Search

A simple strategy for the synthesis of a variety of tetrahydropyridines in good to excellent yields via a Cu(OTf)2 catalyzed quaternary ammonium salt mediated ring-opening of activated azetidines followed by cyclization with alkynes in a domino ring-opening cyclization (DROC) is described. The formation of the products has been explained by an SN 2-type ring-opening of azetidines with alkynes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amid the increasing focus on sustainable energy, hydrogen generation through photocatalysis has garnered substantial attention in recent years. Given their distinctive electronic, optical, and structural properties, two-dimensional perovskite nanosheets have surfaced as promising contenders as photocatalysts. Here we present a systematic exploration of Ruddlesden-Popper phase Ca n-1 Mn n-3 Nb 3 O 3n+1 2− (n = 4,5,6) perovskite (CMNO) nanosheets with distinct layers (n = 4, 5, and 6), synthesized via exfoliation approach, for enhanced physicochemical properties and catalytic performances. Rigorous characterizations supported by the Tauc plot and Mott-Schottky analysis reveal the crystal structures, varied bandgaps, and an n-type semiconductor behavior from the CMNO nanosheets. In a novel approach to enhance its photo-absorption, Chlorella vulgaris microalgae, strategically layered onto the CMNO nanosheets, consequently exhibit significant improvements in the onset potential and current density, especially for the CMNO (n = 6) nanosheet. This research lays a foundation for understanding the tailored composition and layer-dependent properties of CMNO nanosheets, propelling their potential application in efficient hydrogen generation through photoelectrochemical water splitting for sustainable energy technologies. • Ruddlesden-Popper phase of Ca n-1 Mn n-3 Nb 3 O 3n+1 was prepared using soft chemistry method to obtain n = 4, 5, 6 layers. • Density of States shows that n = 6 layers exhibit more bonding states than n = 4 and 5, thus contributing to photocatalysis. • Coupled with PEDOT:PSS, CMNO is layered on ITO to form a p-n junction based photoelectrode for hydrogen generation. • Chlorella vulgaris was layered on the photoelectrode to improve visible light absorption and charge-carrier separation. • The introduction of Chv on the photoelectrode significantly improves the ABPE% up to 0.15% against the control group 0.05%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High altitude pulmonary oedema (HAPO) is a common emergency seen at high altitude. It can be associated with electrocardiogram (ECG) changes due to pulmonary arterial hypertension in the form of ST elevation and T wave inversion in the right precordial leads, which mimic acute coronary syndrome. These changes can lead to confusion in diagnosis and management. ECG changes resolve over a period of time when the patients are de-inducted to low land. So appropriate history and clinical examination, followed by monitoring of patients with cardiac enzymes and ECG, can prevent misdiagnosis and thereafter management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantization effects in nanolaminate structures of oxide materials are proposed and experimentally demonstrated only recently. Herein, the material combination of amorphous silicon and SiO2 deposited by magnetron sputtering is investigated and it is shown that the quantization effect can be observed indeed. Transmission electron microscopy characterization gives evidence of continuous layers of amorphous silicon and SiO2 with well‐defined interfaces. The deposition process is described and the tunability of the refractive index and the bandgap energy is demonstrated. By doing so, the advantages of this novel material over classical optical materials are shown and feasibility is proved. As an example, a longpass optical interference filter with edge at 720 nm is deposited using quantized nanolaminates as the high and SiO2 as the low refractive index material. This filter can be deposited successfully with close match to the design. It shows a blocking range throughout the visible spectrum whereas a comparable filter based on SiO2–TiO2 only blocks 500–700 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The World Health Organization (WHO) defines quality of life as a person's assessment of their place in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live, as well as in connection to their objectives, expectations, standards, and worries. Physiological as well as emotional wellness both affect quality of life (QOL). Objective: To assess and evaluate the quality of life in epileptic patients by using Quality of life in epilepsy inventory for adolescent (QOLIE-AD-48) and Quality of life in epilepsy inventory for adults (QOLIE-31) at tertiary care hospital. Methods: After receiving approval from the Institution Ethics Committees (IEC) of the ISF College of Pharmacy and Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital, Faridkot. This observational and questionnaire based study was carried out for a period of six months. Quality of life in epilepsy inventory for adolescent (QOLIE-AD-48) and Quality of life in epilepsy inventory for adults (QOLIE-31) had been used for this research and got approval from Dr. Joyce A. Cramer to use the questionnaire. Results: Except for the patients who declined to participate in the study, 109 individuals who participated in the observation and questionnaire-based study was enrolled. In this study, it was discovered that adolescents made up the majority of the patients with respect to adults and quality of life was found to be good (p = 0.062). The mean score of quality of life of the patients and standard deviation (SD) was found to be (M = 61.26) and (SD = 21.10). Males (63%, 69 patients) were found higher with respect to females (37%, 40 patients). Linear regression test was found to be significant (p = 0.003) of quality of life score (dependent variable) in relation to age and weight (independent variable) of the patients it. One way ANOVA test was found significant of quality of life score in relation to educational status (p = 0.001), epilepsy from last year (p = 0.001), and drug therapy (p = 0.017). Conclusion: The current study explains the relationship between quality of life and other dependent variables by using different statistical analysis techniques. The quality of life of epileptic patients must be assessed on an individual basis, taking into consideration the patient's state of physical health and psychological state. This study concludes that the quality of life of epileptic patients was found to be good as per significant results. If any of factors changes then there will also be differ in quality of life score. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this numerical study is to investigate the heat transfer characteristics of the air flowing in the triangular photovoltaic thermal (PV/T) array/system at variable velocities. The PV/T array in the present analysis is composed of seven photovoltaic (PV) panels connected in series along with a triangular duct throughout its length. The heat transfer analysis in the PV panel (solid component) and visualization of temperature distribution in the PV/T system has been simulated by the use of system coupling of steady state thermal and CFX tools in ANSYS 18.2. Experiment was initially performed at velocity of 1.5 m/s inside the duct by the use of ANSYS software to predict the glass temperature, outlet air temperature, and tedlar temperature of triangular PV/T system. Further, the velocity has been incremented by 1 m/s up to 6.5 m/s to see the overall performance of the system. The validation of simulation results showed a good agreement with the experimental results under reasonable limit. The gain in temperature with the increase in velocity becomes marginal (only 7%) after 4.5 m/s. The temperature contours from the numerical simulation also revealed that cooling up to the last panel is not significant beyond 4.5 m/s. Similar tendency is documented in the overall exergy efficiency which significantly increased to 4.5 m/s and became marginal with further increment in velocity. It can be inferred that the optimum velocity which can fulfill the requirement of cooling of all PV panels along with reasonable thermal output is 4.5 m/s. The thermal energy gain gradually increases as the day progresses and becomes maximum at 2:00 PM. The average thermal energy gain being 9.6% higher than that in the morning (10:00 AM) indicates its suitability for applications requiring moderately high temperature. The present numerical investigation focuses on improving the overall performance of the system without the involvement of any additional cost. The system can be used in various applications like crop drying, space heating, etc. Owing to different outlet air temperatures during the day, the applications can either be utilized independently or can be combined to be used at different times according to the temperature requirement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Hepatic resection offers promising outcomes for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) but can be constrained by factors like patient suitability. Continuous advancements in laparoscopic and robotic technologies have made minimally invasive hepatectomies (MIHs) a viable alternative to open hepatectomies with benefits in terms of recovery and complications. Materials and Methods: We completed a retrospective review on 138 HCC patients who underwent OH or MIH between 2010 and 2020 at the Hume-Lee Transplant Center. Univariate and multivariate analyses were completed on demographic, clinical, and tumor-specific data to assess the impact