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Abstract First, a Brønsted acid ionic liquid (BAIL) in the role of a double acid-base called 1,3-n-propyl-bipyridinium bisulfonic acid-ditrifluoroacetate (PBPBSDT) was produced, and its skeleton was determined via TGA, mass, 13C NMR, 19F NMR, 1H NMR and FT-IR data. Further, it was successfully applied in the preparation of dibenzo-chromeno-phenazine-dione derivatives (1a-12a, 9–15 min, 90–98%) via one-pot multicomponent domino reaction among 2 mmol 2-hydroxynaphthalene-1,4-dione, 1 mmol benzene-1,2-diamine, and 1 mmol aldehydes under optimal conditions (5 mol% of PBPBSDT, solvent-free, 60 °C). The proper reproducibility of the PBPBSDT homogeneous catalyst (5 times), solvent-free medium, reasonable TON (Turnover Number) and TOF (Turnover Frequency) numbers, the non-metallic framework of the catalyst, and the formation of C-N, C = N, C-C, C = C, C-O bonds in a single operation are the distinct advantages of this protocol.

Background There is scant data regarding the use of oral disease-modifying treatments (oDMT) in patients with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (PwRRMS) from Saudi Arabia. Objective This study aimed to identify the response rate to oDMT in PwRRMS compared to interferon (IFN) in terms of achieving no evidence of disease activity-3 (NEDA-3). Methods This retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Saudi Arabia and included all adult PwRRMS over a 2-year period who were on oDMTs or IFN for

This study compares the treatment effects after six months of therapy with nintedanib and pirfenidone in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) by comprehensively analyzing key parameters and establishing the diagnostic performance of two biomarkers, Krebs von den Lungen-6(KL-6) and CC chemokine Ligand-18 (CCL-18), to predict treatment outcomes. In a hospital-based retrospective cohort study, 75 patients diagnosed with IPF were divided into three groups based on their treatment: the newly diagnosed group, which included newly diagnosed IPF patients without receiving any antifibrotic treatment (25 patients), IPF patients on pirfenidone treatment (26 patients), and IPF patients on nintedanib treatment (24 patients). After adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, and baseline values of predicted forced vital capacity (FVCp), there was no significant difference in the rate of changes after 24 weeks of follow-up for FVCp (-0.2 ± 0.6, 0.0 ± 2.3, and 0.8 ± 3.5 ml change after 4, 12, and 24 weeks for pirfenidone) and (-1.7 ± 5.9, 1.0 ± 8.9, and 1.4 ± 9.5 ml change after 4, 12, and 24 weeks for nintedanib). CCL-18 offers a better ability to predict radiological findings than KL-6. Most side effects were minor and included diarrhea, stomach pain, skin rash, and hyperpigmentation. In conclusion, both drugs have demonstrated the capacity to postpone the beginning stages of FVCp decrease and lung function decline. There was little difference between the efficacy of nintedanib and pirfenidone. Both drugs were safe and well tolerated for the treatment of IPF.

Introduction: Varicella zoster virus (VZV) is a type of alpha-herpesvirus that specifically targets the nervous system. The initial infection, typically occurring during childhood, results in varicella (commonly known as chickenpox), after which the virus enters a dormant state in cranial nerve ganglia, dorsal root ganglia, and autonomic ganglia throughout the entire neuroaxis. Aim of the study: Molecular and genetic studies of viruses are an important tool for virus development and identifying viral treatments to combat the diseases. The aim of the study was to determine the whole ORF4 sequence of the local VZV strains for phylogenetic analysis to determine the variability in the viral sequence. Material and methods: Ten samples of VZV DNA were subjected to the sequencing of the whole ORF4 region following identification using the PCR method. Results: Sequences from five samples have been successfully analyzed. All clinical strains were discovered to possess a genome with a length of 124,884 base pairs. The sequences exhibited the occurrence of two distinct mutations, one being a transversion and the other a transition, with the latter resulting in an alteration of the amino acid. A phylogenetic tree was constructed using the maximum likelihood method based on the sequences of five nucleotide sequences from clinical samples and nine reference VZV strains. The tree displayed the evolutionary distances between these sequences. The analysis of the phylogenetic tree revealed the presence of five primary clades, with four of them originating from India (isolates S1, S2, S4, S5), while S3 exhibited similarity to a strain from the United Kingdom.

