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Seaweeds are regarded as one of the greatest sources of biologically active substances with potent biological activities among the innumerable marine organisms. It finds numerous industrial applications in areas such as food and dairy, pharmaceuticals, medicine, cosmeceuticals, and nutraceuticals because it is a significant source of bioactive ingredients. It has been reported that the brown seaweed Padina boergesenii, also known as the leafy rolled-blade alga, has anti-venom activity against the Naja nigricollis. However, it is still unclear how these actions are prompted by it. Using in vitro and in vivo animal models, the current work seeks to evaluate the mechanistic anti-venom activity of Padina boergesenii methanolic extract (PBME) against Naja naja (N. naja) venom. The total antioxidant activity, deoxyribose radical scavenging activity, DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazylhydrate), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay were used to measure the in vitro antioxidant activity. In vivo (venom neutralization, suppression of hemorrhagic, necrotic, myotoxic, and paw edema) and in vitro (inhibiting phospholipase A2 and procoagulant effects) anti-venom properties of PBME were studied against N. naja venoms. In every anti-oxidant test, the extracts demonstrated potency. Naja naja venom's median lethal dose was 0.5943 mg/kg of body weight. The N. naja venom–induced phospholipase A2, hemorrhagic, necrotic, myotoxic, and paw edema in mice were all considerably reduced by PBME. Animals exposed to PBME substantially and dose-dependently neutralized the N. naja venom by various mechanisms. Therefore, additional research into PBME's anti-venom characteristics as a neutralizing agent for snake venoms is a possibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) is a narrow tropical belt of deep convective clouds, intense precipitation, and monsoon circulations encircling the Earth. Complex interactions between the ITCZ and local geophysical dynamics result in high climate variability, making weather forecasting and prediction of extreme rainfall or drought events challenging. We unravel the complex spatio-temporal dynamics of the ITCZ and the resulting teleconnection patterns via a novel tropical climate classification achieved using complex network analysis and community detection. We reduce the high-dimensional complex ITCZ dynamics into a simple yet insightful community structure that classifies the tropics into seven regions representing distinct ITCZ dynamics. The two largest communities, encompassing landmasses over the Northern and Southern hemispheres, are associated with coherent seasonal ITCZ dynamics and have significant long-range connections. Temporal analysis of the community structure highlights that the tropical Pacific and Atlantic Oceans communities exhibit substantial variation on multidecadal scales. Further, these communities exhibit incoherent dynamics due to atmosphere-ocean interactions driven by equatorial and coastal oceanic upwelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we report the successful growth of polycrystalline SnSe/SnSe2 heterophase thin films using single precursor compounds consisting of SnCl2.2H2O and 1,1-dimethyl l-2-selenourea via chemical spray pyrolysis. The films were deposited on soda-lime glass substrates within a narrow temperature range of 270–300 °C followed by annealing in vacuum at temperature in the range of 250–450 °C for 1 h. The structural and morphological properties of the films were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman mapping, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The presence of both SnSe2 (hexagonal) and SnSe (orthorhombic) phases was confirmed and their ratios were determined using the Reference Intensity Ratio (RIR) method from XRD data. This narrow deposition temperature induces intrinsic atomic defects (VSn, VSe, SnSe) with lower formation energies during nucleation, enabling the formation and growth of SnSe/SnSe2 heterophase. These defects act as electron donors, and in addition the energy band bending at the SnSe/SnSe2 interface favors the formation of electron-rich regions showing n-type conductivity. The excess electrons contribute to a higher electron concentration leading to a higher Seebeck coefficient resulting in an improved power factor. Interestingly, the as-deposited films with a higher ratio of SnSe2 phase exhibited an increased power factor compared to their annealed counterparts, indicating the importance of the preferential growth of SnSe2 in enhancing carrier concentration and carrier mobility at the interfaces of the SnSe2/SnSe heterophase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydroxyapatite (HA) is an extensively used biomaterial for dental and orthopaedic applications because of its biocompatibility and biomimetic nature. HA is extensively used as a bone-graft substitute. HA bone graft substitutes of bovine or synthetic origins have been extensively studied. However, caprine-based HA has not been explored. In this study, we aimed to determine the utilization of goat bone-derived HA for commercial applications. HA from caprine bone and teeth was isolated using thermal calcination. The developed HA can be used as a bone graft substitute. Chemical characterization of the isolated HA was carried out using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-Ray Diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The biocompatibility and apatite formation of isolated HA were assessed using MG-63 cells, MC3T3-E1, L929 cells, MSCs, adipose derived stem cells, human dermal tissue derived fibroblast cells and osteoblast-like cell line, The studies demonstrate that HA support cell adhesion and osteogenic properties. To improve sheep, lamp, or caprine bone-derived HA, several other composites have been developed with MgO2, ZrO2, ZnO2, and other polymeric substances. 3D printed technology was used to develop a bioink using sheep-derived HA and printed the composite scaffold as a bone graft substitute. Furthermore, the biomedical applications of sheep-derived HA been studied in terms of their antimicrobial activity, bone-forming ability, and wound healing applications. Sheep-, goat-, and caprine-derived HA are still underutilized and require further research to develop commercial possibilities and sustainable raw materials for HA-based bone graft substitutes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, nanosized drugs continue to lead the pharmacological field because of their small molecular size, solubility and penetrability, which are suitable for passive membrane transmission. In the current research, we produced zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) from Lablab purpureus leaf aqueous extract and assessed their antioxidant, antidiabetic and antimicrobial efficacy. In the biosynthesis process, we characterized biosynthesized ZnO NPs by UV-Vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometer, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, high resolution-scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and high resolution-transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) analyses. The HR-TEM images reveal flocculated particles, which were mostly rods with a few hexagonal and sphere-shaped, with a typical particle size of 28±3.00 nm. ZnO NPs showed potential α-amylase and α-glucosidase activity inhibition, with IC50 values of 103.20±1.03 and 94.14±0.37 μg/mL, respectively. Furthermore, ZnO NPs exhibited excellent free radical scavenging potential on DPPH, ABTS, nitric oxide and superoxide with IC50 values of 114.95±2.11, 147.37±1.55, 90.94±0.57 and 152.52±0.56 μg/mL, respectively. Bacteria of gram-positive and gram-negative strains were inhibited growth with MIC ranging from 118.75 to 950 μg/mL. ZnO NPs have shown promise in reducing oxidative stress, which is associated with the development of chronic diseases. They also act as a hypoglycemic agent, which helps to maintain healthy glucose levels. Future phytochemical research will be necessary to standardize L. purpureus components with significant antidiabetic action and create a better substitute nano-herbal combination to replace the synthetic drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytohormones promote growth in the vegetative phase, flowering and fruit development. A novel class of PGR comprises brassinosteroids (BRs) and polyamines (PAs). In fruit crops, fruit drop at the maturity stage is controlled by the external application of BRs and PAs. BRs such as brassinolide, 24-epibrassinolide and 28-homobrassinolide and PAs such as putrescine, spermidine and spermine play significant roles in plant growth and development. Brassinolide provides tolerance against biotic and abiotic stresses. 24-Epibrassinolide promotes blossoming, fruit retention, fruit set and fruit growth. 