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Abstract In the years 2021–2022 and 2022–2023, an experiment was carried out at the IFS Unit, College of Agriculture, PJTSAU, Rajendranagar in order to determine the best one-acre integrated farming system model for Telangana's small and marginal farmers. Seven farm models among which six models were developed by combining the various components i.e., cropping systems, fruit cropfodder crops and livestock components, in different proportions, and compared with rice-groundnut system which is a major farming approach in Telangana using randomized block design. The seven models were as follows: M1: Rice–Groundnut; M2: Rice–Groundnut, Pigeonpea + Sweetcorn (1:3)—Bajra, Bt cotton + Greengram (1:2)—Maize; M3: Rice–Groundnut, Pigeonpea + Sweetcorn (1:3)—Bajra, Pigeonpea + Maize (1:3)—Sunhemp; Napier grass, Sheep (5 + 1); M4: Rice–Groundnut, Pigeonpea + Sweetcorn (1:3)—Bajra, Bt cotton + Greengram (1:2)—Maize, Pigeonpea + Maize (1:3)—Sunhemp, Poultry unit; M5: Guava, Hedge Lucerne, Napier grass, Bt cotton + Greengram (1:2)—Maize, Sheep (5 + 1); M6: Guava, Bt cotton + Greengram (1:2)—Maize, Rice–Groundnut, Poultry; M7: Rice–Groundnut, Pigeonpea + Sweetcorn (1:3)—Bajra, Pigeonpea + Maize (1:3)—Sunhemp; Napier grass, Hedge lucerne, Poultry (100), Sheep (5 + 1). Based on a 2-year average, the Model M7 system produced 9980 Rice Grain Equivalent Yield(RGEY)kg of output per acre, with gross and net returns of ₹210,439 and ₹124,953 respectively, and recovered a B:C ratio of 2.46. It has recorded highest sustainable yield index (SYI) of 0.673 and value index of 0.772 with the lowest water footprint of 259.0 L/kg. This study reveals that adopting an integrated farming system is the optimal approach for effectively combining productive, financially rewarding, and diversified enterprises within a single acre of land.d. This system should be recommended for maximum benefits to smallto small and marginal farmers in Telangana's southern hills and plateau.

The development of a country's infrastructure relies heavily on the use of cement concrete as the major building material. The cement industry significantly contributes to global warming due to its substantial carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Reducing the consumption of cement in concrete while maintaining its essential features can lead to a more cost-effective and environmentally friendly advancement of the construction sector. By looking at a new concrete mix that includes fly ash (FA) and Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBFS), this study aims to develop cement less concrete. An Alkali-Activated Solution (AAS) was used as the liquid binder along with a dry mix of FA and GGBFS. This study examines the utilization and impact of liquid and solid binders in the production of alkali-activated GGBFS-based Geopolymer Concrete (GPC), as well as the optimal quantities required for their incorporation. Various ratios of AAS to GSB were experimented with to determine the optimum mixture. To find optimum mixture of GGBFS for the GPC, different amounts of GGBFS were utlised as a Partial substitution for fly ash. At 28 days, test specimens, such as cubes, cylinders, and beams, were cast and put to the test. The GPC has also decided to use heat curing to get good results. It is found that the ratio 0.5 between AAS and GSB and a makeup of 75% GGBFS made the strongest material. The results of the study show that using AAS and GGBFS in geopolymer concrete makes a better product, which could be used in places where there is not enough water

