenic markers. With this approach, we could select the imaging plane on-demand and visualize the intact 3-D structure of bundles. However, tissue clearing did cause some tissue degradation that should be considered. Together, these advances in muscle tissue engineering and imaging will accelerate the use of these 3-D tissue platforms for disease modeling and therapeutic discovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon, the workhorse of semiconductor industry, is being exploited for various functional applications in numerous fields of nanotechnology. In this paper, we report the fabrication of depth controllable amorphous silicon (a-Si) layers under 80 keV Ar+ ion sputtering at off-normal ion incidences of 30°, 40° and 50° and crystallization of these amorphous Si(111) layers under thermal annealing. We find that the irradiated samples were not fully amorphized even for the lowest oblique incidence of 30°. Sputtering at off-normal incidences induces depth controllable surface amorphization in Si(111). Annealing at temperature of 1,073 K is characterized by formation of depth-varying buried amorphous layer due to defect recrystallization and damage recovery. Some remnant tensile stress has been observed for recrystallized samples even for lowest oblique incidence. The correlation of amorphization and stress due to sputtering induced by oblique incidence has been discussed systematically. The possible mechanism of recrystallization is discussed in terms of vacancies produced in sputtering dominated regime and their migration during annealing treatment. Our results reveal that with appropriate selection of oblique ion beam sputtering parameters, depth controllable surface amorphization and recrystallization may be fine-tuned to achieve co-existing amorphous and crystalline phases, playing a crucial role in fabrication of substrates for IC industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glutathione-S transferase (GST) is a most ancient protein superfamily of multipurpose roles and evolved principally from gene duplication of an ancestral GSH binding protein. They have implemented in diverse plant functions such as detoxification of xenobiotic, secondary metabolism, growth and development, and majorly against biotic and abiotic stresses. The vital structural features of GSTs like highly divergent functional topographies, conserved integrated architecture with separate binding pockets for substrates and ligand, the stringent structural fidelity with high Tm values (50º–60º), and stress-responsive cis-regulatory elements in the promoter region offer this protein as most flexible plant protein for plant breeding approaches, biotechnological applications, etc. This review article summarizes the recent information of GST evolution, and their distribution and structural features with emphasis on the assorted roles of Ser and Cys GSTs with the signature motifs in their active sites, alongside their recent biotechnological application in the area of agriculture, environment, and nanotechnology have been highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mechano-acoustic signals emanating from the heart and lungs contain valuable information about the cardiopulmonary system. Unobtrusive wearable sensors capable of monitoring these signals longitudinally can detect early pathological signatures and titrate care accordingly. Here, we present a wearable, hermetically-sealed high-precision vibration sensor that combines the characteristics of an accelerometer and a contact microphone to acquire wideband mechano-acoustic physiological signals, and enable simultaneous monitoring of multiple health factors associated with the cardiopulmonary system including heart and respiratory rate, heart sounds, lung sounds, and body motion and position of an individual. The encapsulated accelerometer contact microphone (ACM) utilizes nano-gap transducers to achieve extraordinary sensitivity in a wide bandwidth (DC-12 kHz) with high dynamic range. The sensors were used to obtain health factors of six control subjects with varying body mass index, and their feasibility in detection of weak mechano-acoustic signals such as pathological heart sounds and shallow breathing patterns is evaluated on patients with preexisting conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigates the effect of different catalyst preparation methods (namely, co-precipitation, COP; sol gel, SG; urea gelation, UG; and solution combustion, SC) on the characteristics and performance of a non-noble metal based supported heterogeneous catalyst (CuO/CeO2) for the treatment of synthetic wastewater. To test their efficacy, two wastewater solutions were selected, i.e. inorganic: sulfide-laden wastewater, S2− concentration = 250 mg/L and organic: phenolic wastewater (phenol and o-cresol with total phenolic concentration = 1500 mg/L). The fresh catalyst samples were characterized for particle size distribution using sieves (25-125 µm), transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, BET surface area and ICP-AES. The recovered catalysts were also subjected to different analyses to understand the changes in the catalyst during reaction. Maximum oxidation of sulfide and phenolic compounds occurred with H2O2 in the presence of the catalyst prepared by SC method. This method also resulted in the most stable catalyst showing low amount of active metal leaching (Cu = 2% and Ce = 0.2%) as compared to COP (25.8, 7.0%), SG (38.3, 31.3%) and UG (39.6, 26.5%) methods, for which Cu and Ce leaching were ~ 26-40 and 7-31%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mortalin, a mitochondrial chaperone, plays a crucial role in reducing toxicity of Lewy bodies. Earlier studies had reported that Mortalin level gets downregulated in astrocytes and other brain tissue samples in Parkinson’s disease (PD). This study aims to estimate the Mortalin concentration in serum and correlate with α-synuclein (α-Syn) in PD. The concentration of Mortalin and α-Syn in serum samples of 38 PD patients and 33 control group (CG) individuals was quantified by surface plasmon resonance. The receiver operating characteristic curves were plotted to develop it as blood-based protein marker. The expression of Mortalin in serum was validated by western blot. The Mortalin level was found to be declined in PD patients (1.98 ± 0.53 ng/µL) in comparison with CG individuals (3.13 ± 0.48 ng/µL), whereas α-Syn level was found to be elevated in PD patients (38.20 ± 4.22 ng/µL) than CG individuals (34.31 ± 3.23 ng/µL) in serum. The statistical analysis revealed the negative correlation between Mortalin and α-Syn. This preliminary study summarized that Mortalin plays a significant role in PD with negative correlation with α-Syn. This study provides a new paradigm for the development of Mortalin as a potent serum protein marker for diagnosis of PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ewing's sarcoma is a malignant, round cell tumor arising from the bones and primarily affecting children and adolescent, accounting for 3 % of all childhood malignancies. Although the long bones and the trunk are typically affected, rare cases of it involving isolated bones throughout the body have been reported. Involvement of the