of these variables on overall and disease-free survival at 1, 3, and 5 years. Preoperative metrics like length of hospital stay (LOS) and operation duration were also evaluated. Results: Of the 109 OH and 29 MIH patients, MIH patients demonstrated shorter LOS and operative times. However, overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were similar between groups, with no significant variations in 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates. Age > 60 years and a lack of preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) were significant predictors of inferior OS and DFS in multivariate analyses. Conclusions: MIH is an efficient substitute for OH with comparable survival, even in older patients. The reduced LOS and operation time enhance its feasibility, and older patients previously denied for curative resection may qualify for MIH. Preoperative TACE also enhances survival outcomes, emphasizing its general role in managing resectable HCCs. Both robotic and laparoscopic hepatectomies offer acceptable short- and long-term clinical outcomes, highlighting MIH as the standard choice for HCC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mercury (Hg), a ubiquitous atmospheric trace metal posing serious health risks, originates from natural and anthropogenic sources. India, the world's second-largest Hg emitter and a signatory to the Minamata Convention, is committed to reducing these emissions. However, critical gaps exist in our understanding of the spatial and temporal distribution of Hg across the vast Indian subcontinent due to limited observational data. This study addresses this gap by employing the GEOS-Chem model with various emission inventories (UNEP2010, WHET, EDGAR, STREETS, and UNEP2015) to simulate Hg variability across the Asian domain, with a specific focus on India from 2013 to 2017. Model performance was evaluated using ground-based GMOS observations and available literature data. Emission inventory performance varied across different observational stations. Hence, we employed ensemble results from all inventories. The maximum relative bias for Total Gaseous Mercury (TGM) and Gaseous Elemental Mercury (GEM; Hg0) concentrations is about ±20%, indicating simulations with sufficient accuracy. Total Hg wet deposition fluxes are highest over the Western Ghats and the Himalayan foothills due to higher rainfall. During the monsoon, the Hg wet deposition flux is about 65.4% of the annual wet deposition flux. Moreover, westerly winds cause higher wet deposition in summer over Northern and Eastern India. Total Hg dry deposition flux accounts for 72–74% of total deposition over India. Hg0 dry deposition fluxes are higher over Eastern India, which correlates strongly with the leaf area index. Excluding Indian anthropogenic emissions from the model simulations resulted in a substantial decrease (21.9% and 33.5%) in wet and total Hg deposition fluxes, highlighting the dominant role of human activities in Hg pollution in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The basic idea of modulating the immune system to better recognize and fight tumor cells has led to the successful introduction of adoptive cellular immunotherapy (ACT). ACT-based treatment regimens, in which the patient's own immune cells are isolated and subsequently expanded (ex vivo) and reinfused, have also contributed significantly to the development of a personalized treatment strategy. Complementing this, the unprecedented advances in ACTs as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapies and their derivatives such as CAR-NK, CAR-macrophages, CAR-γδT and CAR-NKT have further maximized the therapeutic outcomes. Herein, we provide a comprehensive overview of the development of ACTs in multiple myeloma (MM) and outline how they have evolved from an experimental form to a mainstay of standard clinical settings. Besides, we provide insights into cytokine-induced killer cell (CIK) therapy, an alternative form of ACT that (as CIK or CAR-CIK) has enormous potential in the clinical spectrum of MM. We also summarize the results of the major preclinical and clinical studies of adoptive cell therapy in MM and address the current challenges (such as cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurotoxicity) that limit its complete success in the cancer landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Here, we have succeeded in developing an eco‐efficient, mild, and metal‐free synthetic protocol for biologically significant scaffolds: imidazopyridines and their derivatives via radical cyclization from a wide variety of simple 2‐aminopyridines and phenacyl bromides as reactants and utilizing visible light as a reaction promoter in the ethanol/water solvent. To the best of our knowledge, the present strategy is the first example of visible light promoted synthesis of