Background Existing literature lacks high-quality evidence regarding the ideal intraoperative positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) to minimize postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs). We hypothesized that applying individualized PEEP derived from electrical impedance tomography would reduce the severity of postoperative lung aeration loss, deterioration in oxygenation, and PPC incidence. Methods A pilot feasibility study was conducted on 36 patients who underwent open abdominal oncologic surgery. The patients were randomized to receive individualized PEEP or conventional PEEP at 4 cmH2O. The primary outcome was the impact of individualized PEEP on changes in the modified lung ultrasound score (MLUS) derived from preoperative and postoperative lung ultrasonography. A higher MLUS indicated greater lung aeration loss. The secondary outcomes were the PaO2/FiO2 ratio and PPC incidence. Results A significant increase in the postoperative MLUS (12.0 ± 3.6 vs 7.9 ± 2.1, P < 0.001) and a significant difference between the postoperative and preoperative MLUS values (7.0 ± 3.3 vs 3.0 ± 1.6, P < 0.001) were found in the conventional PEEP group, indicating increased lung aeration loss. In the conventional PEEP group, the intraoperative PaO2/FiO2 ratios were significantly lower, but not the postoperative ratios. The PPC incidence was not significantly different between the groups. Post-hoc analysis showed the increase in lung aeration loss and deterioration of intraoperative oxygenation correlated with the deviation from the individualized PEEP. Conclusions Individualized PEEP appears to protect against lung aeration loss and intraoperative oxygenation deterioration. The advantage was greater in patients whose individualized PEEP deviated more from the conventional PEEP.

Abstract Background One of the most effective strategies to increase phytochemicals production in plant cultures is elicitation. In the present study, we studied the effect of abiotic and biotic elicitors on the growth, key biosynthetic genes expression, antioxidant capacity, and phenolic compounds content in Rhizobium (Agrobacterium) rhizogenes-induced hairy roots cultures of Ficus carica cv. Siah. Methods The elicitors included methyl jasmonate (MeJA) as abiotic elicitor, culture filtrate and cell extract of fungus Piriformospora indica as biotic elicitors were prepared to use. The cultures of F. carica hairy roots were exposed to elicitores at different time points. After elicitation treatments, hairy roots were collected, and evaluated for growth index, total phenolic (TPC) and flavonoids (TFC) content, antioxidant activity (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, DPPH and ferric ion reducing antioxidant power, FRAP assays), expression level of key phenolic/flavonoid biosynthesis genes, and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of some main phenolic compounds in comparison to control. Results Elicitation positively or negatively affected the growth, content of phenolic/flavonoid compounds and DPPH and FRAP antioxidant activities of hairy roots cultures in depending of elicitor concentration and exposure time. The maximum expression level of chalcone synthase (CHS: 55.1), flavonoid 3′-hydroxylase (F3’H: 34.33) genes and transcription factors MYB3 (32.22), Basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH: 45.73) was induced by MeJA elicitation, whereas the maximum expression level of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL: 26.72) and UDP-glucose flavonoid 3-O-glucosyltransferase (UFGT: 27.57) genes was obtained after P. indica culture filtrate elicitation. The P. indica elicitation also caused greatest increase in the content of gallic acid (5848 µg/g), caffeic acid (508.2 µg/g), rutin (43.5 µg/g), quercetin (341 µg/g), and apigenin (1167 µg/g) phenolic compounds. Conclusions This study support that elicitation of F. carica cv. Siah hairy roots can be considered as an effective biotechnological method for improved phenolic/flavonoid compounds production, and of course this approach requires further research.

Abstract Background Dietary-resistant starch is emerging as a potential therapeutic tool to limit the negative effects of diabetes on the kidneys. However, its metabolic and immunomodulatory effects have not yet been fully elucidated. Methods Six-week-old db/db mice were fed a diet containing 12.5% resistant starch or a control diet matched for equivalent regular starch for 10 weeks. db/m mice receiving the control diet were utilised as non-diabetic controls. Freshly collected kidneys were digested for flow cytometry analysis of immune cell populations. Kidney injury was determined by measuring albuminuria, histology, and immunohistochemistry. Portal vein plasma was collected for targeted analysis of microbially-derived metabolites. Intestinal histology and tight junction protein expression were assessed. Results Resistant starch limited the development of albuminuria in db/db mice. Diabetic db/db mice displayed a decline in portal vein plasma levels of acetate, propionate, and butyrate, which was increased with resistant starch supplementation. Diabetic db/db mice receiving resistant starch had a microbially-derived metabolite profile similar to that of non-diabetic db/m mice. The intestinal permeability markers lipopolysaccharide and lipopolysaccharide binding protein were increased in db/db mice consuming the control diet, which was not seen in db/db mice receiving resistant starch supplementation. Diabetes was associated with an increase in the kidney neutrophil population, neutrophil activation, number of C5aR1+ neutrophils, and urinary complement C5a excretion, all of which were reduced with resistant starch. These pro-inflammatory changes appear independent of fibrotic changes in the kidney. Conclusions Resistant starch supplementation in diabetes promotes beneficial circulating microbially-derived metabolites and improves intestinal permeability, accompanied by a modulation in the inflammatory profile of the kidney including neutrophil infiltration, complement activation, and albuminuria. These findings indicate that resistant starch can regulate immune and inflammatory responses in the kidney and support the therapeutic potential of resistant starch supplementation in diabetes on kidney health.

