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The global energy market is shifting toward renewable, sustainable, and low-carbon hydrogen energy due to global environmental issues, such as rising carbon dioxide emissions, climate change, and global warming. Currently, a majority of hydrogen demands are achieved by steam methane reforming and other conventional processes, which, again, are very carbon-intensive methods, and the hydrogen produced by them needs to be purified prior to their application. Hence, researchers are continuously endeavoring to develop sustainable and efficient methods for hydrogen generation and purification. Membrane-based gas-separation technologies were proven to be more efficient than conventional technologies. This review explores the transition from conventional separation techniques, such as pressure swing adsorption and cryogenic distillation, to advanced membrane-based technologies with high selectivity and efficiency for hydrogen purification. Major emphasis is placed on various membrane materials and their corresponding membrane performance. First, we discuss various metal membranes, including dense, alloyed, and amorphous metal membranes, which exhibit high hydrogen solubility and selectivity. Further, various inorganic membranes, such as zeolites, silica, and CMSMs, are also discussed. Major emphasis is placed on the development of polymeric materials and membranes for the selective separation of hydrogen from CH4, CO2, and N2. In addition, cutting-edge mixed-matrix membranes are also delineated, which involve the incorporation of inorganic fillers to improve performance. This review provides a comprehensive overview of advancements in gas-separation membranes and membrane materials in terms of hydrogen selectivity, permeability, and durability in practical applications. By analyzing various conventional and advanced technologies, this review provides a comprehensive material perspective on hydrogen separation membranes, thereby endorsing hydrogen energy for a sustainable future.

The global energy market is shifting toward renewable, sustainable, and low-carbon hydrogen energy due to global environmental issues, such as rising carbon dioxide emissions, climate change, and global warming. Currently, a majority of hydrogen demands are achieved by steam methane reforming and other conventional processes, which, again, are very carbon-intensive methods, and the hydrogen produced by them needs to be purified prior to their application. Hence, researchers are continuously endeavoring to develop sustainable and efficient methods for hydrogen generation and purification. Membrane-based gas-separation technologies were proven to be more efficient than conventional technologies. This review explores the transition from conventional separation techniques, such as pressure swing adsorption and cryogenic distillation, to advanced membrane-based technologies with high selectivity and efficiency for hydrogen purification. Major emphasis is placed on various membrane materials and their corresponding membrane performance. First, we discuss various metal membranes, including dense, alloyed, and amorphous metal membranes, which exhibit high hydrogen solubility and selectivity. Further, various inorganic membranes, such as zeolites, silica, and CMSMs, are also discussed. Major emphasis is placed on the development of polymeric materials and membranes for the selective separation of hydrogen from CH4, CO2, and N2. In addition, cutting-edge mixed-matrix membranes are also delineated, which involve the incorporation of inorganic fillers to improve performance. This review provides a comprehensive overview of advancements in gas-separation membranes and membrane materials in terms of hydrogen selectivity, permeability, and durability in practical applications. By analyzing various conventional and advanced technologies, this review provides a comprehensive material perspective on hydrogen separation membranes, thereby endorsing hydrogen energy for a sustainable future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensing and quantification of gas at low concentrations is of paramount importance, especially with highly flammable and explosive gases such as hydrogen. Standard gas sensing setups have a limit of measuring ultra-low concentrations of few parts per billion unless the external gas cylinders are changed to ones with low concentrations. In this work, we describe a home-built resistance based gas sensing setup that can sense across a wide concentration range, from parts per billion to parts per million, accurately. This was achieved using two dilution chambers: a process chamber and a feedback assembly where a part of the output gas from the dilution chamber is fed back to the inlet mass flow controller, enabling enhanced dilutions without increasing the number of mass flow controllers. In addition, the gas-sensing setup can measure across a large temperature range of 77-900 K. The developed setup was then calibrated using palladium thin films and ZnO nanoparticle thin films. The setup was tested for reproducibility, concentration response, temperature response, etc. Corresponding sensitivity values were calculated and found to be in good agreement with published values, validating our setup design., (© 2024 Author(s). Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing.)

