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Background: The extent of natural salt-laden groundwaters used for irrigation is increasing worldwide, which is a fast-emerging threat to agroecosystems and global food security. The salt buildup in the soil is linked to deteriorated soil chemical, physical, and biological health and decreased land productivity. Alkali waters with high residual sodium carbonate (RSC) is one of the severe poor-quality waters that deteriorate soil. We evaluated soil microbial dynamics and soil health at critical growth stages of rice crop receiving two-decade-long irrigation with three levels of alkali water and two reclamation strategies. These included good-quality water (GQW), alkali water (ALKW) with an RSC concentration of 5 me L⁻1 (ALKW1), ALKW with an RSC concentration of 10 me L⁻1 (ALKW2), ALKW2 treated to neutralize RSC to 5 me L⁻1 using gypsum (CaSO4·2H2O; ALKW2 + GYP), and ALKW2 treated with sulfuric acid (H2SO4; ALKW2 + SA). Eleven microbial parameters were used to develop a soil microbial activity index (SMAI), and eight soil health indicators were correlated with changes in SMAI and crop productivity. Results: The SMAI peaked under good-quality water (GQW) conditions (0.84–0.89), while the lowest values were recorded under ALKW2 (0.06–0.18). Neutralized alkali waters, ALKW2 + SA and ALKW2 + GYP, significantly improved SMAI with corresponding values of 0.25–0.35 and 0.13–0.32, respectively. SMAI across all stages correlated positively (R2 = 0.91–0.98) with rice yield. Microbial activity varied with the crop growth stage, peaking at tillering. Gypsum application alone, aimed at neutralizing alkalinity from an RSC of 10 to 5 me L⁻1, proved insufficient in bringing the SMAI up to the ALKW1 (RSC level of 5 me L⁻1). Conclusions: The application of dilute sulfuric acid demonstrated better results in restoring the soil microbial activity index than gypsum amendment; however, sulfuric acid treatment depends on native calcium carbonate (CaCO3) dissolution for its effectiveness. It may not suffice for soil stability improvement in the long term, especially when native CaCO3 is low. Therefore, integrating gypsum and dilute sulfuric acid for RSC neutralization is worthwhile; however, further assessment is needed to confirm their combined impact on soil biochemical and physical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Production of phytases from Pichia kudriavzevii FSMP-Y17 yeast was enhanced by optimization of the fermentation variables under submerged fermentation conditions. Maximum 3.67 U/mL of phytases was produced using 2.5% orange peel flour as a substrate, at pH 5.0 and temperature 50°C, by supplementing fermentation medium with 0.2% (wt/vol) galactose as carbon source and 0.2% (wt/vol) ammonium nitrate as a nitrogen source. Addition of sodium phytate to the production medium, however, did not cause any enhancing effect on phytase production by P. kudriavzevii FSMP-Y17 under submerged fermentation. The yeast enzyme purified to near homogeneity in three steps (ammonium sulphate precipitation, anion exchange chromatography and gel filtration) was found showing thermostability (from 40 to 70°C, with highest activity at 55°C) and stable at acidic pH (from 4.0 to 7.0, with highest activity at pH from 5.0 to 6.0). The purified enzyme was added to the diets of the broilers. The diets enriched with yeast phytase showed increased feed intake in the birds, while food conversion rate was lowered. The phytase supplementation caused better phosphorus retention in the birds consequently resulting in enhanced growth of the broilers. The augmented diets also showed improved egg production and egg quality in the hens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the work has been done to develop a cost-effective methodology, for the isolation of the potential producer of bacterial nanocellulose. No report is available in the literature, on the use of gram flour and table sugar for the screening of nanocellulose-producing isolates. Since commercially used, Hestrin–Schramm medium is expensive for the isolation of nanocellulose-producing micro-organisms, the possibility of using gram flour–table sugar medium was investigated in this work. Qualitative screening of micro-organisms was done using cost-effective medium, i.e., gram flour–table sugar medium. Qualitative analysis of various nanocellulose-producing bacteria depicted that cellulose layer production occurred on both HS medium and gram flour–table sugar medium. The yield of nanocellulose was also better on air–liquid surface in case of gram flour–table sugar medium as compared to HS medium. 16S rRNA was used for molecular characterization of bacterial strain and the best nanocellulose producer was identified as Novacetimonas hansenii BMK-3_NC240423 (isolated from rotten banana). FTIR and FE-SEM studies of nanocellulose pellicle produced on HS medium and gram flour–table sugar medium demonstrated equivalent structural, morphological, and chemical properties. The cost of newly designed medium (0.01967 $/L) is nearly 90 times lower than the Hestrin–Schramm medium (1.748 $/L), which makes the screening of nanocellulose producers very cost-effective. A strategy of using gram flour extract–table sugar medium for the screening of nanocellulose-producing micro-organisms is a novel approach, which will drastically reduce the screening associated cost of cellulose-producing micro-organisms and also motivate the researchers/industries for comprehensive screening programme for getting high cellulose-producing microbes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The atomic structures, growth patterns, new spintronic, magneto-optic, and electrical properties of 2D armchair nanoribbons of group-IV transition metal nitrides (TiN, ZrN, and HfN) have been investigated. The atomic unit cells of TiN, ZrN, HfN, TiZrN, TiHfN, and ZrHfN have been transformed into the matching armchair nanoribbons. By comparing the proposed nanoribbon to the bulk and monolayer structures of these metal nitrides, the structural stability, density, and projected density of states, band structure, magnetic behavior, and polarization were evaluated. The outcomes demonstrate that, in comparison to the crystalline structure, the suggested systems exhibit ferrimagnetic behavior and a remarkable magnetic moment. Also, a higher magnetic moment of about 24 μB in the supercells of the suggested nanoribbons was discovered due to the increased atom count. The proposed structures demonstrated indirect band gap semiconductor capabilities in the range between 1.66 eV and 2.16 eV which is again an unknown phenomenon in the bulk structure of transition metal nitrides. Owing to these characteristics, the proposed structures can be employed in many optoelectronic applications, such as solar cell devices, LEDs, laser diodes, and optical fibers where the band gap is the key requirement. Apart from this, they can also be useful in coating biomedical implanted chips, transformers, switches, and batteries. Memory storage devices will also benefit from the unique characteristics of the proposed nanoribbon structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parthenium hysterophorous, a widespread weed in India, contributes a substantial amount of lignocellulosic biomass. The key objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of producing xylanase enzyme from P. hysterophorus weed biomass using the fungus Aspergillus niger. The impact of various physiological factors was confirmed through a two-step approach: first, a one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) investigation, and subsequently, employing the RSM-based CCD method in statistical design. This research revealed that the RSM-based model led to the optimization of enzyme activity, resulting in a value of 2098.08 IU/gds for xylanase. This was achieved with an incubation time of 4.5 days, a medium pH of 6, and a cultivation temperature of 32.5 °C. Additionally, a pretreatment involving 1% NaOH and a 30-min autoclave treatment was found to alter the chemical composition of lignocellulose substrates (cellulose 43.87% and xylan 28.7%), thereby enhancing the efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis. Moreover, fermentable sugars were produced by autoclave-assisted alkali pretreatment (NaOH-1.0% w/v) at rates of 219.6 ± 2.05 mg/gds−1 by utilizing the crude xylanase from A. niger and 291.3 ± 1.2 mg/gds−1 from commercial xylanase enzyme. Our study revealed that P. hysterophorus served as a viable and affordable substrate for fermentable sugar liberation, and xylanase is a rate-limiting enzyme in enzymatic saccharification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The joining of Ti to stainless steel would allow cost-effective and light weight designs for many applications. For friction stir spot welding of Ti to steel with lap configuration, dwell time is an important process parameter. The higher dwell time promotes higher heat generation, which helps material movement and mixing for joint