28-homobrassinolide promotes cell division and cell elongation. Putrescine enhances seed germination and adventitious root formation in seedlings. Moreover, spermidine provides tolerance against drought and salinity. Furthermore, spermine promotes flowering and fruiting and competes with ethylene precursors. It would be beneficial to apply plant growth regulators such as BRs and PAs to increase fruit yield and quality. This review discusses how phytohormone (BR and PA) application can improve the productivity, quality, physiological, biochemical and postharvest aspects of some tropical, subtropical and temperate fruits and focuses on research areas such as the mode of action and stage of application of BRs and PAs which enhance the yield and quality of these perishable fruit crops. Article highlights: The newly emerged plant growth hormones brassinosteroids and polyamines are vital PGRs for the cultivation of horticulture commodities. BRs and PAs are environmentally safe phytohormones that improve the yield and quality of fruits. These materials are effectively utilized in both fruit production and postharvest management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) enable seamless data gathering and communication, facilitating efficient and real-time decision-making in IoT monitoring applications. However, the energy required to maintain communication in WSN-based IoT networks poses significant challenges, such as packet loss, packet drop, and rapid energy depletion. These issues reduce network life and performance, increasing the risk of delayed packet delivery. To address these challenges, this work presents a novel energy-efficient distributed neuro-fuzzy routing model executed in two stages to enhance communication efficiency and energy management in WSN-based IoT applications. In the first stage, nodes with high energy levels are predicted using a fusion of distributed learning with neural networks and fuzzy logic. In the second stage, clustering and routing are performed based on the predicted eligible nodes, incorporating thresholds for energy and distance with two combined metrics. The cluster head (CH) combined metric optimizes cluster head selection, while the next-hop combined metric facilitates efficient multi-hop communication. Extensive simulation results demonstrate that the proposed model significantly enhances network lifetime compared to EANFR, RBFNN T2F, and TTDFP by 9.48%, 25%, and 31.5%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atrazine (ATZ, C8H14ClN5) is a widely used synthetic herbicide that contaminates drinking water. It is a known endocrine disruptor that disrupts various molecular pathways involved in hormone signaling, and DNA damage, and can cause reproductive disorders, including decreased fertility, and abnormal development of reproductive organs, as revealed in animal model studies. However, the effect of ATZ on steroidogenesis in the male reproductive system, especially reduction of ketosteroids to hydroxysteroids, remains unclear. This study investigated the toxicity of ATZ on the male reproductive system in the Wistar rat model, with an emphasis on its adverse effect on aldo-ketoreductase family 1 member C2 (AKR1C2). Male Wistar rats were administered ATZ for 56 days (duration of one spermatogenic cycle) through oral route, at 20, 40 and 60 mg/kg body weight (bw) doses. The results indicate that ATZ exposure affects the body weight, impairs sperm production, and decrease FSH, LH, and testosterone levels. Additionally, the down-regulation of key steroidogenic enzymes by ATZ disrupted the synthesis of testosterone, leading to decreased levels of this essential male hormone. On the other hand, the expression of AKR1C2 (mRNA and protein) in the testis was upregulated. The findings suggest that AKR1C2 plays a role in androgen metabolism. Furthermore, its overexpression may lead to alteration in the expression of genes in the connected pathway, causing an increase in the breakdown or inactivation of androgens, which would result in lower androgen levels and, thereby, lead to hypoandrogenism, as the combined effects of down-regulation of steroidogenic genes and up-regulation of AKR1C2. These findings reveal direct implication of disrupted AKR1C2 in male reproductive health and highlight the need for further research on the impact of environmental toxins on human fertility, ultimately providing for better patient care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current Indian stock market structure is fully centralized, with each party's government, financial institutions, and private sector relying on one another to authenticate transactions. Because of the prior party's reliance, the settlement in client Demat accounts takes T + 2. Most of the time, the T + 2 rule causes retail short-term investors or traders to lose money or fail to make a profit. The current settlement method is extremely difficult to comprehend, resulting in anomalies in customer Demat accounts. Blockchain is an immutable append-only data chain that is always developing. The SHA-256 cryptographic technique prevents data from being removed or changed after it has been inserted. There is no central database to maintain the chain; instead, each node stores a copy and processes data locally, updating it in milliseconds. In the form of fresh blocks, new information is added to the chain, ensuring that all parties have the same picture of the blockchain at all times. Everyone has access to the information, so they may verify and confirm transactions, in the end, resulting in complete transparency for all transactions. This work proposes a decentralized stock exchange architecture based on permissioned blockchain to address the T + 2 settlement cycle rule problem. Before designing this architecture it considers every aspect so, it excludes the traditional party name custodian member party because of its traditional functionality so that our architecture becomes cost-efficient at the time of implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global crisis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) necessitates the development of broad-spectrum antibacterial drugs effective against multi-drug resistant (MDR) pathogens. BWC0977, a Novel Bacterial Topoisomerase Inhibitor (NBTI) selectively inhibits bacterial DNA replication via inhibition of DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV. BWC0977 exhibited a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC90) of 0.03–2 µg/mL against a global panel of MDR Gram-negative bacteria including Enterobacterales and non-fermenters, Gram-positive bacteria, anaerobes and biothreat pathogens. BWC0977 retains activity against isolates resistant to fluoroquinolones (FQs), carbapenems and colistin and demonstrates efficacy against multiple pathogens in two rodent species with significantly higher drug levels in the epithelial lining fluid of infected lungs. In healthy volunteers, single-ascending doses of BWC0977 administered intravenously (https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05088421) was found to be safe, well tolerated (primary endpoint) and achieved dose-proportional exposures (secondary endpoint) consistent with modelled data from preclinical studies. Here, we show that BWC0977 has the potential to treat a range of critical-care infections including MDR bacterial pneumonias. In this work, the authors probe the efficacy of BWC0977, a bacterial topoisomerase inhibitor, in pre-clinical animal models, also demonstrating that BWC0977 is safe and well tolerated in healthy human volunteers, in a phase 1 trial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was designed to evaluate the cardiotoxicity effect of formulated agar (FA) from Turbinaria conoides in zebrafish embryos (ZFE). The agar was formulated by aqueous extract method. The physio-chemical and structural characterization was analyzed by texture analysis, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis. Spreadability and in vitro sample diffusion assays were determined. The agar isolated from T. conoides had a yield of 84.2% and moisture content of 38%. The FTIR analysis indicated the presence of alkanes and aliphatic amines while SEM analysis showed densely packed structure. The FA showed a water loss of 115.2, spreadability of 72.12%, and in vitro release of 98% in 3 h. At a concentration of 0.02 μg/mL in ZFE, FA's cardiotoxicity and teratogenic effects did not change significantly (P>0.05). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoporosis remains incurable. The most widely used antiresorptive agents, bisphosphonates (BPs), also inhibit bone formation, while the anabolic agent, teriparatide, does not inhibit bone resorption, and thus they have limited efficacy in preventing osteoporotic fractures and cause some side effects. Thus, there is an unmet need to develop dual antiresorptive and anabolic agents to prevent and treat osteoporosis. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), which is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, prevents the lysosomal degradation of TNF receptor-associated factor 3 (TRAF3), an NF-κB adaptor protein that limits bone resorption and maintains bone formation. We attempted to covalently link HCQ to a hydroxyalklyl BP (HABP) with anticipated low antiresorptive activity, to target delivery of HCQ to bone to test if this targeting increases its efficacy to prevent TRAF3 degradation in the bone microenvironment and thus reduce bone resorption and increase bone formation, while reducing its systemic side effects. Unexpectedly, HABP-HCQ was found to exist as a salt in aqueous solution, composed of a protonated HCQ cation and a deprotonated HABP anion. Nevertheless, it inhibited osteoclastogenesis, stimulated osteoblast differentiation, and increased TRAF3 protein levels in vitro. HABP-HCQ significantly inhibited both osteoclast formation and bone marrow fibrosis in mice given multiple daily PTH injections. In contrast, HCQ inhibited marrow fibrosis, but not osteoclast formation, while the HABP alone inhibited osteoclast formation, but not fibrosis, in the mice. HABP-HCQ, but not HCQ, prevented trabecular bone loss following ovariectomy in mice and, importantly, increased bone volume in ovariectomized mice with established bone loss because HABP-HCQ increased bone formation and decreased bone resorption parameters simultaneously. In contrast, HCQ increased bone formation, but did not decrease bone resorption parameters, while HABP also restored the bone lost in ovariectomized mice, but it inhibited parameters of both bone resorption and formation. Our findings suggest that the combination of HABP and HCQ could have dual antiresorptive and anabolic effects to prevent and treat osteoporosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis of 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2-(1H)-ones (DHPMs) was made by utilizing newly synthesized heterogeneous mixed ligand-based Ni-phen MCM-41 catalyst with variety of aryl aldehydes (viz. electron donating, electron withdrawing, fused, disubstituted and unsaturated substituents), ethylacetoacetate, urea and ethanol as a solvent by using two different energy sources: conventional and ultrasonication methods. The effectiveness of the two methods was compared and found that the formation of Biginelli products in ultrasonication method (65–92% yield at 60 °C, 45 min) is better than the conventional method (63–90% yield at 78 °C, 2 h) by yield, temperature and time of the reaction. The formation, heterogeneous nature and morphology of the catalyst have been characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and N2 adsorption–desorption isotherm (BET) techniques. Moreover, the catalyst was recoverable, reusable and very much efficient for three consecutive runs without any significant loss of its catalytic activity. The heterogeneity nature of the recovered catalyst was checked by hot filtration test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the prevalence and predictors of splenic dysfunction in children with sickle cell disease (SCD). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between June 2019 and December 2020 where children aged 1 to 15 years of age with SCD were screened for splenic dysfunction. Children who were splenectomised, those with other diseases known to affect splenic function like congenital malformations, immunodeficiencies, and chronic diseases like tuberculosis, nephrotic syndrome, diabetes mellitus, chronic liver disease, celiac disease or malignancy were excluded. Splenic size was assessed by clinical examination and ultrasonography. Splenic dysfunction was assessed by Technetium-99m (99mTc) labeled autologous RBCs and by the presence of Howell Jolly bodies in the peripheral smear. Laboratory and clinical predictors of splenic dysfunction were assessed by multiple logistic regression. Results: We evaluated 66 children with SCD with a mean (SD) age of 7.41 (3.3) years. Impaired and absent splenic function as assessed by 99mTc scintigraphy was found in 13 (19.7%), and 3 (4.6%) children, respectively. Howell Jolly bodies in peripheral smear were found in 5 (7.5%) children; 3 of them had abnormal uptake on scintigraphy; all five had splenomegaly. Age > 5 years, > 4 episodes of vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC), > 3 hospitalization events in the past, > 5 blood transfusions, children not receiving hydroxyurea, reticulocyte count > 4%, and HbS > 70% were independent predictors of splenic dysfunction. Conclusion: The prevalence of splenic dysfunction in children with SCD in Central India is lower than that reported from the West. The decision to start antibiotic prophylaxis can be individualized in these children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main goal of this study is to use the ψ -Caputo fractional derivative of order ϑ ∈ (0 , 1) to construct the criteria for controllability in non-instantaneous impulsive dynamical systems. To obtain the necessary and sufficient conditions for the controllability of linear fractional systems by incorporating the positiveness of the Grammian matrices. To obtain sufficient conditions for controllability criteria for nonlinear systems, we have used Schaefer’s fixed point theorem. To enhance comprehension of the theoretical findings, several numerical examples have been provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this study lies in developing and evaluating a Caputo–Fabrizio fractional derivative model that encapsulates the dynamics of the worldwide HIV/AIDS epidemic while integrating an antiretroviral therapy component. The methodology involves employing iterative techniques alongside the fixed-point theorem to establish the existence and uniqueness solutions of the model. In particular, the model identifies equilibrium points corresponding to disease outbreaks and disease-free scenarios. Additionally, it showcases the local asymptotic stability of the disease-free equilibrium point and outlines the criteria for the presence of the endemic equilibrium point. The findings verify that as the fractional order decreases, the disease-free equilibrium point becomes more stable. To demonstrate the impact of altering the fractional order and to bolster the theoretical finding, numerical simulations are conducted over the fractional order range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current study, a novel experimental approach was used to fabricate a biobased packaging film made of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) blended with cellulose (CL) and gallic acid (GA). By adding 1 wt%, 2 wt%, 3 wt%, and 5 wt% of GA to PBAT and cellulose in a 70/30 (w/w) ratio, PBAT composites have been produced using the solution casting method, with GA working as a crosslinking agent. With the use of attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis/differential scanning calorimeter (TGA/DSC) analysis, the physicochemical properties of the PBAT film reinforced with CL and PBAT-CL/GA composite film were studied. Results depicted that increasing the level of GA enhanced the mechanical properties, resistance to oxygen and water vapor permeability, hydrophobicity, and antibacterial activity of the resulting films. The PBAT/CL film prepared with 5 wt% GA had higher tensile strength (33.1 MPa) in comparison to neat PBAT film (21.9 MPa). The addition of CL and GA significantly reduced the water contact angle values of the PBAT film. In addition, the PBAT composite films exhibited strong antibacterial activity, suggesting their potential application in food packaging. Food quality analysis revealed that PBAT-CL/GA film extends the shelf life of strawberries compared to the commercial low-density polyethylene film. Therefore, the use of these composite materials prolongs the freshness of perishable fruits. Current research has revealed that the PBAT-based composite film is an excellent material for food packaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the advent of fifth generation (5G) mobile communication network slicing technology, the range of application scenarios is expanding significantly. For 5G to function well, it necessitates little delay, a fast rate of data transfer, and the ability to handle a large number of connections. This demanding service requires the allocation of resources in a dynamic manner, while maintaining a very high level of reliability in terms of Quality of Service (QoS).The applications like autonomous driving, telesurgery, etc. have stringent QoS demands and the present design of slices is not suitable for these services. Therefore, latency has been regarded as a crucial factor in the design of the slices. Conventional optimization algorithms often lack robustness and adaptability to dynamic environments, getting stuck in local optima and failing to generalize to varying conditions. Our solution utilizes Reinforcement Learning (RL) to allocate resources to the slices. The utilization of restricted resources can be optimized through the reconfiguration of slices. The ability of RL to acquire knowledge from the surroundings enables our solution to adjust to varying network conditions, enhance the allocation of resources and improve quality of service over a period of time for different network slices. This study introduces the Deep Actor Critic Reinforcement Learning- Network Slicing (DACRL-NS) technique, which utilizes Deep Actor Critic Reinforcement learning for efficient resource allocation to network slices. The objective is to achieve optimal throughput in the network. If the slices fail to meet the minimum criteria, they will be omitted from the allocation. With increasing training episodes, our Actor-Critic algorithm enhances average cumulative rewards and resource allocation efficiency, demonstrating continuous learning and improved decision-making.The simulated suggested system demonstrates an average throughput improvement of 8.92% and 16.36% with respect to the rate requirement and latency requirement, respectively. The data also demonstrate a 17.14% increase in the overall network throughput. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mercury is a global pollutant that poses significant risks to human health and the environment. Natural sources of mercury include volcanic eruptions, while anthropogenic sources include industrial processes, artisanal and small-scale gold mining, and fossil fuel combustion. Contamination can arise through various pathways, such as atmospheric deposition, water and soil contamination, bioaccumulation, and biomagnification in food chains. Various remediation strategies, including phytoremediation, bioremediation, chemical oxidation/reduction, and adsorption, have been developed to address mercury pollution, including physical, chemical, and biological approaches. The effectiveness of remediation techniques depends on the nature and extent of contamination and site-specific conditions. This review discusses the challenges associated with mercury pollution and remediation, including the need for effective monitoring and management strategies. Overall, this review offers a comprehensive understanding of mercury contamination and the range of remediation techniques available to mitigate its adverse impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental pollution, being a major concern worldwide, needs a unique and ecofriendly solution. To answer this, researchers are aiming in utilizing plant extracts for the synthesis of nanoparticles. These NPs synthesized using plant extracts provide a potential, environmentally benign technique for biological and photocatalytic applications. Especially, plant leaf extracts have been safe, inexpensive, and eco-friendly materials for the production of nanoparticles in a greener way. In this work, zinc ferrite nanoparticles (ZnFe2O4 NPs) were prepared using Nyctanthes arbor-tristis leaf extract by hydrothermal method, and its biological and photocatalytic properties were assessed. The synthesized ZnFe2O4 NPs were characterized using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). X-ray diffraction confirmed the arrangement of the fcc crystal structure of the nanoparticles and that some organic substances were encapsulated within the zinc ferrite. According to the SEM analysis, the resulting nanoparticles got agglomerated and spherical in shape. The ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles are in their pure form, and all of their elemental compositions were shown by the energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX) spectrum. The FTIR results revealed that the produced nanoparticles contained distinctive functional groups. Fluorescence spectroscopy was used to examine the binding affinities between bovine serum albumin (BSA) and ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles in terms of protein binding, stability, and conformation. The interaction between BSA and ZnFe2O4 NPs was examined using steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence measurements, and it was evident that static quenching occurred. The ability of ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles to kill Culex quinquefasciatus (C. quinquefasciatus) larvae was evaluated. The synthesized NPs demonstrated a noteworthy toxic effect against the fourth instar larvae of C. quinquefasciatus with LC50 values of 43.529 µg/mL and LC90 values of 276.867 µg/mL. This study revealed the toxicity of green synthesized ZnFe2O4 NPs on mosquito larvae, proving that these NPs are good and effective larvicides. Furthermore, the ZnFe2O4 NPs were utilized for dye degradation of methylene blue under visible light treatment and achieved 99.5% degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TiO2 nanoparticles (TiO2NPs) were prepared using the Carchorus hirsutus plant leaf extract and investigated for biomedical applications. The synthesized TiO2NPs were characterized by UV-visible, FTIR, XRD, SEM, EDS, and TEM methods and tested for haemolytic activity. The anticancer activity was investigated using MCF7 and HeLa cell lines. The antimicrobial activity was tested against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi and Candida albicans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fatigue and creep behavior of abaca and sisal fiber–reinforced epoxy hybrid composites was investigated for 0°, 45°, and 90° fibers orientations. Long-term prediction with an identical stress level of polymer composite materials is essential for many applications. The life span of stacking natural fiber with polymer varies according to the stacking direction. In this regard, each sample has three layers for each orientation (0°, 45°, and 90°); sisal fibers on the top and bottom layers, and abaca fiber on the middle layer for 0° fiber orientation likewise other two samples were prepared for 45°, and 90° fiber orientation. The samples were fabricated using the hand lay-up method. The testing samples were prepared using abrasive water jet machining. Tension–tension (T-T) fatigue, compression–compression (C-C) fatigue test, flexural creep, and tensile creep tests were performed for the prepared composite materials. T-T and C-C fatigue tests were conducted for the stress level of 0.7 with the fatigue cycles 10,000 for the three different composite materials. Flexural and tensile creep tests were conducted for 20 h at constant stress at room temperature (25 to 27 °C). From the experimental result of the fatigue test, 0° fiber-oriented composite withstands 10,000 fatigue life cycles for stress level 0.7 without any matrix crack failure. Nevertheless, 45°- and 90°-oriented composites have failed at 10,000 and 10 fatigue life cycles for stress level 0.7, respectively. From the C-C fatigue test, no failures occur in the samples up to 104 fatigue life cycles due to good stiffness, and minimal plastic deformation has occurred at 50 microns. In the flexural creep test, experimental results show that the creep limit reached 30 min from the test started for three different oriented composites. The fractured surfaces were analyzed with SEM images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transistor has the problem of inability to tolerate high voltage, which leads to power quality issues in high power applications. Therefore, to solve this problem, a thyristor controlled series compensator (TCSC) is adopted, which will reduce the power quality problem in high power applications integrated with renewable systems. However, to reduce the effect of thyristors in TCSC, the gate turn-off (GTO) thyristors are employed. Also, the cost of the system is reduced by using PV based DC supply to the compensator. However, the supply from the renewable system is not constant, which induces harmonics and oscillation in output voltage. This results in an unsynchronized supply between the grid voltage and the renewable system, which has been reduced by using a novel controller that generates switching pulses for the GTO to reduce distortion in the output voltage. Since the GTO works well with switching signals rather than gate voltage, an effective control signal generation scheme is required. Therefore, this paper introduces a novel Fractional Order Proportional Integral Retarded (FOPIR) controller optimized by the Rock Hyraxes algorithm. As a result, the proposed controller reduced the harmonics to 17.52% with respect to the PIR controller. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renal cell carcinoma is a highly vascular tumor associated with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression. The Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor -2 (VEGF-2) and its receptor was identified as a potential anti-cancer target, and it plays a crucial role in physiology as well as pathology. Inhibition of angiogenesis via blocking the signaling pathway is considered an attractive target. In the present study, 150 FDA-approved drugs have been screened using the concept of drug repurposing against VEGFR-2 by employing the molecular docking, molecular dynamics, grouping data with Machine Learning algorithms, and density functional theory (DFT) approaches. The identified compounds such as Pazopanib, Atogepant, Drosperinone, Revefenacin and Zanubrutinib shown the binding energy − 7.0 to − 9.5 kcal/mol against VEGF receptor in the molecular docking studies and have been observed as stable in the molecular dynamic simulations performed for the period of 500 ns. The MM/GBSA analysis shows that the value ranging from − 44.816 to − 82.582 kcal/mol. Harnessing the machine learning approaches revealed that clustering with K = 10 exhibits the relevance through high binding energy and satisfactory logP values, setting them apart from compounds in distinct clusters. Therefore, the identified compounds are found to be potential to inhibit the VEGFR-2 and the present study will be a benchmark to validate the compounds experimentally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fruits and vegetables are important for the nutrition and health of individuals. They are highly perishable in nature because of their susceptibility to microbial growth. Foodborne pathogens create a significant problem for consumers, food businesses, and food safety. Postharvest factors, including transportation, environment, and preservation techniques, cause a reduction in product quality. The present world is using synthetic preservatives, which have negative impacts on consumer health. Food safety and demand for healthy foods among consumers, the scientific community, and the food industry resulted in the exploitation of natural preservatives, which play an important role in their effectiveness, prolonged shelf life, and safety. Natural preservatives include plants, animals, and microbiological sources with polymers to extend shelf life, improve quality, and enhance food safety. This review specifically focuses on mechanism of action of natural preservatives, spoilage of fruit and vegetables, the importance of edible film and coating on fruits and vegetables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study employs Proton-Transfer-Reaction Mass Spectrometry (PTR-MS) to analyze exhaled breath profiles of 504 healthy adults, focusing on nine common volatile organic compounds (VOCs): acetone, acetaldehyde, acetonitrile, ethanol, isoprene, methanol, propanol, phenol, and toluene. PTR-MS offers real-time VOC measurement, crucial for understanding breath biomarkers and their applications in health assessment. Objectives: The study aims to investigate how demographic factors-gender, age, and smoking history-affect VOC concentrations in exhaled breath. The objective is to enhance our understanding of breath biomarkers and their potential for health monitoring and clinical diagnosis. Methods: Exhaled breath samples were collected using PTR-MS, measuring concentrations of nine VOCs. The data were analyzed to discern distribution patterns across demographic groups. Results: Males showed higher average VOC levels for certain compounds. Propanol and methanol concentrations significantly increased with age. Smoking history influenced VOC levels, with differences among non-smokers, current smokers, and ex-smokers. Conclusion: This research provides valuable insights into demographic influences on exhaled VOC profiles, emphasizing the potential of breath analysis for health assessment. PTR-MS's real-time measurement capabilities are crucial for capturing dynamic VOC changes, offering advantages over conventional methods. These findings lay a foundation for advancements in non-invasive disease detection, highlighting the importance of considering demographics in breath biomarker research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Goatpox and sheeppox are highly contagious and economically important viral diseases of small ruminants. Due to the risk they pose to animal health, livestock production, and international trade, capripoxviruses are a considerable threat to the livestock economy. In this study, we expressed two core proteins (A4L and A12L) and one extracellular enveloped virion protein (A33R) of goatpox virus in a baculovirus expression vector system and evaluated their use as diagnostic antigens in ELISA. Full-length A4L, A12L, and A33R genes of the GTPV Uttarkashi strain were amplified, cloned into the pFastBac HT A donor vector, and introduced into DH10Bac cells containing a baculovirus shuttle vector plasmid to generate recombinant bacmids. The recombinant baculoviruses were produced in Sf-21 cells by transfection, and proteins were expressed in TN5 insect cells. The recombinant proteins were analysed by SDS-PAGE and confirmed by western blot, with expected sizes of ~30 kDa, ~31 kDa, and ~32 kDa for A4L, A12L, and A33R, respectively. The recombinant proteins were purified, and the immunoreactivity of the purified proteins was confirmed by western blot using anti-GTPV serum. The antigenic specificity of the expressed proteins as diagnostic antigens was evaluated by testing their reactivity with infected, vaccinated, and negative GTPV/SPPV serum in indirect ELISA, and the A33R-based indirect ELISA was optimized. The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the A33R-based indirect ELISA were found to be of 89% and 94% for goats and 98% and 91%, for sheep, respectively. No cross-reactivity was observed with other related viruses. The recombinant-A33R-based indirect ELISA developed in the present study shows that it has potential for the detection of antibodies in GTPV and SPPV infected/vaccinated animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human-wildlife conflict is among the major constraint for wildlife management. It often can result in biodiversity decline and jeopardize the delicate balance of ecosystems. The human-saltwater crocodile conflict (hereafter referred to as HCC) is a major wildlife management issue in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (ANI). Analyzing the long-term trends is vital for better understanding and management of HCC. We used diverse approaches like interviews with local community and victims, HCC register maintained by the Department of Environment and Forest (DoEF), and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) to understand the patterns in the reported HCC events in ANI. During the past four decades (1983–2023), 36 fatal and non-fatal HCC were documented in the Andaman Islands. The HCC in ANI exhibited 75% increase after the catastrophic 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. A comparison of gender involved in HCC indicates that men are often (56%) become victim of HCC owing to their frequent involvement in outdoor activities like fishing, swimming, farming, cattle rearing, etc. The highest number (79%) of HCC and crocodile sightings were documented during the wet season (June-December). The majority of HCC (53%) were reported in the creeks. South Andaman accounts for the highest number of HCC (53%) compared to the rest of the Andaman Islands. High relative frequency of sightings of saltwater crocodile in the creeks of South Andaman like Manglutan nallah (21.47), Dhanikhari nallah (16.56), Collinpur nallah (14.72), and Guptapara nallah (11.04) were recorded between 2016 to 2023. The current scenario demands an urgent need for more fundamental research focusing on the changes in Saltwater crocodile habitats post 2004 tsunami, factors driving the HCC, and development and implementation of an updated management plan to ensure the co-existence of humans and crocodiles in the ANI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arabian Sea is a highly productive Ocean owing to deep upwelling with reports on phosphorus cycling in ocean sediments. In this study, microbes from sea mounts of the Arabian Sea at varying depths (400 m, 900 m) were screened to isolate and characterize phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) with plant growth-promoting properties. Out of the seven morphologically different PSBs, two bacterial strains with maximum phosphate solubilization index were identified as Priestia megaterium (H1) and Bacillus velezensis (H2) based on biochemical and molecular characteristics. Different factors influencing phosphatase production were optimized, which showed maximum solubilization at temperature of 30 °C (97.5 μg/mL), glucose as best carbon source (70 µg/mL), 1-M NaCl (114.1 µg/mL), and pH 8 (134.3 µg/mL) indicating their halophilic and alkaliphilic characteristics. Alkaline phosphatase enzyme was extracted and partially purified from both PSBs wherein H2 strains showed greater specific activity (24.83 U/mg). Metabolomics studies through HPLC revealed maximum production of gluconic acid (483.75 mg/L) in addition to lactic, oxalic, acetic, and succinic acid during solubilization. Biopriming effect of PSBs on tomato seed germination showed high germination index (80%) in consortia of both isolates which was also validated through root colonization by SEM analysis. Further studies using pot assay