The increasing commercial, industrial, and medical applications of plastics cannot be halted during the coming years. Microplastics are a new class of plastic pollutants which have emerged as escalating environmental threats. The persistence, effects, and removal of MPs present in soil, water, and numerous organisms have become an important research field. However, atmospheric microplastics (AMPs), which are subcategorized into deposited and suspended, remain largely unexplored. This review presents the recent developments and challenges involved in fully understanding suspended and deposited AMPs. The evaluation of indoor suspended MP fibers needs to be critically investigated to understand their implications for human health. Furthermore, the transportation of AMPs to isolated locations, such as cryospheric regions, requires immediate attention. The major challenges associated with AMPs, which have hindered advancement in this field, are inconsistency in the available data, limited knowledge, and the lack of standardized methodologies for the sampling and characterization techniques of AMPs.

Current diagnostic methods for Bovine tuberculosis (TB) and Paratuberculosis (pTB) involve invasive sampling methods that require handling and restraining causing stress and pain to the animals along with days required for the interpretation of test results. By the 3Rs ethical principle and animal welfare, an alternative non-invasive sampling method to screen herds could be a better option. Milk may be a major source for the large-scale spread of tuberculosis and to a considerable extent of paratuberculosis bacilli in humans. Keeping this in view, milk samples were utilized for the screening of herds employing acid-fast staining microscopic examination to determine the presence of Mycobacterium and other acid-fast bacilli (AFB). For the study, a total of 150 milk samples collected randomly from dairy herds of five major gaushalas of the Vrindavan and Mathura region of Uttar Pradesh, India were screened. Microscopic examination reveals the presence of AFB in 18 samples from 3 out of the 5 herds under study. In conclusion, the presence of the AFB in the milk being used for feeding calves and human consumption is alarming for both animal and human health aspects and requires confirmation on a large scale to control the further spread. Also, the study indicates the importance of milk samples microscopic examination for AFB as an alternative non-invasive procedure for initial screening of dairy herds for TB and pTB.

Particulate matter (PM) in the air has significant implications for human health and the environment, particularly in urban areas with high concentrations. This study focuses on the isotopic (δ13C and δ15N), elemental (CNS) as well as the total carbon to total nitrogen ratio (TC/TN) characterization of PM in Trombay, Mumbai. Monthly atmospheric dust samples were collected from 2016 to 2020 during the premonsoon and postmonsoon seasons. The average elemental concentrations for premonsoon samples were N (1.73% ± 0.25%), C (7.38% ± 0.72%), S (0.84% ± 0.13%), and TC/TN ratio (4.38 ± 0.86). For postmonsoon samples, the average elemental concentrations were N (1.47% ± 0.185%), C (6.95% ± 1.04%), S (0.84% ± 0.13%), and TC/TN ratio (4.80 ± 0.94). The average δ13C values for premonsoon and postmonsoon seasons were −24.31 ± 1.15‰ and −24.56 ± 1.20‰, respectively. The average δ15N values for premonsoon and postmonsoon seasons were 5.22 ± 1.92‰ and 4.57 ± 1.32‰, respectively. The results showed variations in elemental concentrations between the seasons, with higher values observed in premonsoon samples which can be attributed to increased dust generation from land and sea. Overall, this study provides insights into the local sources and characteristics of PM in the Trombay area and highlights the importance of long-term monitoring to understand the seasonal variations in PM composition.