creation. However, higher dwell time also leads to higher peak temperature and incubation time, which encourage undesirable IMC formation. This research focuses on the impact of dwell duration on the elemental diffusion and IMC growth during FSSW of CP-Ti and SS 304. This research numerically and experimentally analyzes the diffusion of elements, intermetallic compound formation, and shear strength of stainless steel 304 and titanium dissimilar friction stir spot welds. The temperature profiles from numerical thermal model show that the peak temperatures at the dissimilar joint interface increases as dwell time increases. The diffusion model and characterization results reveal that Ni, Fe, and Cr diffuse across the dissimilar joint interface from steel to titanium side. Since Ni, Fe, and Cr are β-Ti stabilizers, the β-Ti stabilizes next to the dissimilar interface. The α-β Ti needles are observed between the stabilized β-Ti and α-Ti region towards base material. The numerical predictions of β-Ti and Fe-Ti IMC compare well against the experimental results. From shear strength (tensile) tests, the maximum shear strength (tensile) of ~ 8 kN is achieved from the SS 304-CP-Ti joint performed with 10 s dwell time. At the joint interface, the presence of β-Ti strengthens the joint and the presence of Fe-Ti IMCs encourages abrupt brittle failure and reduces strength. With dwell times less than 10 s, the Fe-Ti IMC thickness is less than 1 μm, which leads to higher shear strength (tensile) with higher β-Ti thickness as dwell time increases. With 20 s dwell time, the Fe-Ti IMC thickness of about 1 μm leads to reduced shear strength (tensile). The EDS analysis of the fracture surfaces reveal that dissimilar SS 304-CP-Ti joints failed from the dissimilar interface containing Fe-Ti IMC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimicrobial properties of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) and nanocomposites (NCPs) can be a promising solution to reducing microbe infections. The objective of the present work was to develop washable antibacterial cotton fabrics grafted with L-methionine (MetCot) and coordinately bind silver (Ag) NPs, particularly zinc oxide–silver (ZnO–Ag) NCPs, to exploit their potential synergistic antibacterial properties. MetCot + Ag and MetCot + ZnO–Ag fabrics were analyzed chemically and physically by different techniques. Functionalization of MetCot, in situ, by the NPs and NCPs did not change the cotton fiber structure. The synthesized Ag NPs and ZnO NPs of high purity with an average particle size of 30 and 10 nm, respectively, were uniformly distributed and bound to MetCot. However, functionalization changed MetCot's color to dark yellow–brown shades. Based on essential properties and comfort, the reduction of approximately 12% in vapor permeability and water absorbability, along with a slight decrease in tensile strength and elongation after functionalization of approximately 5–12% for MetCot + Ag and MetCot + ZnO–Ag, should be within the industry's acceptable criteria. MetCot + Ag and MetCot + ZnO–Ag showed excellent antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus after 50 wash cycles. A synergistic effect was observed with MetCot + ZnO–Ag over MetCot + Ag by approximately 7–13%. The amount of Ag NPs and ZnO NPs retained after 50 wash cycles ranged between 80% and 86%. This indicated strong binding to the fabrics. MetCot + Ag and MetCot + ZnO–Ag are biocompatible, as demonstrated by the indirect cytotoxicity assay using 3T3 fibroblast cells with overall cell viability of 95% after 1 and 7 days of exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a unified analytical model to evaluate 2D-Electron Gas density in β -(AlxGa1−x)2O3/Ga2O3 δ-doped Heterostructure Field Effect Transistor. Further, the obtained unified model is then used to study the effect of spacer thickness, conduction band offset, and δ-doping density on the 2D-electron density. The study shows the efficacy of thin spacer layer in enhancing the 2D-electron density obtained at the β -(AlxGa1−x)2O3/Ga2O3 heterointerface. This observation is in-unison with the simulated results obtained using 1D Poisson-Schrodinger solver which could explain the behavior using conduction band energy diagrams. Similarly, high conduction band offset is conducive for higher 2D-electron density alongside eradicating parallel conduction. The current study also shows the effect of δ-doped layer in governing the onset of parallel conduction phenomenon. Thus, the presented comprehensive study will be essential for device designers to enhance the 2D-electron density at the heterointerface which is quintessential to achieve optimum drain current. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to rapid urbanization and exponential growth in transportation; traffic noise has become a major area of concern. Noise not only disturbs our day-to-day life but also have severe adverse health effects over humans which further may lead to mortality. This paper focuses on the behavior of noise levels of Lucknow city over a decade and establishes its correlation with impact on human health in terms of annoyance and sleep disturbance. Apart from Leq, different noise parameters like L10, L50, L90, Traffic Noise Index (TNI), Noise Pollution Index (NPI), and Noise Climate (NC) have also been analyzed to understand the variation of noise. At all the locations, the noise level has been found exceeding their prescribed standards during day time and night time except at Amausi. Out of nine locations, TNI was found to be exceeding at three locations during day time and NPI exceeding at one location. However, during night time both values of TNI and NPL were observed within the limit at all the locations. From the noise map of the city during day time and night time, among all sampling locations, Charbagh has been found to be worst affected by noise pollution. A strong positive correlation has been observed among the total population, vehicular count, and day and night time noise data, which directly contribute to a higher percentage of sleep disturbance and annoyance among residents. Due to the increase in noise levels over a period of time, almost four times the population get affected by high annoyance and almost double the population get affected by sleep disturbance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice straw is a suitable alternative to a cheaper carbohydrate source for the production of ethanol. For pretreatment efficiency, different sodium hydroxide concentrations (0.5–2.5% w/v) were tested. When compared to other concentrations, rice straw processed with 2% NaOH (w/v) yielded more sugar (8.17 ± 0.01 mg/ml). An alkali treatment induces effective delignification and swelling of biomass. The pretreatment of rice straw with 2% sodium hydroxide (w/v) is able to achieve 55.34% delignification with 53.30% cellulose enrichment. The current study shows the effectiveness of crude cellulolytic preparation from Aspergillus niger resulting in 80.51 ± 0.4% cellulose hydrolysis. Rice straw hydrolysate was fermented using ethanologenic Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast) and Zymomonas mobilis (bacteria). Overall, superior efficiency of sugar conversion to ethanol 70.34 ± 0.3% was obtained with the yeast compared to bacterial strain 39.18 ± 0.5%. The current study showed that pretreatment with sodium hydroxide is an effective method for producing ethanol from rice straw and yeast strain S. cerevisiae having greater fermentative potential for bioethanol production than bacterial strain Z. mobilis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macrocyclic ligands (MacL1-MacL3) and Co(II) complexes were synthesized via template condensation of o-phenylenediamine with various aromatic dicarboxylic acids. The elemental analysis, FT-IR, mass spectrometry, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, UV-vis, SEM analysis, powder X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, electrochemical studies, and DFT analysis were used to characterize these synthesized ligands and their cobalt (II) complexes. TGA analysis to determine the stability and decomposition kinetic parameters. In element analysis, the percentage of different elements present and also the stoichiometry of compounds were confirmed. The proposed framework for tetraaza macrocyclic cobalt (II) complexes was supported by spectral analysis, which also revealed distorted octahedral geometry surrounding the central metal atom. The molecular structure of cobalt (II) complexes was also optimized theoretically, and their electronic or thermodynamic parameters were obtained from density functional theory (DFT). The synthesized ligands and their cobalt (II) complexes were tested against bacteria: Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtitles. Candida albicans were tested for antifungal properties. It was found that ligands and complexes show good antimicrobial results. Finally, using the Auto Dock VinaPyRx programme, molecular docking studies were used to evaluate the biological