experiments also showed comparable results in marine PSB consortia with positive control (Phosphobacteria) for plant growth attributes including root height and weight. These findings suggest that the halophilic PSB strains from marine sediments could be used as potential bio-inoculants to enhance plant growth and combat saline stress for sustainable Agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multidrug resistance in clinical pathogens is a significant challenge in healthcare, requiring the development of novel approaches to combat infections. In this study, we report the identification of novel antimicrobial biosynthetic gene clusters from Brevibacillus parabrevis WGTm-23, the bacterial strain isolated from a termitarium. This strain showed an antagonistic effect against drug-resistant clinical pathogens, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella paratyphi, Streptococcus gordonii, and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli. The whole genome of this strain was sequenced using the Illumina platform. The genome mining revealed a total of 17 biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) responsible for the synthesis of secondary metabolites. The metabolites produced by this strain were predicted by constructing an identity network of the BGCs and performing a comparative analysis with genetically related strains. The genome contains multiple BGCs coding for ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs). In the genome of Br. parabrevis WGTm-23, we identified BGCs that code for ulbactin F, ulbactin G, gramicidin, and bacillopaline with the highest identity. We also identified a few BGCs with less than 50% sequence identity to MC-LR/MC-LHty/MC-HphHty/MC-LHph/MC-HphHph, xenocoumacin 1/xenocoumacin II, and tyrocidine. In addition, we found fourteen BGCs that do not resemble or show identity to any entries within the antiSMASH database. Therefore, Br. parabrevis WGTm-23 has the potential to synthesize new classes of antimicrobial compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nephrotic syndrome (NS) is a common kidney disease in children. While Steroid-Sensitive Nephrotic Syndrome (SSNS) is frequently observed, Steroid-Resistant Nephrotic Syndrome (SRNS) has a poor prognosis and often leads to chronic kidney disease. The pathogenesis of SRNS is complex, with immunological modulation of T helper subtypes 1 and 2 cytokines increasing susceptibility to the disease. Currently, no established biomarkers can accurately predict SRNS. However, a group of cytokines might serve as potential indicators of responsiveness, aiding in the identification of patients with SRNS. The discovery of these cytokines as novel biomarkers for early diagnosis could greatly benefit patients. This includes preventing the adverse effects of glucocorticoid treatment and enabling a timely transition to more effective therapeutic alternatives. Methods: This study aims to investigate the association between the gene expression patterns of cytokines, including IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-9, IL-10, IL-13, IL-17A, NF-κB, and TNFα, in healthy participants (n = 100), SSNS patients (n = 100), and SRNS patients (n = 100). Using qRT-PCR, followed by Receiver-operating characteristic analysis, the study assesses their potential as biomarkers. Additionally, clinicodemographic data were analyzed, and bioinformatic analyses such as coexpression analysis, gene enrichment, pathway analysis, and Cytoscape were performed to enhance our understanding of the inflammatory cascade initiating podocyte injury in NS. Results: The results of our study suggest that specific candidate genes, including IL-2, IL-5, IL-6, IL-9, IL-17A, IL-10, IL-13, and TNFα, exhibit upregulation and hold significant importance, with an Area Under the Curve value of 0.9. Conclusion: These genes have the potential to serve as valuable prognostic and management tools for NS, forming a promising panel of inflammatory gene biomarkers. Furthermore, conducting an extensive analysis that integrates cytokine genes with their respective targeted microRNAs could offer deeper insights into the pathogenesis of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The broad mite, Polyphagotarsonemus latus (Tarsonemidae: Acari) is a highly polyphagous species that damage plant species spread across 57 different families. This pest has developed high levels of resistance to some commonly used acaricides. In the present investigation, we deciphered the genome information of P. latus by PacBio HiFi sequencing. P. latus is the third smallest arthropod genome sequenced so far with a size of 49.1 Mb. The entire genome was assembled into two contigs. A set of 9,286 protein-coding genes were annotated. Its compact genome size could be credited with multiple features such as very low repeat content (5.1%) due to the lack of proliferation of transposable elements, high gene density (189.1/Mb), more intronless genes (20.3%) and low microsatellite density (0.63%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automatic assessment of impairment and disease severity is a key challenge in data-driven medicine. We propose a framework to address this challenge, which leverages AI models trained exclusively on healthy individuals. The COnfidence-Based chaRacterization of Anomalies (COBRA) score exploits the decrease in confidence of these models when presented with impaired or diseased patients to quantify their deviation from the healthy population. We applied the COBRA score to address a key limitation of current clinical evaluation of upper-body impairment in stroke patients. The gold-standard Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) requires in-person administration by a trained assessor for 30-45 minutes, which restricts monitoring frequency and precludes physicians from adapting rehabilitation protocols to the progress of each patient. The COBRA score, computed automatically in under one minute, is shown to be strongly correlated with the FMA on an independent test cohort for two different data modalities: wearable sensors (ρ = 0.814, 95% CI [0.700,0.888]) and video (ρ = 0.736, 95% C.I [0.584, 0.838]). To demonstrate the generalizability of the approach to other conditions, the COBRA score was also applied to quantify severity of knee osteoarthritis from magnetic-resonance imaging scans, again achieving significant correlation with an independent clinical assessment (ρ = 0.644, 95% C.I [0.585,0.696]). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this manuscript, structural, opto-electronic, and magnetic properties of pure LaN and binary compounds doped with third-order transition metal ions Mn, Fe, and Co have reported. Here, WIEN2k, spin-polarized plane-wave Density Functional Theory is incorporated into the Full Potential Linearized Augmented Plane Wave formalism. The band gap decrease was observed for every combination of dopants used turns LaN characteristics into a ferrimagnetic material. The magnetization in the transition metal-doped c-LaN compounds is caused by the p-d hybridization of the nitrogen and 3d transition metals. It has been found that Curie temperature Tc of more 747.24, 927.99 and 746.99 has been observed for La0.75Mn0.25N, La0.75Fe0.25N, and La0.75Co0.25N respectively. Mn/Fe/Co co-doped LaN performed best due to its enhanced absorption of visible-infrared and near ultraviolet photonic energies. As a result of the doping, both the dielectric constant and refractive index increased. LaN co-doped with Mn, Fe, and Co showed a static dielectric constant of 44.72 and a refractive index of 6.74. Hence the resulted values with high curie temperature specially for La0.75Fe0.25N suggests that TM doped LaN is a promising material for spintronic applications, especially as spin filter devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gallium nitride (GaN) high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) on β-gallium oxide (β-Ga2O3) wafers with various back barrier (BB) materials have garnered considerable attention, mainly due to the superior sheet charge density achieved by the confinement of a large number of electrons in the quantum well, which improves RF performance even further. This work investigates the role of different BB materials of Fe-doped AlGaN buffer AlN/GaN HEMTs on β-Ga2O3 wafers (substrate) with gate–source (LGS) and gate–drain (LGD) distances of 0.4 µm and 1.2 µm, respectively. When compared to traditional substrates such as silicon carbide and silicon, a β-Ga2O3 substrate is more affordable, is accessible in large wafer sizes, and has a lower lattice mismatch (0.4–2.4%) with AlGaN alloys. The effects of gate length scaling (Lg = 50 nm, 100 nm, and 150 nm) on the proposed HEMT devices were also analysed. The short-channel effects can be mitigated by introducing BB structures, which helps avoid further scaling of the barrier layer. With a p-diamond BB of 100 nm thickness, an Fe-doped AlGaN buffer rectangular gated AlN/GaN