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This paper emphasizes the integration of wind and photovoltaic (PV) generation with battery energy storage systems (BESS) in distribution networks (DNs) to enhance grid sustainability, reliability, and flexibility. A novel multi‐objective optimization framework is introduced in this study to minimize energy supply costs, emissions, and energy losses while improving voltage deviation (VD) and voltage stability index (VSI). The proposed framework comprising normal boundary intersection (NBI) and decomposition‐based evolutionary algorithms (DBEA) determines the optimal siting and sizing of renewable‐based distributed resources, considering load demand variations and the intermittency of wind and solar outputs. The comparative analysis establishes that the proposed strategy performs better than many contemporary algorithms, specifically when all the objective functions are optimized simultaneously. The validation of the proposed framework was carried out on the standard IEEE‐33 bus test network, which demonstrates significant percentage savings in energy supply costs (49.6%), emission rate (62.2%), and energy loss (92.3%), along with enormous improvements in VSI (91.9%) and VD (99.8953%). The obtained results categorically underline the efficiency, reliability, and robustness of the proposed approach when employed on any complex distribution network comprising multiple renewable energy sources and battery storage systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is causing drastic reduction in crop yields around the globe due to increase in soil salinity, drought and heat stress. Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd) is regarded as a very significant food security crop considering the climate change scenario. Two quinoa genotypes (Puno and Titicaca) were cultivated on salt affected soil under drought stress with different sowing dates. Compared with early sowing, late sowing combined with salinity and drought stress caused drastic decline in plant growth and grain yield due to imposition of heat stress. Plant biomass and grain yield decreased by 26% and 39% in Puno, and by 34% and 49% in Titicaca under late sowing accompanied by salt and drought stress. Relative water contents and stomatal conductance of leaves declined in the same trend in both genotypes. Shoot Na+ concentration was the highest whereas K+ concentration was the lowest in both genotypes when drought and salt stress were combined under late sowing. Grain minerals (Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu, K, P, N and Mn) and dietary contents (protein, lipids, carbohydrates and fibre) were decreased more under the combination of salinity and drought for late sowing as compared to early sowing. When salinity and drought stress were combined under late sowing, the contents of H2O2 and TBARS were 1.9 and 2.2‐fold higher in Puno and 2.4 and 2.6‐fold higher in Titicaca, respectively. The oxidative stress was mitigated by enhanced activities of antioxidant enzymes (CAT, SOD and POD) more in Puno than Titicaca. Plant biomass and grain yield were higher in Puno with better grain quality than Titicaca. Hence, this genotype should be cultivated on salt affected soils facing drought and high temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have used density functional theory simulations to explore the topological characteristics of a new MXene‐like material, V4C3, and its oxide counterpart, assessing their potential as anode materials for Mg‐ion batteries. Our research reveals that V4C3 monolayer is a topological type‐II nodal line semimetal, protected by time reversal and spatial inversion symmetries. This type‐II nodal line is marked by unique drumhead‐like edge states that appear either inside or outside the loop circle, contingent upon the edge ending. Intriguingly, even with an increase in metallicity due to oxygen functionalization, the topological features of V4C3 remain intact. Consequently, the monolayer V4C3 has a topologically enhanced electrical conductivity that amplifies further upon oxygen functionalization. During the charging phase, a remarkable storage concentration led to a peak specific capacity of 894.73 mAh g−1 for V4C3, which only decreases to 789.33 mAh g−1 for V4C3O2. When compared to V2C, V4C3 displays a significantly lower specific capacity loss due to functionalization, demonstrating its superior electrochemical properties. Additionally, V4C3 and V4C3O2 exhibit moderate average open‐circuit voltages (0.54 V for V4C3 and 0.58 V for V4C3O2) and energy barriers for intercalation migration (ranging between 0.29–0.63 eV), which are desirable for anode materials. Thus, our simulation results support V4C3 potential as an efficient anode material for Mg‐ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current paper studied the dynamics of shear‐free and spherically symmetric collapsing stars by incorporating the features of anisotropic dissipative fluid in the realm of f(R)$f(R)$ gravity. A complete radiative star model that describes the early static configuration obeying the embedding class 1 approach is generated. To acquittance the exact solutions of the geometric variables, a specific form of pressure anisotropy along with a time‐dependent Karmarkar condition is employed, leading to a spacetime solution that seems to be potentially reliable and regular throughout the collapse process. The matching conditions have been thoroughly investigated between the interior geometry and the Vaidya outgoing solution over the junction interface. The physical attributes of our solutions to the Einstein field equations under two viable and cosmologically well‐consistent models of f(R)$f(R)$ are manifested. The presented features are in a stable equilibrium state and sustainable to model a dynamic structure of gravitational collapse without forming the black hole. The current paper studied the dynamics of shear‐free and spherically symmetric collapsing stars by incorporating the features of anisotropic dissipative fluid in the realm of f(R) gravity. A complete radiative star model that describes