significance of the synthesized ligands to identify the probable and efficient binding mechanisms between the various ligands and the active site of the receptor protein. Antimicrobial, DFT, and Docking representation of Cobalt (II) macrocyclic complexes [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human microbiome studies have shown diversity to exist among different ethnic populations. However, studies pertaining to the microbial composition of CRC among the Indian population have not been well explored. We aimed to decipher the microbial signature in tumor tissues from North Indian CRC patients. Next-generation sequencing of tumor and adjacent tissue-derived bacterial 16S rRNA V3-V4 hypervariable regions was performed to investigate the abundance of specific microbes. The expression profile analysis deciphered a decreased diversity among the tumor-associated microbial communities. At the phyla level, Proteobacteria was differentially expressed in CRC tissues than adjacent normal. Further, DeSeq2 normalization identified 4 out of 79 distinct species (p < 0.005) only in CRC, Bacteroides massiliensis, Alistipes onderdonkii, Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum, and Corynebacterium appendicis. Thus, the findings suggest that microbial signatures can be used as putative biomarkers in diagnosis, prognosis and treatment management of CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functionalization of the edges of BN nanoribbons is a prominent way to alter their electronic properties. In this work, the effect of sp 2 /sp 3 edge functionalization of zigzag boron nitride nanoribbons (ZBNNR) via H/F is studied to reveal their structural stability and spin-dependent electronic properties. The sp 2 /sp 3 functionalization has been considered in three different ways: (1) both the edges are sp 2 functionalized (Group A), (2) one edge is sp 2 functionalized while other edge is sp 3 functionalized (Group B), and (3) both edges are sp 3 functionalized (Group C). It is noticed that fluorine (F) functionalization enhances the structural stability of the nanoribbons. Interestingly, the selective structures prefer a magnetic ground state which is expected to be immune against room-temperature thermal excitations. Moreover, a half-metallic character is also witnessed in FF-ZBNNR-F and FF-ZBNNR-H. The transport calculations reveal improved current magnitude while increasing the concentration of functionalizing F over H. The present findings provide a viable way for tailoring the spintronic properties of ZBNNR and the absolute shifting of Fermi level which can play a crucial role for designing future nanodevices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasticized filled poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) blends incorporating acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR) as an elastomeric crosslinking co-agent were subjected to gamma radiation by a Co60 source for total doses 25 to 100 kGy. Changes in total insoluble contents, physicomechanical properties (before and after thermal aging), morphology, spectroscopy, and dynamic mechanical behavior as a function of NBR loading and total dose were investigated. An increase in total insoluble contents with both NBR loading and total dose indicates that within the parameters of the study, the blends underwent crosslinking as the predominant effect with an increase of hardness. Unaged mechanical properties (tensile strength, Young's modulus, and elongation at break) of the blends were significantly modified. These same properties, after aging at 90 °C, 168 h are again modified due to further crosslinking reactions above the glass transition temperatures. The obtained results indicate that there exists a loading range for NBR for which an optimal combination of room temperature and aged mechanical properties may be obtained. Abrasion resistance of the blends improves due to the formation of chemically bonded networks. The mechanism of the crosslinking reaction was elucidated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Electron scanning microscopy shows single-phase blend morphologies for all blends and reveals a reduction in matrix ductility on crosslinking. Dynamic mechanical analysis conducted to study the change in loss tangent, storage modulus, and loss modulus at 100 kGy total dose shows an increase in these parameters and that the modification of physicomechanical properties are due to both crosslinking as well as enhanced interaction between PVC and NBR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plastic pollution has become a serious transboundary challenge to nature and human health, with estimation of reports published — predicting a twofold increase in plastic waste by 2030. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the excessive use of single-use plastics (including face masks, gloves and personal protective equipment) would possibly exacerbate such forecasts. The transition towards eco-friendly alternatives like bio-based plastics and new emerging sustainable technologies would be vital to deal with future pandemics, even though the use or consumption of plastics has greatly enhanced our quality of life; it is however critical to move towards bioplastics. We cannot deny the fact that bioplastics have some challenges and shortcomings, but still, it is an ideal option for opt. The circular economy is the need of the hour for waste management. Along with all these practices, individual accountability, corporate intervention and government policy are also needed to prevent us from moving from one crisis to the next. Only through cumulative efforts, we will be able to cope up with this problem. This article collected scattered information and data about accumulation of plastic during COVID-19 worldwide. Additionally, this paper illustrates the substitution of petroleum-based plastics with bio-based plastics. Different aspects are discussed, ranging from advantages to challenges in the way of bioplastics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structural, electronic, and transport properties of zigzag boron nitride nanoribbons (ZBNNRs) with nitrogen-vacancy (N-vacancy) at the center (N-V@C), at the edge (N-V@E), and at the center as well as edge (N-V@CE) are investigated. This work deploys density functional theory (DFT) along with non-equilibrium Green's function (NEGF) formalism. Present DFT-based calculations reveal that a metallic/semiconducting nature can be obtained in N-vacancy ZBNNRs via selective H-passivation. The most structurally stable structure in N-vacancy ZBNNRs is observed for HBN-NV E irrespective of ribbon width. The current–voltage characteristics of pristine, bare, and N-vacancy ZBNNRs devices demonstrated that the bare ZBNNRs exhibit maximum current as compared to the N-vacancy ZBNNRs device under low bias. This is because the vacancy defect breaks the edge states and produces some localized defect-induced states, which suppress the electron transmission and reduces current to get a better I P / I V (peak to valley current ratio PVCR) ratio. It is worth mentioning here that even negative differential resistance (NDR) with a sufficiently high I P / I V ratio has also been observed for BNH-NV E of the order of 10 10 in both positive and negative biasing. The observed NDR effect suggests that selective H-passivation in N-vacancy ZBNNRs has immense potential applications for nanoscale NDR devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture has the most significant contribution in fulfilling the basic human need, sustaining life, and strengthening the economy of any country. To feed the exploding population of the world, there has been a quantum jump in the production of agricultural commodities, which has led to the production of a substantial considerable quantity of agricultural and agro-industrial wastes. The bulks of these wastes are lignocellulosic in nature and consist of three main polymeric constituents, i.e., cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, which are recalcitrant. The primary significant portions of these remain unutilized and are burnt in the field, leading to severe environmental aggression and wastage of resource. Farmers across the globe, including India, burn these agricultural wastes in their thousands of acre land, which contribute to spoiling the air quality index (AQI). This is very harmful, especially to children, pregnant women, old adults, and for patients suffering from respiratory diseases. The current manuscript sets up an agro-waste management platform by using paddy straw as a substrate for the production of nutritionally and medically rich oyster mushroom, Pleurotus florida (Pf) and which is further used in the green synthesis of bimetallic (gold-platinum) Au-Pt nanoparticle. Yield performance and biological efficiency of Pf were calculated from the degraded paddy straw. The green synthesized Au-Pt NPs were structurally characterized by ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and zeta potential analysis. The