HEMT Lg = 50 nm results in maximum ID of 5.23 A/mm, gm of 1723 mS/mm, and fT of 361.6 GHz. This superior DC/RF performance can be achieved due to the large confinement of charge carriers into the quantum well and the low leakage current achieved by introducing BB structures and Fe-doped AlGaN buffer. With this outstanding performance, the proposed HEMT device is a promising candidate for next-generation RF applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Diabetes is a multifactorial disease with far-reaching consequences. Environmental factors, such as urban or rural residence, influence its prevalence and associated comorbidities. Haryana—a north Indian state—has undergone rapid urbanisation, and part of it is included in the National Capital Region (NCR). The primary aim of the study is to estimate the prevalence of diabetes in Haryana with urban–rural, NCR and non-NCR regional stratification and assess the factors affecting the likelihood of having diabetes among adults. Methods: This sub-group analysis of the Indian Council of Medical Research-India Diabetes (ICMR-INDIAB) study (a nationally representative cross-sectional population-based survey) was done for Haryana using data from 3722 participants. The dependent variable was diabetes, while residence in NCR/non-NCR and urban–rural areas were prime independent variables. Weighted prevalence was estimated using state-specific sampling weights and standardized using National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5) study weights. Associations were depicted using bivariate analysis, and factors describing the likelihood of living with diabetes were explored using a multivariable binary logistic regression analysis approach. Results: Overall, the weighted prevalence of diabetes in Haryana was higher than the national average (12.4% vs. 11.4%). The prevalence was higher in urban (17.9%) than in rural areas (9.5%). The prevalence of diabetes in rural areas was higher in the NCR region, while that of prediabetes was higher in rural non-NCR region. Urban–rural participants' anthropometric measurements and biochemical profiles depicted non-significant differences. Urban–rural status, age and physical activity levels were the most significant factors that affected the likelihood of living with diabetes. Conclusions: The current analysis provides robust prevalence estimates highlighting the urban–rural disparities. Urban areas continue to have a high prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes; rural areas depict a much higher prevalence of prediabetes than diabetes. With the economic transition rapidly bridging the gap between urban and rural populations, health policymakers should plan efficient strategies to tackle the diabetes epidemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rett syndrome (RTT) is the rare neurodevelopmental disorder caused by mutations in methyl CpG binding protein 2 (MECP2) gene with a prevalence of 1:10,000 worldwide. The hallmark clinical features of RTT are developmental delay, microcephaly, repetitive behaviours, gait abnormalities, respiratory abnormalities and seizures. Still, the understanding on the diagnosis of RTT among clinicians are less. The aim of our work was to study various clinical manifestations and a spectrum of MECP2 genetic heterogeneity in RTT patients from South Indian population. We screened 208 autistic patients and diagnosed 20 RTT patients, who were further divided into classical RTT (group I; N = 11) and variant RTT (group II; N = 9). The clinical severity of RTT was measured using RSSS, RSBQ, SSI, SSS and RTT gross motor scale. The biochemical analysis showed that thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), plasma dopamine and cholesterol levels were higher in group I when compared to group II, whereas the level of blood pressure, calcium, ferritin and high-density lipoprotein levels were significantly decreased in both RTT groups, when compared to the control group. The genetic mutational spectrum of MECP2 mutations were found in 12/20 of RTT patients, which revealed the occurrence of 60% pathogenic mutation and 20% unknown mutation and it was correlated with the clinical finding of respiratory dysfunction, scoliosis and sleeping problems. The significant results of this study provided clinical and genetic aspects of RTT diagnosis and proposed the clinicians to screen abnormal cholesterol, calcium and TSH levels tailed with MECP2 gene mutations for early prognosis of disease severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of 21 surface sediment samples collected from Arasalar River are subjected to sediment texture (sand-silt-clay ratio), trace elements, organic matter, and CaCO3 studies to understand the accumulation dynamics of sediments. To assess the impact of metal pollution in estuarine sediments, the essential parameters should be done by checking the sediment characteristics, spatial distribution of heavy metal sources, sediment dynamics, and geochemical analysis. To evaluate the contamination level of metal pollution, a basic standard reference is required to decipher the values ranging from natural to anthropogenic contribution. From this research analysis, it is observed that the study area predominantly comprises silty sand and sand silty nature. The calcium carbonate content in the sediment is found to be proportional to the presence of shell fragments, whereas the organic matter (OM) is derived from riverine and coastal input which acts as a primary source. The obtained results confessed the average contents (mg/g) for the following selected eight elements in the order of Fe (35249–49068) > Mn (286–519) > Ni (107–279) > Cu (78.30–155.70) > Cr (50–99) > Zn (38.70–91.90) > Pb (39.90–62.40), and Co (12.6–29.1) by using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) are utilized for this analysis. Multivariate analysis of heavy metals affirms geogenic sources (weathering of parent rocks) for Fe, Mn, Cr, Co, and Zn, whereas Cu, Ni, and Pb originated from anthropogenic activities (urban and industrial activities). The pollution load index, sediment pollution index, Igeo index, and PERI are categorized as under polluted, low to moderate polluted, and low potential environmental risk variety. Constant inspection and guidance are needed to prevent effluences from various agriculture and industrial activities in the nearby regions. The findings from this research may support and help the government to follow the suitable remediation on the better management of river and coastal areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toxic gas and other environmental risks are created when synthetic fibres are burned or degraded slower than natural fibres. Natural fibres have several advantages, including low density, low cost, high specific characteristics and lower hazards during production. Glass fibre is harmful to human health and environment. The fabrication of natural fibre–based composite is easy and non-toxic. Comparing result is required to ensure the properties. In this regard, ABAQUS simulation findings are compared to mechanical characteristics of a hybridised composite (abaca + sisal) in this study. The top and bottom layers of this hybrid composite are formed of sisal fibres, while the centre layer is comprised of abaca fibres. A variety of fibre orientations (0°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 90°) are used to create these hybrid composites (sisal + abaca). The aforementioned specimen is created by hand layup process. Epoxy LY 556 and hardener LY 951 is acted as adhesive agent. According to the results, 90° oriented fibre composites have higher ultimate tensile properties and % elongation than 0°, 30°, 45° and 60°oriented fibre composites. In terms of flexural strength, 30°, 45°, 60° and 90° oriented fibre composites had the similar value, whereas 0° fibre oriented composites had the lowest value. When equated to another oriented fibre material, the ultimate shear strength of the 60° oriented fibre composite was determined to be higher. It has a much higher breaking load than the other oriented fibre composites (0°, 30°, 45°, 60° and 90°), which have lower breaking loads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wireless charging of Electric Vehicles (EVs) has been extensively researched in the realm of electric cars, offering a convenient method. Nonetheless, there has been a scarcity of experiments conducted on low-power electric vehicles. To establish a wireless power transfer system for an electric vehicle, optimal power and transmission efficiency necessitate arranging the coils coaxially. In wireless charging systems, coils often experience angular and lateral misalignments. In this paper, a new alignment strategy is introduced to tackle the misalignment problem between the transmitter and receiver coils in the wireless charging of Electric Vehicles (EVs). The study involves the design and analysis of a coil, considering factors such as mutual