the early static configuration obeying the embedding class 1 approach is generated. To acquittance the exact solutions of the geometric variables, a specific form of pressure anisotropy along with a time‐dependent Karmarkar condition is employed, leading to a spacetime solution that seems to be potentially reliable and regular throughout the collapse process. The matching conditions have been thoroughly investigated between the interior geometry and the Vaidya outgoing solution over the junction interface. The physical attributes of our solutions to the Einstein field equations under two viable and cosmologically well‐consistent models of f(R) are manifested. The presented features are in a stable equilibrium state and sustainable to model a dynamic structure of gravitational collapse without forming the black hole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of robust surface electronic states in topological insulators such as bulk Sr3PbO inverse‐perovskite makes them suitable candidates for spintronic devices and solid‐state quantum computers. Herein, the atomic structure, surface energetics, and electronic properties of Sr3PbO inverse‐perovskite Sr2O (SO)‐terminated and SrPb‐terminated (001) surfaces are examined using density functional theory. A comparison of the computed structural properties of SO‐termianted and SrPb‐terminated (001) surfaces reveals maximum surface rumpling and changes in interlayer distances for the SrPb‐terminated surface of Sr3PbO. However, the calculated surface energies indicate that both SO‐termianted and SrPb‐terminated (001) surfaces of Sr3PbO are energetically feasible, indicating that these surfaces can coexist in a polycrystalline sample of this material. Due to the presence of Pb in Sr3PbO, a comprehensive examination of the electronic structure of bulk and supercell slab structures of Sr3PbO by taking spin–orbit coupling effects into consideration is conducted. Noninsulating nature of electronic structure for the two possible (001) terminations of Sr3PbO is found. The domination of Pb‐6p states at the Fermi energy and the hole screening observed at the SrPb‐terminated surface of Sr3PbO support the p‐type nature observed in the experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The investigation of thin accretion disc surrounding the Einstein‐ Euler‐ Heisenberg‐ Anti‐ de Sitter black hole is demonstrated. Additionally, the black hole event horizons and compute their effective potential and equations of motion is analyzed. The specific energy, specific angular momentum, and specific angular velocity of the particles that move in circular orbits above the thin accretion disk are obtained. Also, the effects of parameters of the Einstein‐ Euler‐ Heisenberg‐ Anti De sitter black hole on specific angular velocity, specific heat energy, and specific angular momentum, have been discussed in detail. The positions of the innermost stable circular orbits and illustrate the effective potential are displayed. Furthermore, the circular orbits of black hole are obtained numerically and locates the position of the innermost stable circular orbit and event horizon. Also, the Gamma ray burst emitted from the Einstein Euler Heisenberg Anti de sitter black hole is studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was designed to assess the geostatistical spatial distribution of anemia and determinant factors among the women of reproductive age group (RAG) in Gilgit district, Pakistan. The Hb levels for 15–25 RAG, 26–35 RAG, and 36–45 group showed 10.22 g/dL, 10.41 g/dL, and 9.90 g/dL levels, respectively, while the Hb level showed a nugget/sill ratio of 0.21 inferring strong for the 15–25 group, weak for the 26–36, and moderate for 36–45 spatial dependence. Furthermore, 15–25 RAG showed 8% severe and 33.34% sufficient cases and 26–35 showed 12% severe and 29.33% sufficient results in their Hb level, whereas 36–45 had 9.34% severe and 29.33% sufficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is anticipated that sixth‐generation (6G) systems would present new security challenges while offering improved features and new directions for security in vehicular communication, which may result in the emergence of a new breed of adaptive and context‐aware security protocol. Physical layer security solutions can compete for low‐complexity, low‐delay, low‐footprint, adaptable, extensible, and context‐aware security schemes by leveraging the physical layer and introducing security controls. A novel physical layer security scheme that employs the concept of radio frequency fingerprinting (RF‐FP) for location estimation is proposed, wherein the RF‐FP values are collected at different points with in the cell. Then, based on the estimated location, the nearest possible road‐side unit for sending the information signal is located. After this, the effects on secrecy capacity (SC) and secrecy outage probability (SOP) in the presence of multiple eavesdropper per unit time are analysed. It has been shown via simulations that the proposed RF‐FP scheme increases SC by up to 25% for the same signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) values as those of the benchmarks, while the SOP tends to decrease by up to 30% as compared to the benchmark scheme for the same SNR value. Thus, the proposed RF‐FP‐based location estimation provides much better results as compared to the existing physical layer security schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An Optimal power flow (OPF) is non‐linear and constrained multi‐objective problem. OPF problems are expensive and evolutionary algorithms (EAs) are computationally complex to obtain uniformly distributed and global Pareto front (PF). Therefore, here, hybrid two‐phase algorithm integrated with parameter less constraint technique is applied to solve OPF problem. Proposed technique combines single and multi‐objective EAs to find better convergence and evenly distributed PF. For the validation and effectiveness of proposed algorithm, various conflicting objective functions are formulated and implemented on IEEE 30 and 300‐bus network. Each case is independently run