prepared NPs showed a face-centered cubic crystal structure, icosahedral shape with a mean particle size of 16 nm. Furthermore, we examined the cytotoxic activity of Au-Pt NPs using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and apoptosis by propidium iodide assay. We found that Au-Pt NPs exerted apoptotic activity on the human colon cancer cell line (HCT 116) in a dose-dependent manner from 12.5 to 200 μg/mL. Overall, our findings create a prototype and open a new door to synthesizing functional nanoparticle by using oyster mushroom as the substrate for paddy straw agro-waste management and the applicability of Pf in the synthesis of eco-friendly Au-Pt NPs. This is the first kind of approach that kills two birds with one stone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A first-principles investigation is carried out on palladium (Pd)-doped armchair graphene nanoribbons (AGNRs) to investigate their structural, electronic and transport properties. The structural analysis of the considered Pd-doped nanoribbons reveals that single Pd doping at the edges of AGNRs results in the most stable configuration. The present findings reveal that the electronic transport properties are strongly dependent on the number of dopant atoms and their positions. Furthermore, it is noted that the proposed two-probe devices exhibit peculiar nonlinear I–V characteristics indicating potential for rectification behavior. Excellent high rectification ratio (RR) and reverse rectification ratio (RRR) are on the order of 1.8 × 10 5 and 9.7 × 10 4 , respectively, are found for center-Pd-doped 7-AGNRs. The interesting rectifying I–V behavior can be explained by the localization/delocalization effect of frontier orbitals along with the variation of the transmission spectra with the applied bias voltage. These findings indicate that Pd-doped armchair GNRs are a potential candidate for use in next-generation ultralow-power nanoscale switching devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let Mod (S g) be the mapping class group of the closed orientable surface S g of genus g ≥ 2 . In this paper, we derive necessary and sufficient conditions for two finite-order mapping classes to have commuting conjugates in Mod (S g) . As an application of this result, we show that any finite-order mapping class, whose corresponding orbifold is not a sphere, has a conjugate that lifts under any finite-sheeted cyclic cover of S g . Furthermore, we show that any nontrivial torsion element in the centralizer of an irreducible finite order mapping class is of order at most 2. We also obtain conditions for the primitivity of a finite-order mapping class. Finally, we describe a procedure for determining the explicit hyperbolic structures that realize two-generator finite abelian groups of Mod (S g) as isometry groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thin-layer chromatographic (TLC) analysis of extracts/compounds has several applications in the field of food, cosmetics, phytochemistry, and pharmaceutical industry. Mangiferin is a bioactive and natural antioxidant polyphenolic xanthone obtained from different dietary plants and recently gaining remarkable attention due to its high pharmacological significance evident in current scientific validations. This review contains various TLC methods reported so far for the qualitative and quantitative assessments of mangiferin after collating selected research papers from online scientific databases as PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. In particular, confirmation of mangiferin from dietary plant, herbal formulations, and biological and bioautographic samples through TLC are discussed in detail and comparison is also established in terms of selectivity, sensitivity, and validity. Ultimately, critical evaluation was done with the aim to deliver useful suggestions for the selection of suitable mobile phase, sample preparation, and detection methods for the analysis of mangiferin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The primary aim of the present study was to evaluate the potential of P. hysterophorus weed biomass valorization through its utilization in the production of cellulase enzyme. Methods: The work involved bio-prospecting of fungal microbes and selecting the most potent fungal isolate for its cellulolytic potential. Thereafter, endoglucanase production by the fungal isolate was enhanced by utilizing P. hysterophorus biomass as a substrate. The optimization study involved the production of the enzyme under both stationary as well as shaking conditions. A scale-up for the enzyme production was also carried out under batch mode of fermentation in Erlenmeyer flasks as well as in a 2 l-bioreactor. Results: Penicillium citrinum NAF5, isolated from garden soil, was found as a potent cellulase producer. Under optimized conditions, P. citrinum NAF5 produced 4.224 ± 0.035 U/ml and 3.13 ± 0.026 U/ml endoglucanase in the stationary and shaking conditions of fermentation respectively, in the presence of steam pretreated P. hysterophorus biomass as the substrate. Scale-up in the flasks resulted in 3.86% and 12.11% increase in enzyme production under stationary and shaking conditions respectively; while 24.12% enhancement in enzyme production was achieved in a 2 l fermenter. Conclusions: The study reveals that the biomass from P. hysterophorus can be utilized for cellulase production, and this can be an effective approach for the valorization of this weed's biomass. Also, cellulase production by P. citrinum NAF5 fungus is appreciable and holds potential for utilization in various applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single crystal x-ray diffraction measurements on both as-grown as well as oxygenated single crystals of an aluminium doped high temperature superconductor YBa2Cu3−xAlxO6+δ revealed the crystal structure to be orthorhombic with space group Pmmm, in contrast to, tetragonal crystal structures corresponding to space group P4/mmm, previously reported for as-grown YBa2Cu3−xAlxO6+δ, and conflicting structures on oxygenated YBa2Cu3−xAlxO6+δ. The orthorhombic crystal structure was confirmed by powder x-ray diffraction that showed the presence of two peaks corresponding to (020) and (200) reflections associated with orthorhombic structures of space group Pmmm, instead of a single (200) reflection corresponding to tetragonal crystal structures with space group P4/mmm. All the as-grown crystals were found to be superconducting. An oxygen-vacancy cluster distribution model is proposed to explain the differences in the obtained magnetisation hysteresis loop and the broad superconducting transition temperature. The model proposes the existence of two oxygen deficient clusters of (Al-..-Cu-O-Cu)n and (Cu-O-Cu-..)n juxtaposed with each other whose number and size vary as the as-grown single crystals of YBa2Cu3−xAlxO6+δ are subjected to oxygenation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements showed the existence of two distinct peaks in each of the spectrum of O, Cu, Y and Ba in YBa2Cu3−xAlxO6+δ crystals corresponding to the two different types of clusters. The relative intensities of each XPS peak was found to decrease in the oxygenated crystals as compared to the as-grown ones confirming the change in the number and size of clusters in the as-grown crystals after oxygenation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of aluminum substitution on the magnetic properties of perovskite type La0.7Ba0.3Mn1−xAlxO3 (0.05 ≤ × ≤ 0.15) compounds have been studied. The phase purity of the samples has been determined with X-ray powder diffraction. Comparison among various structural parameters has been performed to understand the effect of Al3+ substitution at Mn3+ site. The DC magnetization study includes the thermo-magnetic measurements in zero field cooled (ZFC) mode within the temperature range of 100 to 300 K and the isothermal M-H curve at 100 K. It has been observed that incorporation of Al3+ ion at the Mn3+ site significantly affects the exchange interaction processes and hence results in suppressed magnetic moments. It has been observed that the uniform distribution of Al3+ at Mn3+ sites results in weakening of long-range ferromagnetic (FM) ordering in the parent compound. The inclusion of 10–15% of Al3+ significantly affects the double-exchange (DE)-interactions, thereby promotes a non-magnetic phase along with separated short-range FM clusters. The presence of non-magnetic phase and non-spontaneous magnetization among FM clusters has been observed for samples with 10–15% of aluminum substitution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is critical for successful activation of immune responses against pathogen infection. The plant NADPH oxidase RBOHD is a primary player in ROS production during innate immunity. However, how RBOHD is negatively regulated remains elusive. Here we show that RBOHD is regulated by C-terminal phosphorylation and ubiquitination. Genetic and biochemical analyses reveal that the PBL13 receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase phosphorylates RBOHD's C-terminus and two phosphorylated residues (S862 and T912) affect RBOHD activity and stability, respectively. Using protein array technology, we identified an E3 ubiquitin ligase PIRE (PBL13 interacting RING domain E3 ligase) that interacts with both PBL13 and RBOHD. Mimicking phosphorylation of RBOHD (T912D) results in enhanced ubiquitination and decreased protein abundance. PIRE and PBL13 mutants display higher RBOHD protein accumulation, increased ROS production, and are more resistant to bacterial infection. Thus, our study reveals an intricate post-translational network that negatively regulates the abundance of a conserved NADPH oxidase. During plant innate immunity ROS is produced via the NADPH oxidase RBOHD. Here, Lee et al. show that RBOHD protein abundance is regulated through phosphorylation by the PBL13 receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase and via ubiquitination by PIRE, a newly identified E3 ubiquitin ligase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electromagnetic safeguards are key factors for electronic devices. Lightweight and highly flexible polymer composite films with high electrical conductivity are considered to be efficient electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials. Polymer composites offer alternative to metal-based composites which have poor flexibility, corrodibility, and are difficult to process. Here, highly flexible polyvinyl alcohol/poly (3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate/multiwalled carbon nanotube (PVA/PEDOT:PSS/MWCNT) free-standing composite films were fabricated by a solution mixing process followed by a simple solvent casting technique. PVA/PEDOT:PSS/MWCNT composite films of thickness around 20 microns showed high EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) in the X-band over the frequency range of 8–12 GHz. Incorporation of MWCNT into the polymer matrix considerably increased the mechanical strength of the PVA/PEDOT:PSS/MWCNT composite free-standing film. This investigation revealed that PVA/PEDOT:PSS/MWCNT composite film with 0.5 wt.% of MWCNT showed excellent absorption-dominated EMI SE of 60 dB over the frequency range of 8–12 GHz with extensive tensile strength. Our study opens a facile way to design flexible, lightweight and free-standing films as EMI shielding for next-generation flexible electronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) immune receptors play a critical role in defence against pathogens in plants and animals. However, we know very little about NLR-interacting proteins and the mechanisms that regulate NLR levels. Here, we used proximity labeling (PL) to identify the proteome proximal to N, which is an NLR that confers resistance to Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). Evaluation of different PL methods indicated that TurboID-based PL provides more efficient levels of biotinylation than BioID and BioID2 in plants. TurboID-based PL of N followed by quantitative proteomic analysis and genetic screening revealed multiple regulators of N-mediated immunity. Interestingly, a putative E3 ubiquitin ligase, UBR7, directly interacts with the TIR domain of N. UBR7 downregulation leads to an increased amount of N protein and enhanced TMV resistance. TMV-p50 effector disrupts the N-UBR7 interaction and relieves negative regulation of N. These findings demonstrate the utility of TurboID-based PL in plants and the N-interacting proteins we identified enhance our understanding of the mechanisms underlying NLR regulation. Plant NLR receptors trigger immune signaling following recognition of pathogen effectors. Here, Zhang et al. optimize a TurboID-based proximity labeling approach and show that it can be used to identify interacting partners of N, an NLR that confers resistance to Tobacco mosaic virus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chromosome number of hexaploid wheat (2n = 6x = 42) was first worked out in 1918 and was followed by research on intergeneric and interspecific hybridization, mainly in Japan under the leadership of Hitoshi Kihara. Starting in 1935, Ernie Sears in USA produced a large collection of aneuploids including nullisomics, monosomics, trisomics, tetrasomics, ditelocentrics and nullisomic-tetrasomic (NT) lines. In parallel, through a study of meiotic chromosome pairing in hybrids produced through interspecific and intergeneric crosses, progenitors of the A and D genomes of 6x wheat were determined with certainty; the progenitor of B genome was difficult and still not known with certainty. The diploidizing system and the Ph1 locus restricting meiotic chromosome pairing to only between homologous (but not between homoeologous) chromosomes was also initially discovered by Okamoto (Wheat Inf Serv 5:6, 1957), and was subsequently studied in more detail by Ralph Riley and his group at Cambridge, UK during late 1950s. With the establishment of International Triticeae Mapping Initiative (ITMI) and the development of ITMI mapping population in 1990, first genetic maps were produced for all the seven homoeologous groups involving 21 wheat chromosomes by 1995. High-density genetic maps were developed later through large-scale development of SNPs through next generation sequencing (NGS) technology. During 1990s, TR Endo and BS Gill at Kansas State University, USA also produced > 400 chromosome deletion stocks that were extensively used for the development of physical maps for all the 21 wheat chromosomes. More recently, during the last 12 years (2005-2017), cytogenomics research was conducted, which included separation of longest chromosome 3B and the 40 chromosome arms for the remaining 20 chromosomes through flow sorting and their utilization in the development of BAC libraries that were used for developing BAC-based physical maps. These maps were used in generating chromosome survey sequences, and assembly of the whole genome sequence of 6x wheat Chinese Spring. During 2017-2018, whole genome sequences for a wild emmer tetraploid wheat (T. turgidum) and those for the two diploid species (T. urartu, Ae. tauschii) representing the donors of A and D sub-genomes of 6x wheat, were also published. For hexaploid wheat, estimates of a pangenome with ~ 140,000 genes and that of the core genome with ~ 80,000 genes also became available. These resources are already being extensively utilized and will continue to be utilized throughout the world for several decades not only for basic research, but also for the improvement of wheat crop to feed the growing world population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bipolaris sorokiniana (Sacc.) Shoemaker is a hemi-biotrophic fungal pathogen, which is an anamorph (teleomorph Cochlibolus sativus). It causes spot blotch, root rot and leaf spot diseases in a number of cereals including wheat, barley and other small grain cereals. In the genomics era, the fungus has been subjected to a variety of studies using molecular approaches. Correct chromosome number was determined and molecular karyotypes were prepared using contour-clamped homogeneous electric field. Molecular maps were prepared using markers like RFLPs, SSRs, RAPDs and SNPs. For this purpose, segregating progenies derived from crosses between diverse isolates of the pathogen were used. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) data was collected not only for B. sorokiniana isolates, but also for several species of Cochliobolus. Genes involved in secondary metabolism and virulence were identified from genome sequences. The WGS data has also been utilized for comparative genomics giving useful information about evolutionary trends. A brief account of this information is presented in this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present era, cellular phones have changed the life style of human beings completely and have become an essential part of their lives. The number of cell phones and cell towers are increasing in spite of their disadvantages. These cell towers transmit radiation continuously without any interruption, so people living within 100s of meters from the tower receive 10,000 to 10,000,000 times stronger signal than required for mobile communication. In the present study, we have examined superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme activity, catalase (CAT) enzyme activity, lipid peroxidation assay, and effect of functional polymorphism of SOD and CAT antioxidant genes against mobile tower-induced oxidative stress in human population. From our results, we have found a significantly lower mean value of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) enzyme activity, catalase (CAT) enzyme activity, and a high value of lipid peroxidation assay in exposed as compared to control subjects. Polymorphisms in antioxidant MnSOD and CAT genes significantly contributed to its phenotype. In the current study, a significant association of genetic polymorphism of antioxidant genes with genetic damage has been observed in human population exposed to radiations