Background: Preeclampsia is one of the important causes of maternal and fetal mortality and morbidity. One of the important risk factors for the development of diabetes is insulin resistance (IR)., Aims: To evaluate the association of IR with pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) and its severity., Materials and Methods: Data from 70 pregnant females who had completed 20 weeks of gestation and developed PIH were analyzed and compared with 30 appropriate controls. All females underwent measurement of fasting glucose level, fasting insulin level, and blood pressure., Results: The mean age of the women in the control group was 26.17 years, and in the study group, it was 27.09 years. All females had completed 20 weeks of gestation. Around 86.6% of women in the control group, 54.1% with a variable degree of preeclampsia, and 48.6% of women with eclampsia were at 33-38 weeks of gestation. At the time of sampling, 13.3% of women in the control group, 45.81% of women with preeclampsia, and 51.3% of women with eclampsia were at 26-32 weeks of gestation. The mean IR among the control group was 1.37, in preeclampsia, it was 2.11, and in eclampsia, it was 3.58 with a p -value of 0.000, which is very highly significant. In this study, the severity of the disease was found to be directly proportional to IR., Conclusion: Pregnancy complicated with preeclampsia and eclampsia showed more IR in comparison to pregnant women with normal blood pressure, and this relationship is independent of the age of pregnant women., (© Journal of the Association of Physicians of India 2024.)

Background and Aims: Water exchange (WE) and cap-assisted colonoscopy (CAC) separately reduced pain during insertion in unsedated patients. We hypothesized that compared with WE, WECAC could significantly lower real-time maximum insertion pain (RTMIP)., Methods: Veterans without escort were recruited, randomized, blinded, and examined at three United States Veterans Affairs sites. The primary outcome was RTMIP, highest segmental pain (0 = no pain, 10 = most severe pain) during insertion., Results: Randomization [WECAC (n = 143) and WE (n = 137)] produced even distribution of a racially diverse group of males and females of low socioeconomic status. Intention-to-treat analysis reported results of WECAC (listed first) and WE (listed second): cecal intubation [93%, 94.2%]; mean (SD) of RTMIP [2.9 (2.5), 2.6 (2.4)]; the proportion with no pain (28.7%, 27.7%); the insertion time [18.6 (15.6), 18.8 (15.9) min]; overall ADR (55.2%, 62.8%), all P values were > 0.05. When RTMIP was binarized as "no pain" (0) vs. "some pain" (1-10), or "low pain" (0-7) vs. "high pain" (8-10), different significant predictors (see text) of RTMIP were identified., Conclusions: Unsedated colonoscopy was appropriate for unescorted Veterans. WE alone was sufficient. Adding a cap did not reduce RTMIP. Patient specific factors and application of WE with insertion suction of infused water contributed to high and low RTMIP, respectively. For unesorted patients, selecting those with low anxiety, avoiding low body mass index, history of depression or self-reported poor health and adhering to the steps of WE can minimize RTMIP to ensure success of unsedated colonoscopy., (Copyright © 2024 American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Mosquito surveillance for vector-borne disease management relies on traditional morphological and molecular techniques, which are tedious, time-consuming, and costly. The present study describes a simple and efficient recording device that analyzes mosquito sound to estimate species composition, male-female ratio, fed-unfed status, and harmonic convergence interaction using fundamental frequency (F 0 ) bandwidth, harmonics, amplitude, and combinations of these parameters. The study examined a total of 19 mosquito species, including 3 species of Aedes, 7 species of Anopheles, 1 species of Armigeres, 5 species of Culex, 1 species of Hulecoetomyia, and 2 species of Mansonia. Among them, the F 0 ranges between 269.09 ± 2.96 Hz (Anopheles culiciformis) to 567.51 ± 3.82 Hz (Aedes vittatus) and the harmonic band (hb) number ranges from 5 (An. culiciformis) to 12 (Ae. albopictus). In terms of species identification, the success rate was 95.32 % with F 0 , 84.79 % with F 0 -bandwidth, 84.79 % with harmonic band (hb) diversity, and 49.7 % with amplitude (dB). The species identification rate has gone up to 96.50 % and 97.66 % with the ratio and multiplication of F 0 and hb, respectively. This is because of the matrices that combine multiple sound attributes. Comparatively, combinations of the amplitude of the F 0 and the higher harmonic frequency band were non-significant for species identification (60.82 %). The fed females have shown a considerable increase in F 0 in comparison to the unfed. The males of all the species possessed significantly higher frequencies with respect to the females. Interestingly, the presence of male-female of Ae. vittatus together showed harmonic convergence between the 2nd and 3rd harmonic bands. In conclusion, the sound-based technology is simple, precise, and cost-effective and provides better resolution for species, sex, and fed-unfed status detection in comparison to conventional methods. Real-time surveillance of mosquitoes could potentially utilize this technology., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The low water solubility