The preparation of composite metal oxide to attain high efficiency in removing phenol from wastewater has a great concern. In the present study, the focus would be on adopting antimony-tin oxide coating onto graphite substrates instead of titanium; besides the effect of SbCl3 concentration on the SnO2-Sb2O3 composite would be examined. The performance of this composite electrode as the working electrode in the removal of phenol by sonoelectrochemical oxidation will be studied. The antimony-tin dioxide composite electrode was prepared by cathodic deposition with SnCl2 . 2H2O solution in a mixture of HNO3 and NaNO3, with different concentrations of SbCl3. The SnO2-Sb2O3 deposit layer’s structure and morphology were examined and the 4 g/l SbCl3 gave the more crystallized with nanoscale electrodeposition. The highest removal of phenol was 100% at a temperature of 30 oC, with a current density (CD) of 25 mA/cm2.

Caruncular Oncocytoma (CO) is a benign epithelial tumor, frequent in elderly females. Caruncular lesions are rare compared to conjunctival lesions, with a reported incidence of 0.3 to 1.1 %, and histologically proven oncocytoma are 0.3 million/year. The mitochondrial and somatic gene mutations, resulting in defective oxidative phosphorylation, are responsible for oncocytoma. This reduces ATP, resulting in a decrease in energy production, which, in compensation, increases mitochondrial content. The common complaint is epiphora, which is excessive lacrimation. CO is composed of oncocytes with fine, eosinophilic cytoplasm containing numerous mitochondria. A 60-year-old lady presented in an Ophthalmology outdoor clinic with a small, nodular, painless, reddish-colored swelling at the inner canthus of the left eye for three years. No clinical complaints and visual disability were noted. On physical examination, a mass with overlying, reddish-colored mucosa was located at the medial canthus of the left eye. Excision in Toto was done. Grossly, there was a 10 mm × 5 mm × 5 mm smooth surfaced, red-colored mass with round contours. Microscopy showed a wellencapsulated mass with overlying thinned-out stratified squamous epithelium and sebaceous glands. The underlying lesion is composed of tall, columnar, uniform cells with round to oval nuclei, fine chromatin, and abundant granular cytoplasm.

Enhancement of microstructure and mechanical features of the hybrid aluminum matrix composite (HAMC) prepared by the stir-casting process (SCP) is quite significant for failure prevention during the service. In this work, the circular rod of hybrid aluminum matrix composite reinforced with particles of alumina (Al2O3) 50 μm, and graphite (Gr) 40–100 µm fabricated by SCP was adopted. This Al1050/Al2O3/Gr composite was subjected to severe plastic deformation using equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) at room temperature to show the impact of this process on the microstructure and mechanical features of the fabricated composite. Grain refinement, strength, and hardness were evaluated at different forming passes (1P, 3P, and 5P) with two channel angles (die angles) of 120° and 135°. The results revealed that the number of ECAP cycles has a significant effect on the refinement of the grain size. The fifth pass of ECAP (5P ECAP) with a die angle of 120° gave more refinement of the grains in the range of 36–75 nm compared to other passes. On the other hand, the strength and hardness relatively augment until 5P ECAP with increasing the cycle number at two die angles of 120° and 135°. The ultrafine grain can reduce the voids of the aluminum matrix then the hardness is enhanced.