twenty times. Hyper volume indicator technique is employed to find the best PF, and the best‐compromised solution is obtained by using fuzzy decision‐making technique. Recently, maximum integration of wind and solar power is highly encouraged. Complexity of OPF is increased with the integration of uncertain renewable energy resources. Hence, 30‐bus test system is modified by replacing some conventional generators with the wind and solar generation. Uncertainties in wind, solar and load demand are modelled by appropriate probability distribution functions. Simulation results show that the proposed method can find the near global PF of highly complex problems subject to satisfying all the operational constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modulation of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a novel putative target for therapeutic intervention in depressive disorders. Altering concentrations of one of the principal endocannabinoids, N-arachidonoylethanolamine, also known as anandamide (AEA) can affect depressive-like behaviors through several mechanisms including anti-inflammatory, hormonal, and neural circuit alterations. Recently, isoflavonoids, a class of plant-derived compounds, have been of therapeutic interest given their ability to modulate the metabolism of the endogenous ligands of the ECS. To determine the therapeutic potential of isoflavonoids, we screened several candidate compounds (Genistein, Biochanin- A, and 7-hydroxyflavone) in silico to determine their binding properties with fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), the primary degrative enzyme for AEA. We further validated the ability of these compounds to inhibit FAAH and determined their effects on depressive-like and locomotor behaviors in the forced swim test (FST) and open field test in male and female mice. We found that while genistein was the most potent FAAH inhibitor, 7-hydroxyflavone was most effective at reducing immobility time in the forced swim test. Finally, we measured blood corticosterone and prefrontal cortex AEA concentrations following the forced swim test and found that all tested compounds decreased corticosterone and increased AEA, demonstrating that isoflavonoids are promising therapeutic targets as FAAH inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inorganic perovskite‐based memory devices have attracted tremendous attention due to their higher level of stability, more feasible synthesis conditions and better performance, as compared to organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite‐based devices. However, better film morphology is an essential issue for the performance of these devices. Here, the all‐inorganic halide perovskite cesium lead bromide (CsPbBr3) films are successfully fabricated via a unique solution processable deposition method at ambient conditions. These films possess satisfactory surface morphology with high crystallinity. These are utilized for reproducible resistive switching layers in the gold/CsPbBr3/indium tin oxide/Glass memory applications. A series of resistive switching layers (i.e., CsPbBr3) with varied thicknesses in the range of 200–500 nm are precisely tailored. The resistive switching responses and retention properties of CsPbBr3 based‐memory devices exhibit long‐term retention (exceeding 10000 s), high on/off ratio (up to 10000), low power consumption (set voltage at 0.25V), and good reproducibility. A model for the formation of filaments in the CsPbBr3 layer is proposed to describe the resistive switching mechanism. Furthermore, the devices exhibit excellent transient behavior, which is beneficial for the security of data storage. These characteristics reveal that cesium lead halide based memristor is promising to be utilized as the next‐generation smart memory device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2D layered germanium selenide (GeSe) material possesses in‐plane anisotropy because of low‐symmetry crystal structure with a new degree of freedom for enhanced optical and electronic properties. However, their systematic vibrational and electronics properties are still under the scope to study. Herein, the vibrational properties of GeSe sheets are studied by Raman spectroscopy. Whereas, the temperature‐dependent electronic band structure is studied using angle‐resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) combined with density functional theory calculations. Moreover, the field‐effect transistor (FET) is fabricated on a few‐layer GeSe with high performance. The vibrational modes B3g1 and Ag1 demonstrates linear softening as the temperature increases, with temperature coefficient value associated by anharmonic phonon–phonon/electron coupling. Besides, the enhanced dielectric screening effect of long‐range Coulomb and interlayer interaction is observed from bulk to monolayer. Similarly, ARPES results further show Fermi level movement toward the valance band as increased temperature represents hole doping to pining the Fermi level, which indicates superior carrier concentration for electronic properties. The fabricated FET device on six layers GeSe exhibits high carrier mobility of 52.89 cm2 V−1 s−1 with an on/off ratio above 4 × 105 at room temperature, while it decreased below the room temperature. Our results provide the important figure of merit for GeSe‐based novel nanoelectronic and thermoelectric devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SnSe as a van der Waals (vdW) layered material has an extremely low light‐dark current ratio and renders its application in high‐performance optoelectronics. Herein, a SnSe/InSe vertical‐vdW heterojunction with built‐in electrical field favorable for suppressing the dark current is achieved. The SnSe/InSe heterojunction behaves as a self‐driven photodetector with a typical rectification behavior, photovoltaic effect, and broadband detection ranging from visible to near infrared light (405–808 nm). Moreover, the SnSe/InSe photodetector at near infrared 808 nm still exhibits excellent and balanced photoresponse performance with R of 350 mA W−1, external quantum efficiency of 48% and