of pharmacoactive molecules limits their pharmacological potential, but the solubility parameter cannot compromise, and so different approaches are employed to enhance their bioavailability. Pharmaceutically active molecules with low solubility convey a higher risk of failure for drug innovation and development. Pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and several other parameters, such as drug distribution, protein binding and absorption, are majorly affected by their solubility. Among all pharmaceutical dosage forms, oral dosage forms cover more than 50%, and the drug molecule should be water-soluble. For good therapeutic activity by the drug molecule on the target site, solubility and bioavailability are crucial factors. The pharmaceutical industry’s screening programs identified that around 40% of new chemical entities (NCEs) face various difficulties at the formulation and development stages. These pharmaceuticals demonstrate less solubility and bioavailability. Enhancement of the bioavailability and solubility of drugs is a significant challenge in the area of pharmaceutical formulations. According to the Classification of Biopharmaceutics, Class II and IV drugs (APIs) exhibit poor solubility, lower bioavailability, and less dissolution. Various technologies are discussed in this article to improve the solubility of poorly water-soluble drugs, for example, the complexation of active molecules, the utilization of emulsion formation, micelles, microemulsions, cosolvents, polymeric micelle preparation, particle size reduction technologies, pharmaceutical salts, prodrugs, the solid-state alternation technique, soft gel technology, drug nanocrystals, solid dispersion methods, crystal engineering techniques and nanomorph technology. This review mainly describes several other advanced methodologies for solubility and bioavailability enhancement, such as crystal engineering, micronization, solid dispersions, nano sizing, the use of cyclodextrins, solid lipid nanoparticles, colloidal drug delivery systems and drug conjugates, referring to a number of appropriate research reports.

The foraminiferal environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding based on high-throughput sequencing (HTS) is a powerful tool to unravel the hidden genetic diversity and environmental lineages. Results from the eDNA approach provided valuable insight into an unplumbed diversity of soft-bodied monothalamous foraminifers [1]. Micropaleontologists overlooked monothalamids due to their soft organic and/or finely agglutinated test, which often gets destroyed during routine morphological investigations [2]. On the other hand, some foraminifera taxonomists or studies included monothalamids (soft-shelled species) in ecological and diversity investigations ranging from deep-sea locations to coastal marine habitats [1], [3], [4]. Here, we document our metabarcoding analysis of foraminiferal diversity and abundance from the mining-affected estuaries of the Indian state of Goa. High-throughput sequencing using the Illumina platform indicated the overwhelming abundance of monothalamous foraminifers in the studied estuarine sediments. For the first time, such detailed data of the foraminiferal diversity utilizing sedimentary environmental DNA (eDNA) methods was carried out in India. The raw sequence data used for analysis is available in NCBI under the Sequence Read Archive (SRA) with the BioProjects and SRA accession number: PRJNA1040471. The presented data may be used as baseline information for eDNA-based biomonitoring and biodiversity assessment surveys from Indian marine habitats across time and space., (© 2024 The Author(s).)

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers account for one-fourth of the global cancer incidence and are incriminated to cause one-third of cancer-related deaths. GI cancer includes esophageal, gastric, liver, pancreatic, and colorectal cancers, mostly diagnosed at advanced stages due to a lack of accurate markers for early stages. The invasiveness of diagnostic methods like colonoscopy for solid biopsy reduces patient compliance as it cannot be frequently used to screen patients. Therefore, minimally invasive approaches like liquid biopsy may be explored for screening and early identification of gastrointestinal cancers. Liquid biopsy involves the qualitative and quantitative determination of certain cancer-specific biomarkers in body fluids such as blood, serum, saliva, and urine to predict disease progression, therapeutic tolerance, toxicities, and recurrence by evaluating minimal residual disease and its correlation with other clinical features. In this review, we deliberate upon various tumor-specific cellular and molecular entities such as circulating tumor cells (CTCs), tumor-educated platelets (TEPs), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), cell-free DNA (cfDNA), exosomes, and exosome-derived biomolecules and cite recent advances pertaining to their use in predicting disease progression, therapy response, or risk of relapse. We also discuss the technical challenges associated with translating liquid biopsy into clinical settings for various clinical applications in gastrointestinal cancers., Competing Interests: Author ST was employed by Trivitron Healthcare Pvt Ltd. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Mondal, Shinde, Sinha, Dixit, Paul, Gupta, Thakur, Vishvakarma and Shukla.)