Ground penetrating radar (GPR) has evolved over the years as a profound sensor-based investigation technique operating in a wide range of frequencies ranging from 250 to 1000 MHz and utilizing interaction of electromagnetic waves with subsurface to obtain a pseudo-image of the strata. Often due to constructional negligence and poor standards of construction, the pavement so constructed lacks structural strength and have poor compaction of construction material resulting into air pockets. During rainy season, water seeps into the pavement resulting into settling of sand and gravel underneath the pavement. Hence, when a heavy vehicle crosses over the road patch, it results in subsidence of that patch leading to casualties and property damage. In the present study, a system is developed for classification and identification of hazardous zones on a GPR image that can result in subsidence during rainy season. The system works on extraction of features from GPR response using discrete Fourier Transform. The GPR data collected at two sites in IIT Roorkee campus using 1 GHz antenna are fed to the support vector machine for training the classification system. It has been observed that presence of clay and trapping of water beneath the pavement resulted in subsidence of the patch. From the study, it can be deduced that the GPR can be used as a non-destructive tool for hazardous zone identification and pavement fault detection.

Back ground: Sports have witnessed remarkable development over the past few decades, primarily attributed to the pivotal role played by mental prowess. Sports individuals' intellectual quotient (IQ) and mental stability have become integral factors in their performance. This study focuses on the psychological aspect of stress in sports, analyzing the stress levels among residential and nonresidential male and female college and university players in Tamil Nadu. Purpose: This study aims to examine the stress levels exhibited by sportsmen and women during training and competition, emphasizing the need for psychological comprehension and counseling. Material and methodology: The survey involved 1600 subjects, including 400 residential men players, 400 residential women players, 400 nonresidential men players, and 400 nonresidential women players from various universities and colleges. A psychological stress coping questionnaire was administered to assess stress levels, including the Maslach Burnout Inventory and Reena Kaul and Bedi's stress scale (2001). Results: Significant differences in stress levels were observed among residential and nonresidential men players, with residential men players demonstrating higher stress levels (Mean = 50.14, SD = 0.09) compared to nonresidential men players (Mean = 46.41, SD = 0.15; t-value = 408.04, p < 0.05). A similar pattern was found among residential and nonresidential women players, with residential women players experiencing lower stress levels (Mean = 46.06, SD = 0.77) compared to nonresidential women players (Mean = 48.51, SD = 0.81; t-value = 41.64, p < 0.05). Furthermore, a significant difference in stress levels was observed between residential men and women players (t-value = 40.58, p < 0.05) and nonresidential men and women players (t-value = 8.74, p < 0.05). The analysis of stress variables revealed a substantial mean difference among all four groups, comprising men and women, residential and nonresidential university and college players (F-value = 4486.25, p < 0.05). Conclusion: This study concludes significant variations in stress levels among residential and nonresidential male and female college and university players in Tamil Nadu. The findings are supported by statistically significant differences in stress experiences within these player groups, emphasizing the need for psychological support and interventions in sports.

Abstract Background Irregular time series (ITS) are common in healthcare as patient data is recorded in an electronic health record (EHR) system as per clinical guidelines/requirements but not for research and depends on a patient’s health status. Due to irregularity, it is challenging to develop machine learning techniques to uncover vast intelligence hidden in EHR big data, without losing performance on downstream patient outcome prediction tasks. Methods In this paper, we propose Perceiver, a cross-attention-based transformer variant that is computationally efficient and can handle long sequences of time series in healthcare. We further develop continuous patient state attention models, using Perceiver and transformer to deal with ITS in EHR. The continuous patient state models utilise neural ordinary differential equations to learn patient health dynamics, i.e., patient health trajectory from observed irregular time steps, which enables them to sample patient state at any time. Results The proposed models’ performance on in-hospital mortality prediction task on PhysioNet-2012 challenge and MIMIC-III datasets is examined. Perceiver model either outperforms or performs at par with baselines, and reduces computations by about nine times when compared to the transformer model, with no significant loss of performance. Experiments to examine irregularity in healthcare reveal that continuous patient state models outperform baselines. Moreover, the predictive uncertainty of the model is used to refer extremely uncertain cases to clinicians, which enhances the model’s performance. Code is publicly available and verified at https://codeocean.com/capsule/4587224 . Conclusions Perceiver presents a computationally efficient potential alternative for processing long sequences of time series in healthcare, and the continuous patient state attention models outperform the traditional and advanced techniques to handle irregularity in the time series. Moreover, the predictive uncertainty of the model helps in the development of transparent and trustworthy systems, which can be utilised as per the availability of clinicians.