imidazo[1,2‐a]pyridine via the formation of C‐N bonds. The proposed methodology has various advantages namely quick reaction time, low cost, simple setup, high atom efficiency, easy‐availability of reactants and non‐involvement of specific glasswares and photo reactor system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern natural language processing (NLP) state-of-the-art (SoTA) deep learning (DL) models have hundreds of millions of parameters, making them extremely complex. Large datasets are required for training these models, and while pretraining has reduced this requirement, human-labelled datasets are still necessary for fine-tuning. Few-shot learning (FSL) techniques, such as meta-learning, try to train models from smaller datasets to mitigate this cost. However, the tasks used to evaluate these meta-learners frequently diverge from the problems in the real world that they are meant to resolve. This work aims to apply meta-learning to a problem that is more pertinent to the real world: class incremental learning (IL). In this scenario, after completing its training, the model learns to classify newly introduced classes. One unique quality of meta-learners is that they can generalise from a small sample size to classes that have never been seen before, which makes them especially useful for class incremental learning (IL). The method describes how to emulate class IL using proxy new classes. This method allows a meta-learner to complete the task without the need for retraining. To generate predictions, the transformer-based aggregation function in a meta-learner that modifies data from examples across all classes has been proposed. The principal contributions of the model include concurrently considering the entire support and query sets, and prioritising attention to crucial samples, such as the question, to increase the significance of its impact during inference. The outcomes demonstrate that the model surpasses prevailing benchmarks in the industry. Notably, most meta-learners demonstrate significant generalisation in the context of class IL even without specific training for this task. This paper establishes a high-performing baseline for subsequent transformer-based aggregation techniques, thereby emphasising the practical significance of meta-learners in class IL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of sensitive and specific diagnostic tools for hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) remains crucial for effective disease management and control. In this study, we utilized CRISPR‐Cas12 and CRISPR‐Cas13 systems for the detection of HBV (DNA virus) and HCV (RNA virus), respectively. We designed and tested multiple guide RNAs (gRNAs) targeting both viruses, confirming successful cleavage of target sequences through gel electrophoresis and a fluorescent reporter assay. Using optimized gRNAs, we developed a lateral flow assay (LFA) for sensitive detection of HBV and HCV, demonstrating a concentration‐dependent signal increase. Importantly, no cross‐reactivity was observed with other viral targets. To further enhance sensitivity, we employed a dual‐enzyme approach, combining Cas12 and Cas13 in a single reaction, which significantly improved detection limits for both viruses. Finally, we developed a dual antigen detection LFA strip capable of simultaneously detecting both HBV and HCV in a single sample. This approach holds promise for point‐of‐care (POC) diagnostics where the specific viral infection is unknown. This study addresses the current limitations in CRISPR‐Cas based diagnostics, namely, the need for ultrasensitive detection methods and the ability to detect multiple antigens using a single test strip. Our findings demonstrate the feasibility of using CRISPR‐Cas systems for highly sensitive and specific detection of HBV and HCV, paving the way for potential POC application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We present retrospective data of patients with nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) who underwent restaging transurethral resection of bladder tumor (Re-TURBT) at a tertiary care center. Materials and Methods: Records of all NMIBC patients undergoing Re-TURBT between March 2021 and September 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were risk stratified based on TURBT pathology. Re-TURBT was performed between 4 and 6 weeks. Adverse features such as number, size, and appearance were noted. Patients with persistent disease at Re-TURBT were counseled for early cystectomy with urinary diversion or intravesical Bacillus Calmette–Guerin (BCG). In case of disease upstaging, patients were counseled for radical cystectomy. Results: Thirty-eight NMIBC patients (30 males and 8 females) underwent Re-TURBT. Six patients had residual/persistent disease at 6 weeks, all high risk and high grade (HG, P value not