Oil spills can have varying degrees of impact on the aquatic environment depending on factors such as the type of oil spilled, the volume released, and the ecosystem affected because crude oil and refined petroleum contain harmful substances such as hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and toxic chemicals. When released into the water, these substances can have immediate and long-term effects on marine life. This research aims to find the factors affecting the degree of pollution from oil spills on the aquatic environment and the areas adjacent to the Qayyarah refinery in northern Iraq. Combines the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method and the analytical hierarchy process to evaluate the degree of pollution from oil spill incidents in the areas adjacent to the refinery. The statistical analysis showed that there were statistically significant differences and that the value of the correlation coefficient was positive between exchanged cadmium, residual cadmium, exchanged lead, where the lead exchange rate ranged correlation coefficient at a minimum R² 0.674 and a clear increase in the number of bacteria indicating contamination the total number of bacteria coli, fecal coliform bacteria, and fecal strep bacteria (where the numbers of coliform bacteria ranged 102 × 102- (cells/011 mL, and fecal coliform bacteria were between 160 × 102 cells/011 mL. These rates are environmental and vital indicators of the presence of significant levels of organic pollution and evidence of the presence of microorganisms dangerous to the health of residents and living organisms.

The cotton aphid Aphis gossypii is a major agricultural pest of cotton that causes substantial damage to the crop not only by sucking sap but also through virus transmission. Globally adopted traditional and contemporary approaches to control aphid infestation have certain limitations and are hazardous to human health. RNA interference (RNAi) technology has unfolded its potential as an effective crop protection strategy against various pests. In this study, we adopted plant-mediated RNAi strategy to enhance aphid resistance in cotton by targeting arginine kinase (AK), which is a crucial enzyme responsible for energy homeostasis in insects. We selected a 312bp dsRNA fragment containing eight siRNAs and showing optimum GC content, Hb index, and stable secondary structure based on computational prediction studies. The binary construct expressing dsRNA was used to transform local cotton variety MNH886 and four transgenic lines were obtained in the T1 generation. Out of the four T1 transgenic cotton lines, dsA-7 exhibited the highest aphid mortality (73.3%), whereas, dsA-1, dsA-3 and dsA-6 revealed 60%, 61%, and 66.6% aphid mortality, respectively, in comparison to 13.3% mortality in the mock control cotton line. Moreover, significant knockdown in mRNA expression of AK was observed in aphids fed dsA-7 which was 79%. In comparison, 54%, 47%, and 45% downregulation was recorded in aphids which fed on dsA-6, dsA-3, and dsA-1 transgenic cotton lines, respectively. These results revealed that plant-mediated downregulation of aphid RNA induced significant RNA interference in A. gossypii which resulted in considerable aphid mortality and led to plant protection against aphids.

Abstract Linear polarization (LP) and circular polarization (CP) holds paramount importance in Ku, K, and Ka bands for satellite based communication, and remote sensing applications. Satellite based remote sensing applications face challenges like atmospheric attenuation, noise & interference, and signal degradation. Moreover, satellite based communication application demands CP in two distinct, non-adjacent frequency bands with orthogonal polarizations at greater oblique angles, considering the unpredictable incidence angles of electromagnetic (EM) waves. Addressing these challenges, an innovative metasurface polarization converter is proposed to operate efficiently across the Ku-band (13.5–18.0 GHz), K-band (18.0–26.5 GHz), and Ka-band (26.5–38.5 GHz) frequency ranges. The converter achieves left-handed circular polarization (LHCP) in the Ku- and Ka-bands within the frequency ranges of 14.57–15.65 GHz and 27.47–33.85 GHz for y-polarized incident EM waves. Additionally, it provides right-handed circular polarization (RHCP) in the K- and Ka-bands at 17.27–23.92 GHz and 35.87–38.32 GHz for y-polarized incident EM waves. The LP conversion ratio exceeds 95% in the frequency bands of 15.97–16.85 GHz, 24.70–26.65 GHz, and 34.37–35.45 GHz for y-polarized, LHCP, and RHCP incident EM waves, respectively. The metasurface exhibits robust performance up to incidence angles of 45 degrees under oblique conditions. Experimental validation using traditional board-circuit manufacturing demonstrates close agreement between measured co- and cross-polarized reflection coefficients and simulations in the 13.5–18 GHz, and 24–38.5 GHz frequency range. Thin metasurface with a thickness of only 0.64 = 0.013λ o mm, the proposed design outperforms existing studies in the literature, establishing its competitive edge in terms of structure and performance.