emitted from mobile towers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbiome-wide association studies have established that numerous diseases are associated with changes in the microbiota. These studies typically generate a long list of commensals implicated as biomarkers of disease, with no clear relevance to disease pathogenesis. If the field is to move beyond correlations and begin to address causation, an effective system is needed for refining this catalogue of differentially abundant microbes and to allow subsequent mechanistic studies. Here we demonstrate that triangulation of microbe-phenotype relationships is an effective method for reducing the noise inherent in microbiota studies and enabling identification of causal microbes. We found that gnotobiotic mice harbouring different microbial communities exhibited differential survival in a colitis model. Co-housing of these mice generated animals that had hybrid microbiotas and displayed intermediate susceptibility to colitis. Mapping of microbe-phenotype relationships in parental mouse strains and in mice with hybrid microbiotas identified the bacterial family Lachnospiraceae as a correlate for protection from disease. Using directed microbial culture techniques, we discovered Clostridium immunis, a previously unknown bacterial species from this family, that-when administered to colitis-prone mice-protected them against colitis-associated death. To demonstrate the generalizability of our approach, we used it to identify several commensal organisms that induce intestinal expression of an antimicrobial peptide. Thus, we have used microbe-phenotype triangulation to move beyond the standard correlative microbiome study and identify causal microbes for two completely distinct phenotypes. Identification of disease-modulating commensals by microbe-phenotype triangulation may be more broadly applicable to human microbiome studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential of untreated Parthenium hysterophorus weed biomass was evaluated as a substrate for cellulase production. The cellulose in the biomass was used as the main source of carbon. Solid-state fermentation was carried out using Trichoderma reesei, and optimization of cultural conditions was done for maximization of cellulase production. The results revealed that highest cellulase production was achieved on the 8th day of incubation, at 30 °C, keeping solid-to-liquid ratio 1:2 when two discs of inoculum were used per gram of the substrate. The optimized inoculum age was 96 h for CMCase and 120 h for FPase. On studying the enhancing effect of different carbon and nitrogen sources, lactose and ammonium molybdate were found suitable, respectively. The optimized concentration of lactose for the highest CMCase and FPase activities was 1.5 and 1%, respectively. Ammonium molybdate was best at 1% concentration for both CMCase and FPase. Maximum CMCase and FPase activities obtained were 20.49 and 2.42 U/gds, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Asians report worse experiences with care than Whites. This could be due to true differences in care received, expectations about care, or survey response styles. We examined responses to the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®) Medicare survey items by Whites and Asians, controlling for underlying level on the CAHPS constructs.Methods: We conducted multiple group analyses to evaluate measurement equivalence of CAHPS Medicare survey data between White and Asian Medicare beneficiaries for CAHPS reporting composites (communication with personal doctor, access to care, plan customer service) and global ratings of care using pooled data from 2007 to 2011. Responses were obtained from 1,326,410 non-Hispanic Whites and 40,672 non-Hispanic Asians (hereafter referred to as Whites and Asians). The median age for Whites was 70, with 24 % 80 or older, and 70 for Asians, with 23 % 80 or older. Fifty-eight percent of Whites and 56 % of Asians were female.Results: A model without group-specific estimates fit the data as well as a model that included 12 group-specific estimates (7 factor loadings, 3 measured variable errors, and 2 item intercepts): Comparative Fit Index = 0.947 and 0.948; root-mean-square error of approximation = 0.052 and 0.052, respectively). Differences in latent CAHPS score means between Whites and Hispanics estimated from the two models were similar, differing by 0.053 SD or less.Conclusions: This study provides support for measurement equivalence of the CAHPS Medicare survey composites (communication, access, customer service) and global ratings between White and Asian respondents, supporting comparisons of care experiences between the two groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Two Institute of Medicine reports almost a decade apart suggest that cancer survivors often feel "lost in transition" and experience suboptimal quality of care. The six core functions of patient-centered communication: managing uncertainty, responding to emotions, making decisions, fostering healing relationships, enabling self-management, and exchanging information, represent a central aspect of survivors' care experience that has not been systematically investigated.Methods: Nationally representative data from four administrations of the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) was merged with combined replicate weights using the jackknife replication method. Linear and logistic regression models were used to assess (1) characteristics of cancer survivors (N = 1794) who report suboptimal patient-centered communication and (2) whether survivors' patient-centered communication experience changed from 2007 to 2013.Results: One third to one half of survivors report suboptimal patient-centered communication, particularly on core functions of providers helping manage uncertainty (48 %) and responding to emotions (49 %). In a fully adjusted linear regression model, survivors with more education (Wald F = 2.84, p = .04), without a usual source of care (Wald F = 11.59, p < .001), and in poorer health (Wald F = 9.08, p < .001) were more likely to report less patient-centered communication. Although ratings of patient-centered communication improved over time (p trend = .04), this trend did not remain significant in fully adjusted models.Conclusions: Despite increased attention to survivorship, many survivors continue to report suboptimal communication with their health care providers.Implications For Cancer Survivors: Survivorship communication should include managing uncertainty about future risk and address survivors' emotional needs. Efforts to improve patient-centered communication should focus on survivors without a usual source of care and in poorer health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Using cross-sectional survey data, we assessed the association between chronic illness burden and health-related self-efficacy, evaluating whether patient-centered communication is associated with self-efficacy and if that relationship varies by chronic illness burden.Methods: Data were from the Health Information National Trends Survey, a cross-sectional survey of the US adult population collected in 2012-2013 (n = 3630). Health-related self-efficacy was measured with the item: "Overall, how confident are you about your ability to take good care of your health?" and the prevalence of six chronic conditions and depression/anxiety was assessed. Patient-centered communication was measured as the frequency with which respondents perceived their healthcare providers allowed them to ask questions, gave attention to their emotions, involved them in decisions, made sure they understood how to take care of their health, helped them to deal with uncertainty, and if they felt they could rely on their healthcare providers to take care of their healthcare needs.Results: Health-related self-efficacy was significantly lower among individuals with greater illness burden. In adjusted analysis, individuals who experienced more positive patient-centered communication reported higher levels of self-efficacy (β = 0.26, P < 0.0001); this association was strongest among those with greater illness burden.Conclusion: Higher levels of self-efficacy were observed among patients reporting more positive patient-centered communication; the observed association was stronger among those with greater chronic illness burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demonstrated benefits of information seeking for cancer patients, coupled with increases in information availability, underscore the importance of monitoring patient information seeking experiences over time. We compared information seeking among cancer survivors to those with a family history of cancer and those with no history of cancer. We identified characteristics associated with greater information seeking among cancer survivors, key sources of cancer-related information, and changes in information source use over time. Data from five iterations of the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) spanning 