Search

A novel MOF-derived Mn2O3-decorated MoS2-graphene (MMG) composite was prepared via a facile hydrothermal method. The synthesized MMG composite was characterized through PXRD, FT-IR spectroscopy, DRS, TEM, FESEM, XPS and PL techniques. The prepared pure Mn2O3 exhibits a nano-chain-like agglomerated morphology with an average particle size of 50 nm distributed on the MoS2 and graphene layer as indicated by TEM images. DRS studies reveal a band gap of 1.22 eV for the MMG hybrid, demonstrating that the MMG hybrid can be used as a visible light–active photocatalyst. The study shows that the MMG-3 catalyst is excellent for the degradation of penicillin G under visible light with a rate constant (kapp) of 1.1 × 10−1 min. The photodegradation of PG by the MMG catalyst was found to be significantly faster than that by individual MSG or Mn2O3. The synergistic effect of MoS2 and graphene and a higher charge separation in the composite are major factors for a higher photocatalytic activity of the MMG catalyst. Moreover, the MMG catalyst exhibits good photostability, which ensures its potential applications in wastewater treatment and other energy applications. Finally, the photocatalytic mechanism of the MMG hybrid under visible light is presented after performing some radical scavenger tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammatory bowel diseases comprising Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis have emerged as global diseases. Multiple distinct therapeutic mechanisms have allowed us to increase our rates of achieving remission and reducing permanent diseaserelated morbidity. However, there is limited data to inform relative positioning of different therapies. This review will summarize existing literature on use of clinical decision models to inform relative efficacy of one therapeutic mechanism compared to the other given individual patient characteristics. It will also demonstrate the value of serologic, transcriptomic (from biopsies), and microbiome-based biomarkers in identifying which therapy is most likely to work for a given patient. We will review the existing gaps in the literature in this field and suggest a path forward for future studies to better inform patient care, incorporating the principles of precision medicine in the management of inflammatory bowel disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic interactions in sol–gel‐derived bioactive magnetic glass–ceramics (MGCs) with compositions of (45 − x)SiO2·24.5CaO·24.5Na2O·6P2O5xFe2O3 (2 ≤ x ≥ 15 wt.%) have been investigated using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and temperature‐dependent magnetic susceptibility and magnetization (M–T) techniques. EPR spectra of the MGC samples revealed strong composition dependence in the intensity and linewidth of resonance absorptions at g ≈ 2.0 and g ≈ 4.3. EPR linewidth analysis showed the dominance of dipole–dipole interaction in MGC samples with iron oxide content ≤4 wt.% and a crossover to super‐exchange type interaction in samples with higher iron oxide content. Composition‐dependent magnetic interaction in these MGC could be related to Fe2+ and Fe3+ ion concentrations using high‐temperature magnetic susceptibility studies. Zero‐field cooled and field cooled M–T curves indicate different magnetic behavior for MGC samples with x ≤ 6 and x ≥ 8 wt.% iron oxide. Although the former show weak magnetic behavior, the latter exhibit superparamagnetic behavior which could be correlated with the percentage of magnetic phases present in each sample. These studies reveal composition‐dependent variation in dipolar and super‐exchange type interaction in the samples which could help in assessing these MGC for biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD), faceted structures are routinely observed on a variety of metal catalyst surfaces in the graphene-covered regions. In spite of having its bare surface flattened through high diffusivity and surface pre-melting at high temperatures, the graphene-covered copper surface still presents faceted structures. Using atomistic simulations, we show the role of graphene in the preservation of the faceted surface morphology at the graphene–copper interface, manifesting as a suppressant against surface melting and surface-specific diffusion. The results of our molecular dynamics simulations are consistent with our experimental observations and demonstrate the thermo-mechanical interfacial surface stabilization role of graphene. Our study provides an understanding applicable to most metal–graphene interfaces and is especially relevant to most metallic catalysts for graphene growth by CVD. Understanding the interaction between graphene and the catalyst surface structure is critical for producing ultra-flat and defect-free graphene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we demonstrated a Step‐scheme (S‐scheme) based S‐C3N4/Ce2Zr2O7 (SCN/CZ) organic‐inorganic heterostructure, which was synthesized by a facile wet chemical route. The photocatalyst was highly efficient for the remediation of organic pollutants (POPs), namely 2,4‐dichlorophenol (2,4‐DCP, 20 ppm), 4‐chlorophenol (4‐CP, 20 ppm), and phenol (20 ppm) via dehalogenation under visible light (λ≥420 nm). Our finding reveals that a 20 wt.