significant, P = 0.31). There was no association with number and appearance of tumors with residual/persistence at 6 weeks. The mean lesion size on imaging in cases with and without residual disease was 3.32 ± 0.86 versus 3.39 ± 0.92 cm, respectively, P value not significant (0.868). There was no residual disease in the low-grade (LG) pT1 group, but HG pTa and pT1 (n = 3) had residual disease. Four HG pT1 patients opted for early cystectomy. Two patients each had pT0 and two pT2. At 3 months of follow-up, urethral strictures were seen both in high risk and intermediate risk. Among four patients who had stricture, meatal stenosis was common (50%, n = 2). Two patients had long-segment stricture requiring perineal urethrostomy with stage I Johannsen repair. All HG pT1 lesion patients eventually underwent cystectomy (3 were under staged and two treated completely with TURBT, one with TURBT + BCG and one patient progressed to metastasis). Conclusion: Re-TURBT is essential for the management of HG pTa and HG pT1 lesions for accurate staging and treatment of residual disease. However, LG pT1 patients can safely be excluded from Re-TURBT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fuel cell carries the promise of being ecologically beneficial and being one of the renewable energy choices. Solid acids have super‐protonic behavior, allowing them to act as conductors. It can operate at high temperatures. Hydration, on the other hand, can be employed to increase the solid acid and performance. Furthermore, the size of the electrolyte membrane influences the conductivity, stability, and crystal structure of the fuel cell solid acid compounds. Very few studies have been conducted on solid acid fuel cells, which are still being researched in order to make them feasible as well as a trustworthy alternative to clean renewable energy. This review presents an outline of the variables or attributes and current challenges that influence the technical efficacy and performance of the unique super‐protonic conductors for solid acid fuel cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract\nPLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARYTGF-β is a pivotal cytokine that orchestrates various aspects of cancer progression, including tumor growth, metastasis, and immune evasion. In this review, we present a comprehensive overview of the multifaceted role of transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) in cancer biology, focusing on its intricate interactions with monocytes and macrophages within the tumor microenvironment (TME). We specifically discuss how TGF-β modulates monocyte and macrophage activities, leading to immunosuppression and tumor progression. We conclude with the current translational and clinical efforts targeting TGF-β, recognizing the promising role of this strategy in immunooncology.Transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), a pivotal cytokine, plays a crucial role in maintaining homeostasis and influencing cancer development by affecting various cell types. In cancer, TGF-β initially suppresses tumor cell growth but later contributes to tumor progression and metastasis, presenting challenges in developing therapeutics targeting this cytokine. Mechanistically, TGF-β impacts diverse cellular processes through canonical Smad and non-Smad pathways, that explains its diverse regulation of different, sometimes opposing, cellular processes.In the context of immunity, exposure to TGF-β renders immune cells immunosuppressive, hindering their ability to fight tumor development. This article explores the effects of TGF-β on monocytes and macrophages, highlighting its role in creating an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) required for tumor survival and growth. The article provides an update on recent studies that underscore the potential of TGF-β inhibition in modulating the immune response within the TME, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy.Overall, this review article delves into the multifaceted role of TGF-β in cancer biology, with a specific focus on its interactions with monocytes and macrophages. It underscores the knowledge gaps and the importance of targeting TGF-β signaling in tumor-associated monocytes and macrophages as a promising therapeutic approach in TGF-β secreting tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Thermo physical behaviour of soil is the fundamental behaviour and plays significant position in its "utilization" as "electrical and heat insulation". However, numerous "researchers have studied" thermo-physical properties of soil. Still, the study on the relationship between soil's properties and its cooling effect through evaporation has not been investigated in detail. In this analysis, soil samples and earthen pots were collected from four states of India: Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. The