2003 to 2013 were merged and analyzed. Frequencies, cross-tabulations, multivariate logistic regression, and multinomial regression analyses were conducted. All data were weighted to provide representative estimates of the adult US population. Cancer information seeking was reported most frequently by cancer survivors (69.8 %). The percentage of cancer survivors who reported information seeking increased from 66.8 % in 2003 to 80.8 % in 2013. Cancer information seeking was independently associated with age, education, and income; seeking was less likely among older adults, those with less education, and those with lower incomes. Compared to respondents in 2003, those in 2005 (odds ratio (OR) = 0.40, 95 % confidence interval (CI) = 0.24-0.65) and 2008 (OR = .43, 95 % CI = 0.26-0.70) were about half as likely to use the Internet as the first source of cancer information compared to a healthcare provider. Despite overall increases in cancer information seeking and access to health information from a variety of sources, healthcare providers remain a key source of health information for cancer survivors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple composite films consisting of a polymer blended with organic emitters have the potential for broad-band “white” light emission that can be used for general lighting applications. In the present work, a simple mixture of 3-hydroxyisoquinoline (HIQ) with Nile Red (NR) in a polymeric matrix of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is used to generate white light through a non-radiative excitation energy transfer (NREET) mechanism. NREET between HIQ and NR doped in PVA films is investigated using a combination of steady state and time resolved fluorescence spectroscopic methods. It is observed that NR has very weak fluorescence in the PVA film upon excitation at 400 nm, but upon mixing NR with HIQ, sensitized emission of NR is observed with decreased emission of HIQ. The behavior of the sensitized emission of NR is consistent with Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) between the donor HIQ and acceptor NR. By adjusting the relative fractions of HIQ and NR in the films, the extent of FRET could be regulated and the overall film emission color could be manipulated to enable overall “white” (CIE color coordinates 0.34, 0.38) emission. The films showed excellent photostability with 405 nm diode illumination, along with mechanical flexibility, suggesting good potential utility as a down converting element for lighting applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fitts Law predicts the time required to move to an object given the distance to the object's center and its size. Over the years, Fitts law has been tested on various body parts/joints such as the elbow, wrist, fingers and even tongues. In this paper, we extend Fitts law to model movement by multiple joints. To accomplish this, we first establish a relationship between the performances of different joints, using the concept of atomic movement. We define the atomic movement as the movement of the fastest joint from amongst the joints under consideration. We propose that every other joint movement is a multiple of this atomic movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Since 1990, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have collaborated to create linked data resources to improve our understanding of patterns of care, health care costs, and trends in utilization. However, existing data linkages have not included measures of patient experiences with care.Objective: To describe a new resource for quality of care research based on a linkage between the Medicare Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®) patient surveys and the NCI's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) data.Design: This is an observational study of CAHPS respondents and includes both fee-for-service and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries with and without cancer. The data linkage includes: CAHPS survey data collected between 1998 and 2010 to assess patient reports on multiple aspects of their care, such as access to needed and timely care, doctor communication, as well as patients' global ratings of their personal doctor, specialists, overall health care, and their health plan; SEER registry data (1973-2007) on cancer site, stage, treatment, death information, and patient demographics; and longitudinal Medicare claims data (2002-2011) for fee-for-service beneficiaries on utilization and costs of care.Participants: In total, 150,750 respondents were in the cancer cohort and 571,318 were in the non-cancer cohort.Main Measures: The data linkage includes SEER data on cancer site, stage, treatment, death information, and patient demographics, in addition to longitudinal data from Medicare claims and information on patient experiences from CAHPS surveys.Key Results: Sizable proportions of cases from common cancers (e.g., breast, colorectal, prostate) and short-term survival cancers (e.g., pancreas) by time since diagnosis enable comparisons across the cancer care trajectory by MA vs. FFS coverage.Conclusions: SEER-CAHPS is a valuable resource for information about Medicare beneficiaries' experiences of care across different diagnoses and treatment modalities, and enables comparisons by type of insurance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We examined cancer survivors’ experience of bothersome symptoms, association of symptom bother with health-related quality of life (HRQOL), survivors’ perception of symptom care, and their symptom-related information needs. Methods: Using self-report survey measures, survivors of leukemia, bladder, or colorectal cancer who were 2–5 years post-diagnosis and received follow-up care in the past year ( N = 623) provided information about the presence of bothersome symptoms, symptom-related information needs, adequacy of symptom-related care, and their physical and mental HRQOL. Multivariable statistical analyses were conducted to identify correlates of symptom bother, inadequate care, and symptom information needs and to examine the association between symptom bother and HRQOL. Results: Twenty-eight percent of the 606 respondents experienced symptom bother in the past year (46 % of leukemia, 24 % of bladder, and 26 % of colorectal cancer survivors). Younger survivors, those of Hispanic ethnicity, with low income, those with recurrent cancer, and chemotherapy recipients were more likely to report symptom bother (all p < 0.05). Symptom bother was associated with lower physical and mental HRQOL ( p < 0.001). While 92 % of survivors with symptoms discussed them with their follow-up care physician, 52 % of these reported receiving inadequate symptom care. Survivors reporting inadequate symptom care were 2.5 times as likely to identify symptom information needs compared to those who received adequate care ( p < 0.05). Conclusions: One in four cancer survivors report symptoms 2–5 years post-diagnosis, and only half of these survivors receive adequate care to address those symptoms. Research that refines and tests symptom care interventions for this population is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High plasma levels of leptin, a major adipocytokine produced by adipocytes, are correlated with increased fat mass in obese state. Leptin is emerging as a key candidate molecule linking obesity with breast cancer. Acting via endocrine, paracrine, and autocrine manner, leptin impacts various stages of breast tumorigenesis from initiation and primary tumor growth to metastatic progression. Leptin also modulates the tumor microenvironment mainly through supporting migration of endothelial cells, neo-angiogenesis and sustaining recruitment of macrophage and monocytes. Various studies have shown that hyperactive leptin-signaling network leads to concurrent activation of multiple oncogenic pathways resulting in enhanced proliferation, decreased apoptosis, acquisition of mesenchymal phenotype, potentiated migration and enhanced invasion potential of tumor cells. Furthermore, the capability of leptin to interact with other molecular effectors of obese state including, estrogen, IGF-1, insulin, VEGF and inflammatory cytokines further increases its impact on breast tumor progression in obese state. This article presents an overview of the studies investigating the involvement of leptin in breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Decision-making preferences among cancer survivors during their follow-up care remains understudied and limited research examines factors that underlie these preferences. The purpose of this study was to assess cancer patients’ decision-making preferences during follow-up care, the role of trust and self-efficacy, and the effect of preferences on health outcomes. Methods: Six hundred twenty-three bladder, leukemia, and colorectal cancer survivors were recruited to the Assessment of Patient Experiences of Cancer Care study between April 2003 and November 2004. Respondents were asked