inductance and efficiency. Wireless coils with angular misalignment are modelled in Ansys Maxwell simulation software. The proposed practical EV system aims to align the coils using angular motion, effectively reducing misalignment during the parking of two-wheelers. This is achieved by tilting the transmitter coil in the desired direction. Furthermore, micro sensing coils are employed to identify misalignment and facilitate automatic alignment. Additionally, adopting a power control technique becomes essential to achieve both constant current (CC) and constant voltage (CV) modes during battery charging. Integrating CC and CV modes is crucial for efficiently charging lithium-ion batteries, ensuring prolonged lifespan and optimal capacity utilization. The developed system can improve the efficiency of the wireless charging system to 90.3% with a 24 V, 16 Ah Lithium Ion Phosphate (LiFePO4) battery at a 160 mm distance between the coils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The delivery of chemotherapeutics through the blood-brain barrier remains a challenge for glioblastoma therapeutics. The overdosage of these agents also causes severe side effects among patients. Hence, there has been an urge to find alternative techniques to deliver these agents to the targeted site with limited dosage having a maximum outcome. However, when these drugs incorporated into liposomes are directed toward the tumor site, there is a higher possibility of the drugs crossing the barrier and rendering their mode of action. In our study, we aimed at formulating pH-responsive nanoliposomes loaded with carmustine that possesses selective toxicity on U87MG cells owing to the acidic pH and also evaluated their efficacy in seizing endothelial sprouting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Phenothiazine and its derivatives have many biological effects, such as killing bacteria, protecting cells from damage, fighting cancer, and other drug-related effects. Methods: Phenothiazine-containing chalcone derivatives were tested for antibacterial activity using the agar-well diffusion method. For COVID-19, a molecular docking investigation of produced molecules was performed using AutoDock 2.0 software. Results and Discussion: Phenothiazine derivatives were characterized using spectral techniques such as IR, NMR, and mass spectral data. All the synthesized derivatives shown good antibacterial studies against various bacterial strains. The docking results of the synthesized ligand possesses good binding energy with 2AJF protein. Conclusions: This work presented standard procedures and focused on the synthesis and spectrum characterization of a series of phenothiazine integrated Chalcone derivatives employing ultrasonic irradiation. Phenothiazine and chalcone compounds have been shown to have potent antibacterial activity. The phenothiazine-based chalcone moieties in the drug's formation of hydrogen bonds with the target enzyme make it an efficient antiviral agent, according to the docking finding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphic medicine, an interdisciplinary field situated at the crossroads of comics and healthcare, operates as a medium through which the intricate nature of experiences with illness can be articulated, challenging orthodox medical dogmatism in an engaging and accessible way. Combining the affordances of comics and the narrative power of storytelling, graphic medicine elucidates the socio-cultural stigmatization of dementia influenced by a multitude of discourses. Diverging from existing discourses that depict individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) as zombies, brain-dead, or empty shells, graphic memoirs reconstruct these reductive notions and represent them as imaginative, productive, and perceptive. Taking these cues, the present paper close reads some sections of Dana Walrath's (2016) Aliceheimer's: Alzheimer's Through the Looking Glass in order to demonstrate how graphic medicine reconceptualizes the preeminent hallucinatory experiences of her AD-afflicted mother, Alice, as visions. Walrath deploys collage art to epitomize Alice's ordeal with AD. In particular, Walrath deploys thought-provoking fragments from Lewis Caroll's Alice in Wonderland, strategically to proximate Alice's experiences with AD and tackle the problem of dementia and sociality. Additionally, the paper explores how the text fosters interdependence, respect, and trust to recognize and restore Alice's personhood. The paper concludes by discussing how Aliceheimer's operates as an alternative paradigm beyond the confines of biomedical and cultural models of dementia through the use of lexical puissance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cryptography secures data and serves to ensure the confidentiality of records. Playfair is a cryptographic symmetrical algorithm that encrypts statistics based on key costs. This secret is shared with an authorized person to retrieve data. In the conventional pattern, there is an area complexity and deficiency in letters, numbers, and special characters. This hassle has been overcome in previous studies by editing pattern dimensions. The fillers used throughout the enciphering were not eliminated during the retrieval process, which resulted in the indiscrimination of the retrieved statistics. The proposed method uses a separate quadrate pattern that strengthens the Playfair cipher and guarantees that the fillers are eliminated to ensure the authentic retrieval of records. The fillers indiscriminate and strengthen the set of rules in opposition to brute force and avalanche impact. The proposed algorithm was evaluated with a minimal change in the key, and was found to have an avalanche effect between 65% and 93.7%. The encrypted document is further encoded using the Lempel–Ziv–Markov chain algorithm (LZMA) to provide compressed second-level secured text with a compression ratio of 0.75 for a file size of 100 KB. The pattern was designed to subsidize the integrated characters found on the keyboard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the connections between human activities and the natural environment depends heavily on information about land use and land cover (LULC) in the form of accurate LULC maps. Environmental monitoring using deep learning (DL) is rapidly growing to preserve a sustainable environment in the long term. For establishing effective policies, regulations, and implementation, DL can be a valuable tool for assessing environmental conditions and natural resources that will positively impact the ecosystem. This paper presents the assessment of land use and land cover change detection (LULCCD) and prediction using DL techniques for the southwestern coastal region, Goa, also known as the tourist destination of India. It consists of three components: (i) change detection (CD), (ii) quantification of LULC changes, and (iii) prediction. A new CD assessment framework, Spatio-Temporal Encoder-Decoder Self Attention Network (STEDSAN), is proposed for the LULCCD process. A dual branch encoder-decoder network is constructed using strided convolution with downsampling for the encoder and transpose convolution with upsampling for the decoder to assess the bitemporal images spatially. The self-attention (SA) mechanism captures the complex global spatial-temporal (ST) interactions between individual pixels over space-time to produce more distinct features. Each branch accepts the LULC map of 2 years as one of its inputs to determine binary and multiclass changes among the bitemporal images. The STEDSAN model determines the patterns, trends, and conversion from one LULC type to another for the assessment period from 2005 to 2018. The binary change maps were also compared with the existing state of the art (SOTA) CD methods, with STEDSAN having an overall accuracy of 94.93%. The prediction was made using an recurrent neural network (RNN) known as long short term memory network (LSTM) for the year 2025. Experiments were conducted to determine area-wise changes in several LULC classes, such as built-up (BU), crops (kharif crop (KC), rabi crop (RC), zaid crop (ZC), double/triple (D/T C)), current fallow (CF), plantation (PL), forests (evergreen forest (EF), deciduous forest (DF), degraded/scurb forest (D/SF)), littoral swamp (LS), grassland (GL), wasteland (WL), waterbodies max (Wmx), and waterbodies min (Wmn). As per the analysis, over the period of 13 years, there has been a net increase in the amount of BU (1.25%), RC (1.17%), and D/TC(2.42%) and a net decrease in DF (3.29%) and WL(1.44%) being the most dominant classes being changed. These findings will offer a thorough description of identifying trends in coastal areas that may incorporate methodological hints for future studies. This study will also promote handling the spatial and temporal complexity of remotely sensed data employed in categorizing the coastal LULC of a heterogeneous landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]