detectivity of 5.8 × 1010 Jones, respectively. The results pave the way for the applications of the novel SnSe/InSe vdW heterostructures in broadband photodetectors and photovoltaic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past decade, flexible electronics have attracted significant research attention due to their distinct features and emerging applications in numerous fields such as, flexible displays, implantable sensors, and energy storage systems, among other applications. Due to the development of flexible electronics, this paper details the substrates employed to produce flexible electronic devices, given that substrates generally govern the overall device properties. The increase in research attention can be attributed to the use of films as flexible substrates, which enable the implementation of numerous design strategies and engineering methodologies, thus leading to extensive advances in the manufacturing quality and prospect of flexible electronics in various applications. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the significance of substrates in flexible wearable electronics over the past decade, such as, the substrate properties requirements, processing classification, important flexible devices, and applications, including sensing, energy storage, and other electronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organometal halide perovskites (CH3NH3PbI3−xClx) have received considerable attention in the field of optoelectronics due to their strong light absorption and long carrier lifetime. However, the performance such as response speed, responsivity, and stability of such detectors still need to be improved. In this paper, a flexible photodetector (PD) composed of multilayered structure of graphene–poly[bis(4‐phenyl)(2,4,6‐trimethylphenyl)amine] (PTAA)–perovskite‐poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is proposed. The PD can detect a wide wavelength range from ultraviolet to near infrared. The PD shows a high detectivity of ≈1013 Jones and a responsivity of 105 A W−1 at 360 nm. More importantly, the device also shows a high bending durability, fast response time, and good stability in air due to the protection of the PMMA layer. The facile and low‐cost fabrication of the flexible perovskite‐based hybrid photodetector indicates the mass production for the potential application in sensitive broadband photodetection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil salinization is a serious environmental problem worldwide. To explore the comparative effects of soil salinity and sodicity on physiological, biochemical and nutritional quality attributes of four quinoa genotypes (A1, A7, Puno, Vikinga), pot and field experiments were performed on non‐saline soil and two types of salt‐affected soils designated as SS1 (saline) and SS2 (saline‐sodic). The results of both the experiments showed similar reduction pattern in biomass (11%–44%), chlorophyll content (10%–36%), stomatal conductance (18%–32%) and grain yield (30%–47%) of four genotypes on SS2 compared with SS1. Higher sodicity level of SS2 resulted in more Na accumulation (23%–40%) and oxidative damage (12%–35% decrease in membrane stability) leading to an increase in the activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, POD, CAT) in all the genotypes. Grain mineral contents (except Na and Mg) were decreased more in SS2 than SS1. Multivariate analysis revealed that grain Na content has negative correlation with all the nutritional quality attributes except Mg and fibre contents. Genotypes A1 and A7 were more salt tolerant with better grain nutritional quality than Puno and Vikinga. It is concluded that soil sodicity is more detrimental than salinity, and quinoa genotypes A1 and A7 are better than Puno and Vikinga for cultivation on saline and saline‐sodic soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urea is added as an adulterant to give milk whiteness and increase its consistency for improving the solid not fat percentage, but the excessive amount of urea in milk causes overburden and kidney damages. Here, an innovative sensitive methodology based on near‐infrared spectroscopy coupled with multivariate analysis has been proposed for the robust detection and quantification of urea adulteration in fresh milk samples. In this study, 162 fresh milk samples were used, those consisting 20 nonadulterated samples (without urea) and 142 with urea adulterant. Eight different percentage levels of urea adulterant, that is, 0.10%, 0.30%, 0.50%, 0.70%, 0.90%, 1.10%, 1.30%, and 1.70%, were prepared, each of them prepared in triplicates. A Frontier NIR spectrophotometer (BSEN60825‐1:2007) by Perkin Elmer was used for scanning the absorption of each sample in the wavenumber range of 10,000–4,000 cm‐1, using 0.2 mm path length CaF2 sealed cell at resolution of 2 cm‐1. Principal components analysis (PCA), partial least‐squares discriminant analysis (PLS‐DA), and partial least‐squares regressions (PLSR) methods were applied for the multivariate analysis of the NIR spectral data collected. PCA was used to reduce the dimensionality of the spectral data and to explore the similarities and differences among the fresh milk samples and the adulterated ones. PLS‐DA also showed the discrimination between the nonadulterated and adulterated milk samples. The R‐square and root mean square error (RMSE) values obtained for the PLS‐DA model were 0.9680 and 0.08%, respectively. Furthermore, PLSR model was also built using the training set of NIR spectral data to make a regression model. For this PLSR model, leave‐one‐out cross‐validation procedure was used as an internal cross‐validation criteria and the R‐square and the root mean square error (RMSE) values for the PLSR model were found as 0.9800 and 0.56%, respectively. The PLSR model was then externally validated using a test set. The root means square error of prediction (RMSEP) obtained was 0.48%. The present proposed study was intended to contribute toward the development of a robust, sensitive, and reproducible method to detect and determine the urea adulterant concentration in fresh milk samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Cloud computing is considered the latest emerging computing paradigm and has brought revolutionary changes in computing technology. With the advancement in this field, the number of cloud users and service providers is increasing continuously with more diversified services. Consequently, the selection of appropriate cloud service has become a difficult task for a new cloud customer. In case of inappropriate selection of a cloud services, a cloud customer may face the vendor locked‐in issue and data portability and interoperability problems. These are the major obstacles in the adoption of cloud services. To avoid these complexities, a cloud customer needs to select an appropriate cloud service at the initial stage of the migration to the cloud. Many researches have been proposed to overcome the issues, but problems still exist in intercommunication standards among clouds and vendor locked‐in issues. This research proposed an IEEE multiagent Foundation for Intelligent Physical Agent (FIPA) compliance multiagent reference architecture for cloud discovery and selection using cloud ontology. The proposed approach will mitigate the prevailing vendor locked‐in issue and also alleviate the portability and interoperability problems in cloud computing. To evaluate the proposed reference architecture and compare it with the state‐of‐the‐art approaches, several experiments have been performed by utilizing the commonly used performance measures. Analysis indicates that the proposed approach enables significant improvements in cloud service discovery and selection in terms of search efficiency, execution, and response time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past decade has witnessed the occurrence of novel 2D moiré patterns in nanoflatland materials. These visually beautiful moiré superlattices have become a playground on which exotic quantum phenomena can be observed. The state‐of‐the‐art experimental techniques that have been developed for crafting moiré superlattices of flatland materials are reviewed. Graphene and its heterostructure with boron nitride have now sparked new interlayer twists as a new degree of freedom for tuning several angle‐dependent physical properties, e.g., the appearance of van Hove singularities, tunable Mott insulator states, and the Hofstadter butterfly pattern. Moreover, the interplay of correlated insulating states and superconductivity is recently observed for a so‐called magic‐angle twisted bilayer graphene. Furthermore, beyond graphene, other 2D materials, such as silicene, phosphorene, and the recent black phosphorus /MoS2 heterojunctions, which are 2D allotropes of bismuth and antimony grown on highly ordered pyrolytic graphite and MoS2, are considered. Finally, the optically important exciton phenomenon, which depends on the moiré potential and has been observed for a moiré superlattice of transition metal dichalcogenides, is discussed. This overview aims to cover all the fascinating prospects that depend on the moiré superlattice, ranging from electronic structure to optical exotics among flatland materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In heterogeneous wireless networks, signal‐to‐interference‐plus‐noise ratio (SINR) suffers degradation due to strong interference received by users from offloaded macro base station (mBS). Similarly, cell‐edge users experience low SINR due to their distant locations. Moreover, small base stations (sBSs) located in the vicinity of mBS experience reduced coverage due to the high transmit power of mBS. To overcome these limitations, we use Stienen's model as a base station deployment strategy to improve network performance gain. More specifically, we use reverse frequency allocation (RFA) as an interference management scheme together with Stienen's model to significantly improve SINR, enhance edge user coverage, and avoid sBS deployment near the mBS. In the proposed set‐up, the available coverage region is divided into two noncontiguous regions, ie, center region and outer region. Furthermore, mBSs are uniformly distributed throughout the coverage region using independent Poisson point processes, while sBSs are deployed only in outer region using Poisson hole process (PHP). Closed‐form expressions for coverage probabilities are characterized for the proposed model. Numerical results show that the proposed scheme yields improved SINR with enhanced edge user coverage and requires fewer number of sBSs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterogeneous cellular networks (HCNets) are one of the key enabling technologies to improve performance gain of future cellular networks. Stochastic geometry is considered a promising tool to model and analyze HCNets. Users and base stations (BSs) are generally distributed uniformly using a homogeneous Poisson point process (HPPP). The assumption of uniformly distributed users is not suitable in HCNets because of the existence of clustered users in hotspots. To consider the correlation between the users and BSs, deployment of small base stations in these areas are of great concern to increase the performance of HCNets. In this article, we assume the notion of mixed user distribution, wherein the network users are the superposition of clustered and uniform users, modeled through HPPP and Poisson cluster process, respectively. We evaluate outage probability and rate coverage of the proposed HCNet model. We compare the network performance of the proposed mixed user distribution model with the conventional uniformly distributed user model. The analytical results are validated using Monte‐Carlo simulations. Our results show that the proposed HCNet model of mixed user distribution outperforms the uniformly distributed user model in terms of outage probability and rate coverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant tolerance against a combination of abiotic stresses is a complex phenomenon, which involves various mechanisms. Physiological and biochemical analyses of salinity (NaCl) and nickel (Ni) tolerance in two contrasting tomato genotypes were performed in