about their follow-up care experiences, including decision-making preferences, trust in physicians, self-efficacy, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and health appraisal. Unadjusted mean scores of trust and self-efficacy measures by decision preference group were examined. Multinomial logistic and linear regressions were conducted to examine predictors of decision-making preferences and the impact of decision-making preferences on HRQOL and health appraisal. Results: While the majority of patients preferred shared decision-making (61.0 %), 16.1 % preferred to control their decisions and 22.1 % preferred physician control over decisions. Compared to the other groups, patients preferring physician control had greater trust in their physician ( p < 0.001), similar self-efficacy for engaging in the decision-making process, and lower self-efficacy for taking responsibility over decisions ( p < 0.001). There were no notable differences between decision-making groups on outcome measures. Conclusion: Patients who prefer physicians to control decisions are as confident about participating in the decision-making process and experience similar health outcomes as those preferring greater decisional control. Physicians need to tailor their communication behavior to encourage participation and trust among all patients. Implications for Cancer Survivors: Findings from this study provide unique insights into the decision-making preferences of cancer patients during receipt of follow-up care, which remains an understudied phase of cancer care delivery. Results underscore the need for approaches to decision-making and patient engagement to become more nuanced and to encourage patients to participate in decision-making in ways they are most comfortable. Furthermore, physicians and health care professionals should foster environments that promote trust and clear communication regardless of patient decision-making styles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genes of different pathways regulate spermatogenesis, and complexity of spermatogenic process indicates that polymorphisms or mutations in these genes could cause male infertility. Detoxification pathway is involved in the regulation of spermatogenesis by reducing oxidative stress and contributes to the maintenance of global methylation in concert with other pathways. Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) belong to the family of phase II antioxidant enzymes involved in the cellular detoxification of various physiological substances. Glutathione S-transferases act as an antioxidant and protect spermatozoa from oxidative stress. Increase in the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) along with reduced activity of GSTs may result in sperm membrane damage and DNA fragmentation. A case–control study was done to elucidate the role of deletion polymorphism of GSTT1 and GSTM1 genes from GSTs family on idiopathic human male infertility. The study comprises 2 groups: 113 nonobstructive azoospermia patients and 91 healthy fertile controls. Genomic DNA was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction for GSTT1 and GSTM1 genes. The study showed statistically significant protective association of GSTT1 null genotype with human male infertility (odds ratio [OR]: 0.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.143-0.9966, P = .048) but not with GSTM1 null genotype (OR: 0.66, 95% CI 0.3653-1.2234, P = .19). Also, combination of null genotypes of GSTM1 and GSTT1 confers protective effect (OR: 0.28, CI 0.0801-0.948; P = .04). Probably, individuals bearing GSTM1 and GSTT1 (−/−) genotypes may have protective effect by gene–gene interaction mechanism. In summary, our study underscores the significance of combined effect of GSTT1 and GSTM1 null genotypes in modulating the risk of male infertility. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose: We surveyed prostate cancer patients about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use and evaluated patient factors that correlated with CAM use 6 months following diagnosis.Methods: The Prostate CAncer Therapy Selection study was a prospective, observational multi-site study of men's treatment decision-making process after a diagnosis of local stage prostate cancer. Recruitment occurred in community urology practices in Washington State, hospital-based urology clinics affiliated with the University of Southern California, and Kaiser Permanente in Northern California. Eligible study participants included men over age 21 diagnosed with local stage prostate cancer between May 1, 2005 and December 31, 2006.Results: Fifty-two percent of survey respondents (379) reported using one or more types of CAM. Of the patients, 51% used one CAM method, 26% used two methods, and 23% used three or more methods. The most commonly reported category was mind-body therapies (65%). Only 43% of patients discussed their CAM use with a health professional; of those, 20% informed their primary care physician and 30% told the doctor managing their prostate cancer care. Less than half thought the CAM they used was "very helpful", but a majority thought it was somewhat helpful for their condition.Conclusions: Further research is needed to characterize the goals prostate cancer patients have for CAM, whether the treatments met those goals, and how this translates into the perceived helpfulness of these therapies. The implications of patients not discussing CAM use with health professionals at the time of prostate cancer treatment need further studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior type 2 diabetes (T2D) genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have generated a list of well-replicated susceptibility loci in populations of European and Asian ancestry. To validate the trans-ethnic contribution of the single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) involved in these GWASs, we performed a family-based association analysis of 32 selected GWAS SNPs in a cohort of 1496 African-American (AA) subjects from the Genetics of NIDDM (GENNID) study. Functional roles of these SNPs were evaluated by screening cis-eQTLs in transformed lymphoblast cell lines available for a sub-group of Genetics of NIDDM (GENNID) families from Arkansas. Only three of the 32 GWAS-derived SNPs showed nominally significant association with T2D in our AA cohort. Among the replicated SNPs rs864745 in JAZF1 and rs10490072 in BCL11A gene (P=0.006 and 0.03, respectively, after adjustment for body mass index) were within the 1-lod drop support interval of T2D linkage peaks reported in these families. Genotyping of 19 tag SNPs in these two loci revealed no further common SNPs or haplotypes that may be a stronger predictor of T2D susceptibility than the index SNPs. Six T2D GWAS SNPs (rs6698181, rs9472138, rs730497, rs10811661, rs11037909 and rs1153188) were associated with nearby transcript expression in transformed lymphoblast cell lines of GENNID AA subjects. Thus, our study indicates a nominal role for JAZF1 and BCL11A variants in T2D susceptibility in AAs and suggested little overlap in known susceptibility to T2D between European- and African-derived populations when considering GWAS SNPs alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Institute of Medicine has identified patients as a key source of information for assessing the quality of care.Objective: To evaluate the association of physician specialty with the content and quality of follow-up cancer care.Design and Participants: Three hundred three colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors in Northern California were surveyed 2-5 years post-diagnosis.Measurements: Specialty of physician seen most often [primary care physician (PCP), oncologist, surgeon, or gastroenterologist]; other physician specialties seen; patient characteristics; content of visits; patient-centered quality of follow-up care (communication, coordination, nursing, and staff interactions).Main Results: A minority (16%) of CRC survivors reported that the doctor they most often saw for follow-up cancer care was a PCP, while 60% saw an oncologist. Many CRC survivors (40%) saw >1 physician for follow-up cancer care. Survivors most often seen by PCPs were more likely to have three or more medical comorbidities (70% vs. 51%, p = 0.012) than survivors seen by subspecialty physicians. Survivors seen by PCPs were less likely to report seeing a doctor for medical tests and more likely to report discussing disease prevention (82% vs. 64%, p = 0.012) or diet (70% vs. 48%, p = 0.005) with their doctor. There were no significant specialty differences in patient-centered quality of follow-up cancer care.Conclusions: Cancer survivors' assessment of the quality of care was similar across specialties, while the content of follow-up cancer care varied by physician specialty. These findings provide important information about the potential value of primary care and the need for coordination when delivering care to CRC survivors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]