The impact of interface defect states on the recombination and transport properties of charges in asymmetric modulation-doped InGaAs/GaAs quantum wells (QWs) is investigated. Three sets of high-mobility InGaAs QW structures are systematically designed and grown by the metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy technique to probe the effect of carrier localization on the electro-optical processes. In these structures, a built-in electric field drifts electrons and holes towards the opposite hetero-junctions of the QW, where their capture/recapture processes are assessed by temperature-dependent photoreflectance, photoluminescence, and photoconductivity measurements. The strength of the electric field in the structures is estimated from the Franz Keldysh oscillations observed in the photoreflectance spectra. The effects of the charge carrier localization at the interfaces lead to a reduction of the net electric field at a low temperature. Given this, the magnetic field is used to re-distribute the charge carriers and help in suppressing the effect of interface defect states, which results in a simultaneous increase in luminescence and photoconductivity signals. The in-plane confinement of charge carriers in QW by the applied magnetic field is therefore used to compensate the localization effects caused due to the built-in electric field. Subsequently, it is proposed that under the presence of large interface defect states, a magnetic field-driven diamagnetic-Landau shift can be used to estimate the fundamental parameters of charge carriers from the magneto-photoconductivity spectra instead of magneto-photoluminescence spectra. The present investigation would be beneficial for the development of high mobility optoelectronic and spin photonic devices in the field of nano-technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benthic foraminifera are unicellular eukaryotic protists that construct an organic, agglutinated, or calcareous test wall. Although single-chambered (monothalamous) foraminifera are ubiquitous in marine habitats worldwide, they are poorly known compared to their multi-chambered relatives, notably from the tropical marine environments of India. In this study, we describe two new species of marine monothalamid genus Psammophaga Arnold, 1982, from the Rajapuri Creek, coastal Maharashtra, India (Arabian Sea). Psammophaga holzmannae sp. nov. is ovoid to spherical shaped, 103-246 µm in length, single aperture, translucent to orange color cytoplasm, outer surface is composed of agglutinated fine clay particles, and ingested mineral grains are concentrated near its aperture. Psammophaga sinhai sp. nov. is oblong, elliptical, or droplet-shaped, 279-448 µm in length, single aperture, yellow olive color cytoplasm, the exterior surface formed of agglutinated fine clay particles, and the ingested mineral grains are dispersed throughout the body. Phylogenetic analyses based on partial small subunit rRNA gene sequences position new species within the Clade E of monothalamids and are genetically distinct from other Psammophaga. Elemental (SEM-EDS) analysis of engulfed mineral grains revealed preferential selection and uptake of heavy opaque titaniferous minerals from the ambient environment in the cytoplasm., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Background: Vitiligo is a common depigmenting dermatosis characterized by milky-white macules or patches. Any pathological discoloration of the skin has been linked to an impact on the body image of an individual, and vitiligo has been linked to decreased self-esteem and poor socialization of the affected people. In Indian society, vitiligo is labeled as Shweta-Kushta (i.e., white-colored leprosy) and is compared to leprosy-a more stigmatizing skin condition., Aim: This study aims to study gender-related differences in the quality of life of Indian vitiligo patients., Methodology: In this hospital-based cross-sectional study, a total of 55 vitiligo patients (females 25 and males 30) were enrolled using the purposive sampling technique. The sample was assessed on Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) questionnaire, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSS), and General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) to assess their quality of life, self-esteem, and psychological well-being, respectively. The gender differences in sociodemographic and clinical details as well as their relationship with the quality of life of the patients were sought with the help of appropriate statistical measures., Results: The patients of both genders were comparable in terms of all sociodemographic and clinical variables except the females being less educated and employed than the males. There was a statistically significant trend of higher mean DLQI total score in females than males (6.6 ± 3.55 vs 4.8 ± 2.71, Mann-Whitney U = 263.5, P =0.058). Significantly, the average DLQI score in female vitiligo patients was negatively related to family income ( r s = -.659, P <.001) and it was significantly higher for the patients from a rural background than those from an urban background (8.55 ± 3.30 vs 5.07 ± 3.03, Mann-Whitney U = 33.5, P <.05). The average DLQI score was negatively correlated to RSS score but positively correlated to GHQ-12 score in patients of both genders., Conclusion: The quality of life of female patients with vitiligo is poorer than the same in male patients. The poor financial condition of families and rural living are two factors related to the poorer quality of life of female patients. A poorer quality of life in vitiligo patients of both genders is linked with decreased self-esteem and decreased psychological well-being. Gender-related issues in the quality of life and the overall well-being of such patients are important in their management and policy-making., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2023 Industrial Psychiatry Journal.)