Abstract Non-fullerene organic compounds are promising materials for advanced photovoltaic devices. The photovoltaic and electronic properties of the derivatives (TTBR and TTB1-TTB6) were determined by employing density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) analyses using the M06/6-311G(d,p) functional. To enhance the effectiveness of fullerene-free organic photovoltaic cells, modifications were applied to end-capped acceptors by using strong electron-withdrawing moieties. The structural tailoring showed a significant electronic impact for HOMO and LUMO for all chromophores, resulting in decreased band gaps (3.184–2.540 eV). Interestingly, all the designed derivatives exhibited broader absorption spectra in the range of 486.365–605.895 nm in dichloromethane solvent. Among all derivatives, TTB5 was observed to be the promising candidate because of its lowest energy gap (2.54 eV) and binding energy (0.494 eV) values, along with the bathochromic shift (605.895 nm). These chromophores having an A–π–A framework might be considered promising materials for efficient organic cells.

Background: With the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic, some COVID-19 patients have a risk of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection. Viral gene sequencing has found that some of these patients were reinfected by a different and others by the same strains. This has raised concerns about the effectiveness of immunity after infection and the reliability of vaccination. We conducted a survey study to assess the characteristics of patients with reinfection and possible causes. Methods and Results: An online survey study was conducted in October 2021 on Facebook social media. This study included 2413 respondents: 1315 subjects received the BNT162b2 mRNA-based Vaccine (Pfizer/BioNTech), 811 received the ChAdOx1 (AZD1222) adenoviral vector vaccine (Oxford–AstraZeneca), and 287 received the Sinopharm inactivated COVID-10 vaccine (BBIBP-CorV). The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine appeared to be the most effective (84%) in preventing reinfection compared to the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine (79%) and the Sinopharm vaccine (70%) (P

The use of hydrophilic polymer membranes derived from nanocomposites for the treatment of industrial wastewaters has garnered significant attention lately. When producing membranes, the fouling problems of these membranes may be lessened by adding hydrophilic additives to the polymer solution. In order to create the membranes by the phase inversion approach, 0.8 weight percent of polyethersulfone (PES) solution was mixed with a combination (1:1) of graphene oxide:titanium dioxide nanoparticles (GO:TiO2 NPs) at various weight percentages (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0). The absence of spectral peaks at 899 and 1669 cm-1 in the completed membranes, as determined by FTIR studies, suggests that the GO:TiO2 NPs component's hydrolytic breakdown caused the membrane structure's pores to develop. The membrane topology was rough with a wider range of heights and abnormalities at low NP concentrations, as the histogram of the 3D AFM pictures illustrates. On the other hand, the 2D photos showed that the surface smoothed out and had fewer peaks and valleys at high NP concentrations, which decreased the surface's roughness. Surface scanning electron microscopy pictures demonstrated that when the membrane's structure evolved from narrow to broad porosity with uneven expansion of porous patches, adding more nanoparticles increased the water flow. However, cross-sectional SEM pictures showed that the membrane's constituent parts were a thick porous layer with micropores and elongated finger structures that resembled pores, and a thin skin layer. The membrane's porosity increased with increasing NP concentration, as demonstrated by porosity calculations and contact angle measurements. This improved selectivity, made the membrane less prone to fouling, and made cleaning safer and easier, particularly for hydrophilic foulants like proteins and polysaccharides. The addition of NPs resulted in an estimated 83% and 92% increase in the flow of pure water and bovine serum albumin (BSA), respectively. However, the BSA rejection initially dropped before increasing once again.