performance parameters used to evaluate the cooling effect of the soil, and earthen pot samples are "water-holding capacity", porosity, "thermal-conductivity", texture, and particle and bulk density. The application of "high temperature" fluctuate the "internal microstructure" of clay/soil and subsequently disturbs its "physical and thermal properties". The sand/clay is converted into an earthen pot by applying high temperatures in kilns. The pot samples collected are heated in kilns to bring them to the final form for the study. We are studying the properties after that treatment. In this paper, the impact of "firing temperature" (maximum 900°C) on the "thermo-physical properties" of earthen pots made up of soil of a similar kind as the soil samples collected and the impact of thermo-physical properties on the cooling of the earthen pots has been examined via experiments. The results specify that the "thermal conductivity" of soil/clay samples is less compared to earthen pot. The "porosity and water-holding capacity" of the soil are greater than earthen pots because pore space or pore volume has decreased due to the heating effect. From the experimental analysis, it was found that the soil of the Sohna location in Haryana state has a high water cooling capacity due to its high water-holding (49.28%) capacity and porosity (48.75%). The pot made out of clay, having higher porosity, and water-holding capacity, gives the maximum cooling temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mounting evidence suggests a prominent role for alpha-synuclein (a-syn) in neuronal cell function. Alterations in the levels of cellular a-syn have been hypothesized to play a critical role in the development of Parkinson's disease (PD); however, mechanisms that control expression of the gene for a-syn (SNCA) in cis and trans as well as turnover of a-syn are not well understood. We analyzed whether methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2), a protein that specifically binds methylated DNA, thus regulating transcription, binds at predicted binding sites in intron 1 of the SNCA gene and regulates a-syn protein expression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and electrophoretic mobility-shift assays (EMSA) were used to confirm binding of MeCP2 to regulatory regions of SNCA. Site-specific methylation and introduction of localized mutations by CRISPR/Cas9 were used to investigate the binding properties of MeCP2 in human SK-N-SH neuroblastoma cells. The significance of MeCP2 for SNCA regulation was further investigated by overexpressing MeCP2 and mutated variants of MeCP2 in MeCP2 knockout cells. We found that methylation-dependent binding of MeCP2 at a restricted region of intron 1 of SNCA had a significant impact on the production of a-syn. A single nucleotide substitution near to CpG1 strongly increased the binding of MeCP2 to intron 1 of SNCA and decreased a-syn protein expression by 60%. In contrast, deletion of a single nucleotide closed to CpG2 led to reduced binding of MeCP2 and significantly increased a-syn levels. In accordance, knockout of MeCP2 in SK-N-SH cells resulted in a significant increase in a-syn production, demonstrating that SNCA is a genomic target for MeCP2 regulation. In addition, the expression of two mutated MeCP2 variants found in Rett syndrome (RTT) showed a loss of their ability to reduce a-syn expression. This study demonstrates that methylation of CpGs and binding of MeCP2 to intron 1 of the SNCA gene plays an important role in the control of a-syn expression. In addition, the changes in SNCA regulation found by expression of MeCP2 variants carrying mutations found in RTT patients may be of importance for the elucidation of a new molecular pathway in RTT, a rare neurological disorder caused by mutations in MECP2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are widely acknowledged as the drivers of tumor initiation, epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) progression, and metastasis. Originating from both hematologic and solid malignancies, CSCs exhibit quiescence, pluripotency, and self‐renewal akin to normal stem cells, thus orchestrating tumor heterogeneity and growth. Through a dynamic interplay with the tumor microenvironment (TME) and intricate signaling cascades, CSCs undergo transitions from differentiated cancer cells, culminating in therapy resistance and disease recurrence. This review undertakes an in‐depth analysis of the multifaceted mechanisms underlying cancer stemness and CSC‐mediated resistance to therapy. Intrinsic factors encompassing the TME, hypoxic conditions, and oxidative stress, alongside extrinsic processes such as drug efflux mechanisms, collectively contribute to therapeutic resistance. An exploration into key signaling pathways, including JAK/STAT, WNT, NOTCH, and