Abstract Succinic acid (SA) is one of the top platform chemicals with huge applications in diverse sectors. The presence of two carboxylic acid groups on the terminal carbon atoms makes SA a highly functional molecule that can be derivatized into a wide range of products. The biological route for SA production is a cleaner, greener, and promising technological option with huge potential to sequester the potent greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide. The recycling of renewable carbon of biomass (an indirect form of CO2), along with fixing CO2 in the form of SA, offers a carbon-negative SA manufacturing route to reduce atmospheric CO2 load. These attractive attributes compel a paradigm shift from fossil-based to microbial SA manufacturing, as evidenced by several commercial-scale bio-SA production in the last decade. The current review article scrutinizes the existing knowledge and covers SA production by the most efficient SA producers, including several bacteria and yeast strains. The review starts with the biochemistry of the major pathways accumulating SA as an end product. It discusses the SA production from a variety of pure and crude renewable sources by native as well as engineered strains with details of pathway/metabolic, evolutionary, and process engineering approaches for enhancing TYP (titer, yield, and productivity) metrics. The review is then extended to recent progress on separation technologies to recover SA from fermentation broth. Thereafter, SA derivatization opportunities via chemo-catalysis are discussed for various high-value products, which are only a few steps away. The last two sections are devoted to the current scenario of industrial production of bio-SA and associated challenges, along with the author's perspective.

Morphometric analysis plays a crucial role in the effective management of the surface as well as subsurface water resources. In the present study, ASTER DEM and Survey of India toposheets were utilized to characterize various morphological aspects of the Nandhour-Kalish watershed in Uttarakhand, India. In total, 12 sub-watersheds were determined using the SWAT 2012 in ArcGIS v10.4.1 and were coded as SW1–SW12. For each sub-watershed, 17 morphometric indices were estimated using Principal Component Analysis to determine the most influential indices or criteria of morphometric parameters in the context of the hydro-sedimentological response. The relative influence of identified criteria parameters was assessed using the Criteria Importance for Intercriteria Correlation (CRITIC) method. The developed sub-watersheds were then prioritized towards the prompt implementation of soil and water conservation measures. The results indicate that three sub-watersheds (SW2, SW3, and SW4) were categorized under a very high class of priority, while three (SW1, SW5, and SW6) were indexed under a high priority class. The study is an attempt to ease out the morphometry-based prioritization, which otherwise is relatively complex due to the availability of a large number of input parameters and ambiguity concerning parameter selection for the process of prioritization. HIGHLIGHTS Watershed prioritization in the Nandhour-Kalish River watershed, Uttarakhand, India.; Identification of the most influential parameters for surface runoff and sediment yield.; Watershed prioritization based on the CRITIC MCDM method with PCA for data reduction.; Proposing a standard operating procedure for morphometric analysis.; Sub-watershed priorities observed to be consistent with auxiliary information.;

This paper explores the impact of firms’ ESG performance on their trade credit financing and working capital efficiency, utilizing a sample of 586 Indian firms listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) from 2015 to 2022. The study offers robust evidence supporting the positive connection between superior ESG disclosure and trade credit, as well as the negative link between ESG disclosure and the cash conversion cycle. These findings underscore the role of ESG disclosure in increasing suppliers’ willingness to extend trade credit and facilitating efficient working capital management practices. The result shows that improved ESG disclosure practices increase payable turnover days and reduce both inventory turnover and receivable turnover days, reflecting the enhanced operational efficiency and market power of the firm.