a hydroponics experiment. The tomato genotypes selected were proved to be tolerant (Naqeeb) and sensitive (Nadir) to both salinity and Ni stress in our previous experiment. The tomato genotypes were exposed to combinations of NaCl (0, 75 and 150 mM) and Ni (0, 15, and 20 mg l−1) for 28 days. The results revealed that the tolerant and sensitive tomato genotypes showed similar response to NaCl and Ni stress; however, the level of response was significantly different in both genotypes. The tolerant tomato genotype showed less reduction in growth than the sensitive genotype against both NaCl and Ni stress. Root and shoot ionic analysis showed a decrease in Na and increase in K concentration by increasing Ni levels in the growth medium. Moreover, accumulation of Na and Ni in tissues showed a decrease in membrane stability index and an increase in malondialdehyde contents. The activity of superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase and glutathione reductase under NaCl and Ni stress was significantly higher in the tolerant compared to the sensitive genotype. Enhanced activity of many antioxidant enzymes in Naqeeb under stress conditions is among the other mechanisms that enabled the genotype to better detoxify reactive oxygen species and therefore Naqeeb tolerated the stresses better than Nadir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cooperative behaviour of end‐systems in efficiently and fairly utilizing the scarce bandwidth is of paramount significance in the best effort Internet. Not only does the uncooperative behaviour result in unfairness, but it may also induce congestion collapse. How to urge end‐systems to share the bandwidth cooperatively is a problem that depends, in essence, on incentives. This study presents a novel fairness‐driven active queue management (AQM)‐based incentive scheme to detect and take punitive action against any uncooperative behaviour. Different from all other fairness‐driven AQM schemes, the proposed scheme offers a dual‐mode control function that can adaptively switch between stateless and partial‐state modes in order to be scalable. The control function remains stateless at low to moderate congestion levels and maintains a partial‐state when congestion becomes severe. In the stateless mode, the identification and restriction of unresponsive flows are based on a matched‐drop mechanism having a dynamic drawing factor to differentially drop packets from unresponsive flows. In the partial‐state mode, a fair‐share is estimated and flows whose arrival rates exceed the fair‐share bandwidth get their rates limited to the fair rate. Simulation results demonstrate the reasonable performance improvement of the proposed scheme over well‐known fairness‐driven AQM schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The aim of the present work was to develop pectin raft-forming tablets for controlled-release delivery of pantoprazole sodium sesquihydrate (PSS). A Box-Behnken design was used to optimize 15 formulations with three independent and three dependent variables. The physical tests of all compressed formulations were within pharmacopoeial limits. The rafts were characterized by their strength, thickness, resilience, reflux resistance, acid-neutralizing capacity, floating lag time, and total floating time. The raft strength, thickness, resilience, and reflux resistance through a 10-mm orifice of optimized formulation PR9 were 7.43 ± 0.019 g, 5.8 ± 0.245 cm, greater than 480 min, and 2490 ± 0.004 g, respectively. The buffering and neutralizing capacity was 11.2 ± 1.01 meq and 6.5 ± 0.56 meq, respectively. Dissolution studies were performed by using simulated gastric fluid at pH 1.2, and the cumulative percentage release of PR9 was found to be 97%. First-order release kinetics were followed, and non-Fickian diffusion was observed as the value of n was greater than 0.45 in the Korsmeyer-Peppas model. The Fourier transform infrared spectra of the PSS, polymers, and optimized raft formulation PR9 showed peaks at 3223.09 cm−1, 1688.17 cm−1, 1586.67 cm−1, 1302.64 cm−1, and 1027.74 cm−1 that are due to OH stretching, ester carbonyl group (CO) stretching, the existence of water and carboxylic groups in the raft, CN stretching, and OH bending vibrations and showed no interaction between them. The developed raft was suitable for sustained-release delivery of PSS. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 44442. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Core Ideas: Genotype × environment interaction among 11 genotypes was highly significant over three different locations.Genotype NL 96475A was most stable for all environments.Genotype NL 96680 was suitable for low‐performing environments. The assessment and measurement of yield stability of a genotype over environments is an important component of a certain breeding program. Ten elite genotypes of lentil (Lens culinaris Medik) and one check variety were evaluated for their adaptability at three different locations of Punjab Province, viz—Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology (NIAB), Faisalabad; Barani Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Chakwal; and Arid Zone Research Institute (AZRI), Bhakar. Trials were conducted during two consecutive years (2013–2014). Genotype × environment interactions (of crossover nature) among 11 genotypes and 3 environments were observed to be highly significant. Mean seed yield was found maximum for NL 56‐1 (718 kg ha−1) followed by NL 96475A (709 kg ha−1) during 2013. However, NL 96475A had shown stable performance at different locations and was better responsive to favorable conditions having high regression coefficients. NL 96680 also appeared to be a stable genotype for low‐performing environments, as it had a regression coefficient less than unity. In the year 2014, the same genotypes, NL 96475A and NL 96680, had shown stable performance. NL 96475A was found suitable for all environments, and NL 96680 was suited to a low‐performing environment. On the basis of these observations, it has been concluded that NL 96475A was the most stable genotype with mean yield greater than