skull bones is rare, constituting 1-6 % of the total Ewing's sarcoma cases but those affecting the cranial bones are rarer still, constituting only 1 %. We describe an 8 months old infant having Ewing sarcoma, of the petrous and mastoid parts of temporal bone along with the occipital bone, whose clinical presentation mimicked mastoiditis with facial nerve palsy. We discuss the clinical and therapeutic course of an extensive primary Ewing sarcoma of the temporal bone, which was treated without performing surgery and review this entity's literature in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trisomy 13 and 18 (T 13/18) are rare chromosomal abnormalities associated with high morbidity and mortality. Improved survival rates and increased prevalence of aggressive medical intervention have resulted in families and physicians holding different perspectives regarding the appropriate management of children with T 13/18. Families were invited for open-ended interviews regarding their experiences with the medical care of a child with T 13/18 over the past 5 years. Seven of 33 invited families were surveyed; those who had spent more than 40 days in the hospital were most likely to accept the invitation (OR 8.8, p = 0.02). Grounded theory technique was used to analyze the interviews. This method elicited four key themes regarding family perspectives on children with T 13/18: (1) they are unique and significant, (2) they transform the lives of others, (3) their families can feel overwhelmed and powerless in the medical setting, (4) their families are motivated to "carry the torch" and tell their story. Families also emphasized ways in which Internet support groups can provide both positive and negative perspectives. The ensuing discussion explores the difficulties of parents and physicians in forecasting the impact that T 13/18 will have on families and emphasizes a narrative approach to elicit a map of the things that matter to them. The paper concludes that while over-reliance on dire prognostic data can alienate families, examining the voice, character and plot of patient stories can be a powerful way for physicians to foster shared decision-making with families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chordomas are uncommon tumors of the bone representing 1-4 % of all primary bone tumors. These typically involve axial skeleton. Primary nasal presentation of chordoma is a rare occurrence and is usually misdiagnosed till the histopathological confirmation. We present a case of chordoma in nasal cavity treated by wide local resection and also present a review of literature discussing various facets in its presentation and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heart disease is the #1 killer of women and a major contributor to morbidity and disability. This statement cannot be repeated enough and is often neglected. In 2008, there were 9,127,416 cardiovascular deaths in women worldwide, accounting for 33.2 % of all deaths in women. Coronary artery disease (CAD) differs in symptom presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes in women compared to men. We have made great strides in diagnosing and managing cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women. However, this progress continues to be overshadowed by the improvements made on the understanding and management of CVD in men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant improvements in the morbidity and mortality associated with chronic heart failure have been gained with the use ACE inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, and diuretics. However, the use of these agents is often limited by their propensity to precipitate worsening renal function and hyperkalemia, particularly in patients with chronic kidney disease. Several pharmacologic agents have been developed in recent years that utilize the gastrointestinal tract as an alternate route for drug absorption, electrolyte exchange, and drug and electrolyte elimination. The existing data establishing the safety and efficacy of these novel agents will be the focus of this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and morality in orthotopic heart transplant (HTx) patients. While disturbed flow patterns have been linked to the spatial localization of atherosclerosis, the role of hemodynamics in CAV development has not been examined. HTx patients ( n = 5) requiring percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for a focal, epicardial lesion were studied. Angiographic images were retrospectively obtained from baseline (i.e., in the presence of no observed disease) and follow-up catheterizations (i.e., at the time of PCI; 12.4 ± 2.6 years post-HTx). Patient-specific computational models were created from baseline images. Computational fluid dynamic techniques were employed to quantify the hemodynamic environment, which was expressed as normalized time-averaged WSS (TAWSS; measure of temporal WSS magnitude) and normalized WSS angle deviation (WSSAD; measure of instantaneous WSS vector oscillation) values. Baseline hemodynamic and follow-up angiographic data were co-registered to investigate the association between WSS and subsequent occlusive CAV lesion location. Results indicate a high degree of co-localization between baseline low WSS data and follow-up occlusive CAV lesion. Local minima in TAWSS were located 2.5 ± 0.6 mm from the site of PCI. Furthermore, local maxima in WSSAD were located 3.9 ± 0.7 mm from the site of PCI. In 3 patients, the occlusive lesion formed in a region that was subjected to both low and oscillatory WSS at baseline. There was discernable spatial co-localization between baseline disturbed flow patterns and follow-up CAV lesions requiring PCI. These results suggest a role of fluid mechanics in the development of focal, flow-limiting CAV lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary tumors of the trachea, which may be benign or malignant, account for fewer than 0.1 % of tumors. Adenoid cystic carcinoma is the second most common tracheal tumor. It poses a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge because of its slow growth and tendency for local recurrence and late metastasis. We present a case of adenoid cystic carcinoma of trachea which was misdiagnosed and mistreated as asthma initially because of its inherent indolent progression. It is important to be acquainted with this condition to prevent delay in diagnosis and provide timely treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In light of the widespread recognition of the enduring challenge of enhancing the learning of all students—including a growing number of students representing diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds—there has been an explosion of literature on teaching, learning, and assessment in higher education. Notwithstanding scores of promising new ideas, individual faculty in higher education need a dynamic and inclusive model to help them engage in a systematic and continuous process of exploring and testing various teaching and assessment practices to ensure the learning of their students. This paper introduces a model—Teaching-for-Learning (TFL)—developed to meet this need. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]