HEDGEHOG, sheds light on their pivotal roles in sustaining CSCs phenotypes. Insights gleaned from preclinical and clinical studies hold promise in refining drug discovery efforts and optimizing therapeutic interventions, especially chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)‐T cell therapy, cytokine‐induced killer (CIK) cell therapy, natural killer (NK) cell‐mediated CSC‐targeting and others. Ultimately use of cell sorting and single cell sequencing approaches for elucidating the fundamental characteristics and resistance mechanisms inherent in CSCs will enhance our comprehension of CSC and intratumor heterogeneity, which ultimately would inform about tailored and personalized interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tannase-producing filamentous fungi residing alongside tannin-rich ambient in the Northwest Himalayas were isolated at laboratory conditions and further identified by 18S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. Five most potent tannase producing strains (EI ≥ 2.0), designated Aspergillus fumigatus AN1, Fusarium redolens AN2, Penicillium crustosum AN3, Penicillium restrictum AN4, and Penicillium commune AN5, were characterized. The strain Penicillium crustosum AN3 exhibited a maximum zone dia (25.66 mm ± 0.38). During solid-state fermentation, a maximal amount of tannase was attained with Penicillium crustosum AN3 using pine needles (substrate) by adopting response surface methodology for culture parameter optimization. Gel filtration chromatography yielded 46.48% of the partially purified enzyme with 3.94-fold of tannase purification. We found two subunits in enzyme-117.76 KDa and 88.51 KDa, respectively, in the SDS-PAGE. Furthermore, the characterization of partially purified tannase revealed a maximum enzyme activity of 8.36 U/mL at 30 °C using a substrate concentration (methyl gallate) of 10 mM. To broaden the knowledge of crude enzyme application, dye degradation studies were subjected to extracellular crude tannase from Penicillium crustosum AN3 where the maximum degradation achieved at a low enzyme concentration (5 ppm). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We prepared guggul gum-based hydrogel (GgG-cl-poly(AA)) through a free radical graft copolymerization mechanism in this work. The preparation was carried out using ammonium persulfate as an initiator, acrylic acid as the monomer, and N, N′-methylenebisacrylamide as the crosslinker. The synthesized hydrogel's swelling capacity and equilibrium swelling ratio were thoroughly investigated by optimizing various reaction parameters: reaction time, solvent volume, microwave power, crosslinker amount, initiator concentration, and monomer concentration. The swelling results demonstrated that the synthesized hydrogel can attain a maximum percentage swelling of 980% within 3 h in an aqueous solution. The prepared hydrogel sample was characterized using Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, and thermogravimetric analysis. The prepared hydrogel was studied for water retention behavior in the soil, water absorbance in the open air at room temperature, reswelling studies, and resistive swelling studies in various salt solutions at different temperatures and pH values. Notably, the crosslinked hydrogel exhibited a reduced swelling capacity across various salt solutions compared to the aqueous solutions. The biodegradation studies were examined in both soil burial and vermicomposting methods for two months, revealing a maximum biodegradation of 95.65% through the vermicomposting method and 87.7% through the soil burial method. The results indicate that the crosslinked hydrogel based on guggul gum is a potential candidate for various agricultural applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to identify the dynamic capability of sustainable companies in the Indian financial services industry. It uses a mixed-method approach. Based on a qualitative content analysis of sustainability reports of companies in the Nifty Financial Services Index between 2013 and 2018, and rating of the companies for sustainable business performance, the study identified HDFC Bank Ltd. as the most outstanding company in India's financial services industry. It further explored the publicly available information to delineate the dynamic capability of HDFC Bank. Sustainable leadership, under CEO Aditya Puri emerged as the dynamic capability, enabling HDFC Bank to positively impact society and the environment, while ensuring sustainable business performance. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of sustainable leadership as a dynamic capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Byline: Smriti. Sharma, D. Dixit, S. Sharma, Amit. Sharma, G. Sahani, Ritu. Upreti, R. Kinhikar, P. Dash Sharma Aim: This article aimed to present the salient features of the in-house [...]