the grand mean, nonsignificant estimates of unit regression coefficient, and deviation from regression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new C-glucosyl chromones named aloeverasides A ( 1) and B ( 2) were isolated from the resin of Commiphora gileadensis (L.) C. Chr. The structures of the two new natural products were elucidated based on 1D- (1H- and 13C-NMR) and 2D-NMR (COSY, HSQC, and HMBC) spectroscopic techniques and mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Aloeverasides A ( 1) and B ( 2) were evaluated for their anticancer activity, and both induced a 76.4 and 70.5% growth inhibition of the breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB-231) at a concentration of 100 μ m. Both compounds were also evaluated for their 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl antioxidant, urease enzyme, and α-glucosidase enzyme inhibition activities. Aloeverasides A ( 1) and B ( 2) displayed good urease enzyme inhibition activities (62 and 55%, resp.), as well as antioxidant activity in which aloeveraside A ( 1) had a value of 60% inhibition, while aloeveraside B ( 2) demonstrated a more potent antioxidant activity with 80% inhibition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One new diacylglycoside named lyciumaside ( 1) and a new sesquiterpene lactone named lyciumate ( 2) were isolated from Lycium shawii Roem. & Schult. The structures of the two new compounds were elucidated based on 1D- (1H- and 13C- NMR and NOE) and 2D- NMR ( COSY, HSQC, and HMBC) spectroscopic techniques, and mass spectrometry ( ESI-MS). Preliminary evaluations demonstrated lyciumaside ( 1) possesses strong antioxidant activity with an IC50 = 30 μg/ml (80% inhibition) while it was inactive in α-glucosidase and urease enzymes assays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT In this study, interpenetrated acrylic acid (AA)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels were prepared by free-radical polymerization with N,N-methylene bisacrylamide (MBAAm) as a crosslinker. The basic structural parameters, such as the molecular weight between crosslinks, volume interaction parameter, number of crosslinks, Flory-Huggins solvent interaction parameter, and diffusion coefficient, were calculated. Cetirizine dihydrochloride was loaded as a model drug in selected samples. The prepared hydrogels were evaluated for swelling, sol-gel fraction, and porosity. The swelling of the AA/PVA hydrogels was found to be directly proportional to the pH, that is, 1.2-7.5, depending on composition. The percentage of cetirizine hydrochloride was found to be directly proportional to the buffer pH and was at its maximum at pH 7.5, that is, 90-95%, and its lowest at pH 1.2, that is, 20-30%. The gel fraction increased with increasing concentration of AA and MBAAm, whereas the porosity showed the same response with AA, but an inverse relationship was observed with MBAAm. The drug-release data were fitted into various kinetics models, including the zero-order, first-order, Higuchi, and Peppas models, which showed non-Fickian diffusion. The prepared hydrogels were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy, and no interaction was found among the polymer ratio and the drug. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43407. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Hormesis, a biphasic dose-response phenomenon, which is characterized by stimulation of an end point at a low-dose and inhibition at a high-dose. In the present study we used human lungs fibroblast (HELF) cells as a test model to evaluate the role of oxidative stress (OS) in hormetic effects of non coplanar PCB 101. Results from 3-(4,5-dime-thylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazo-lium bromide (MTT) assay indicated that PCB101 at lower concentrations (10−5 to 10−1 μg mL−1) stimulated HELF cell proliferation and inhibited at high concentrations (1, 5, 10, and 20 μg mL−1) in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) (except 48 h) showed a significant increase at higher concentrations of PCB 101 than those at the lower concentrations with the passage of time. Antioxidant enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) exhibited decreasing trends in dose and time dependent manner. Lipid peroxidation assay resulted in a significant increase ( P < 0.05) of MDA level in PCB 101-treated HELF cells compared with controls, suggesting that OS plays a key role in PCB 101-induced toxicity. Comet assay indicated a significant increase in genotoxicity at higher concentrations of PCB 101 exposure compared to lower concentrations. Overall, we found that HELF cell proliferation was higher at low ROS level and vice versa, which revealed activation of cell signaling-mediated hormetic mechanisms. The results suggested that PCB 101 has hormetic effects to HELF cells and these were associated with oxidative stress. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 30: 1385-1392, 2015. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Repeated low doses of alcohol have been shown to progressively enhance locomotor activity in mice, and this phenomenon is designated as behavioral sensitization. Thymoquinone, a major active component of Nigella sativa oil has been investigated in a number of studies for its neuroprotective effects against a variety of ailments. This study was conducted to explore the therapeutic potential of thymoquinone on the acquisition and expression of alcohol-induced behavioral sensitization. Mice treated with alcohol (2.2 g/kg/day) or saline for 13 days and subsequently challenged with an acute alcohol dose (2.2 g/kg) 5 days later were orally administered acute doses of thymoquinone (10, 20 and 30 mg/kg). Thymoquinone subacute treatment with all doses throughout alcohol exposure significantly inhibited both the development and expression phases of alcohol behavioral sensitization in a dose-dependent manner. However, acute treatment with thymoquinone (30 mg/kg) only reversed the expression phase of sensitization. These findings are explained in terms of the known GABA promoting action of thymoquinone in relation to the motive circuit within the limbic component of the basal ganglia. It is concluded that thymoquinone may be a potential therapeutic option for the treatment and prevention of alcohol induced behavioral sensitization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salinity adversely affects plant growth, photosynthesis, and availability of nutrients including iron. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is susceptible to soil salinity and highly prone to iron (Fe) deficiency due to lower release of Fe-chelating compounds under saline conditions. In order to investigate the effects of salinity and low iron supply on growth, photosynthesis, and ionic composition of five rice genotypes (KS-282, Basmati Pak, Shaheen Basmati, KSK-434 and 99417), a solution culture experiment was conducted with four treatments (control, 50 mM NaCl, Fe-deficient, and 50 mM NaCl + Fe-deficient). Salinity and Fe deficiency reduced shoot and root growth, photosynthetic and transpiration rates, chlorophyll concentration, and stomatal conductance. The reduction in all these parameters was more in the interactive treatment of salinity and low Fe supply. Moreover, a significant increase in shoot and root Na+ with corresponding decrease in K+ and Fe concentrations was also observed in the combined salinity and Fe-deficiency treatment. Among the tested genotypes, Basmati Pak was the most sensitive genotype both under salt stress and Fe deficiency. The genotype KS-282 performed better than other genotypes under salinity stress alone, whereas Shaheen Basmati was the best genotype under Fe deficiency in terms of all the studied parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study was aimed at investigating the potential antidepressant activity of Areca catechu nut ethanol extract and its various fractions using behavioral (acute and sub-chronic forced swim tests) and biochemical (monoamines and their metabolite levels using high performance liquid chromatography) tests. The areca nut ethanol extract and its aqueous fraction exhibited antidepressant activity in both acute and sub-chronic forced swim tests (IC50 ~ 50 and 20 mg/kg, respectively), which was further confirmed by unaltered locomotor (horizontal and vertical) activities of rats in the activity cage. Phytochemical analysis revealed that saponins of areca nut may be the active component in its antidepressant action. The rats treated sub-chronically with areca nut extract displayed toxic effects, whereas its active aqueous fraction was non-toxic, indicating the presence of different constituents for antidepressant and toxic effects. In the hippocampus of rats, the areca nut extract (50 mg/kg) and aqueous fraction (20 mg/kg) caused a significant elevation of serotonin (around 35%) and noradrenaline (around 30%) compared with the control (261 ± 25 and 512 ± 29 ng/g, respectively). In conclusion, the areca nut possesses potential antidepressant effect via the elevation of serotonin and noradrenaline. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacopa monnieri is a perennial herb with a world known image as a nootropic. We investigated the effect of Bacopa monnieri methanolic extract (Mt Ext BM) 10, 20, and 30 mg/kg body weight (b.w) on acquisition and expression of morphine withdrawal induced depression in mice. Locally available Bacopa monnieri (BM) was screened for contents of Bacoside A3, Bacopasaponin C, and Bacopaside II using HPLC with UV. Morphine dependence was induced in mice using twice daily escalating chronic morphine treatments (20-65 mg/kg b.w) for eight consecutive days. Morphine withdrawal induced depression was assayed in animals using forced swimming test (FST), three days after last morphine injection. The HPLC analysis revealed that Mt-ext BM contained Bacoside A3 as major component, i.e. 4 μg in each mg of extract. The chronic treatment with Met Ext BM 10, 20, and 30 mg/kg b.w. dosing significantly inhibited opioid withdrawal induced depression in mice. These findings imply a newer potential role of Bacopa monnieri in the clinical management of opioid withdrawal induced depression which can be attributed to Bacoside A3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mol-ecular structure of the title compound, C(16)H(11)BrN(2)O(4)S, is very similar to that of the previously reported fluoro analogue [al-Rashida et al. (2010 ▶). Acta Cryst. E66, o2707]. The mean planes of the bicyclic chromone system and the benzene ring of the benzothia-diazine derivative make a dihedral angle of 58.23 (8)°. An intra-molecular N-H⋯O hydrogen bond occurs. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked into layers by N-H⋯O and C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, generating an infinite two-dimensional network.

In the title compound, C(16)H(11)FN(2)O(4)S, the mean planes of the bicyclic chromone system and of the benzene ring of the benzothia-diazine derivative make a dihedral angle of 54.28 (5)°. An intra-molecular N-H⋯O hydrogen bond occurs. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked into layers by N-H⋯O and C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, generating an infinite two-dimensional network.

The title compound, C(11)H(13)N(2)O(+)·Cl(-)·2H(2)O, the dihydrate of (+)-vasicinol hydro-chloride, is a pyrrolidinoquinazoline alkaloid. It was isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction of the leaves of Peganum harmala L. The pyrrolidine ring has an envelope conformation with the C atom at position 2 acting as the flap and the C atom at position 3, carrying the hydroxyl substituent, has an S configuration. The absolute configuration was determined as a result of the anomalous scattering of the Cl atom. In the crystal structure, mol-ecules stack along the a axis, connected to one another via inter-molecular O-H⋯Cl and N-H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds, forming approximately triangular-shaped R(2) (1)(7) rings, and O-H⋯Cl and O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming penta-gonal-shaped R(5) (4)(10) rings. The overall effect is a ribbon-like arrangement running parallel to the a axis.