% S‐C3N4 on the surface of the SCN/CZ hybrid is an optimum requirement for potential catalytic activity. We achieve excellent photocatalytic performances i. e. 94 % for 2,4‐DCP, 92 % for 4‐CP, and 90 % for phenol removal, respectively. It was identified that superoxide and hydroxyl radicals (O2⋅− and ⋅OH) are diligently participating in the reaction medium. However, the content of O2⋅− species is more, which we have quantified as ∼66 μM when 20 % SCN/CZ is used. Furthermore, we have established the reaction pathways via an S‐scheme mechanism, which has great importance for photocatalysis. The prepared catalyst is highly stable and reusable for more than five cycles. The work presented here can contribute to the new perspective for pollutant removal via the dehalogenation route over the S‐C3N4/Ce2Zr2O7 surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential for enhancing brain tumor segmentation with few-shot learning is enormous. While several deep learning networks (DNNs) show promising segmentation results, they all take a substantial amount of training data in order to yield appropriate results. Moreover, a prominent problem for most of these models is to perform well in unseen classes. To overcome these challenges, we propose a one-shot learning model to segment brain tumors on brain magnetic resonance images (MRI) based on a single prototype similarity score. With the use of recently developed few-shot learning techniques, where training and testing are carried out utilizing support and query sets of images, we attempt to acquire a definitive tumor region by focusing on slices containing foreground classes. It is unlike other recent DNNs that employed the entire set of images. The training of this model is carried out in an iterative manner where in each iteration, random slices containing foreground classes of randomly sampled data are selected as the query set, along with a different random slice from the same sample as the support set. In order to differentiate query images from class prototypes, we used a metric learning-based approach based on non-parametric thresholds. We employed the multimodal Brain Tumor Image Segmentation (BraTS) 2021 dataset with 60 training images and 350 testing images. The effectiveness of the model is evaluated using the mean dice score and mean IoU score. The experimental results provided a dice score of 83.42 which was greater than other works in the literature. Additionally, the proposed one-shot segmentation model outperforms the conventional methods in terms of computational time, memory usage, and the number of data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aims to classify normal and carcinogenic cells in the oral cavity using two different approaches with an eye towards achieving high accuracy. The first approach extracts local binary patterns and metrics derived from a histogram from the dataset and is fed to several machine-learning models. The second approach uses a combination of neural networks as a backbone feature extractor and a random forest for classification. The results show that information can be learnt effectively from limited training images using these approaches. Some approaches use deep learning algorithms to generate a bounding box that can locate the suspected lesion. Other approaches use handcrafted textural feature extraction techniques and feed the resultant feature vectors to a classification model. The proposed method will extract the features pertaining to the images using pre-trained convolution neural networks (CNN) and train a classification model using the resulting feature vectors. By using the extracted features from a pre-trained CNN model to train a random forest, the problem of requiring a large amount of data to train deep learning models is bypassed. The study selected a dataset consisting of 1224 images, which were divided into two sets with varying resolutions.The performance of the model is calculated based on accuracy, specificity, sensitivity, and the area under curve (AUC). The proposed work is able to produce a highest test accuracy of 96.94% and an AUC of 0.976 using 696 images of 400× magnification and a highest test accuracy of 99.65% and an AUC of 0.9983 using only 528 images of 100× magnification images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taiwan's oyster industry produces shell waste in abundant quantities every year. This study explored the feasibility of applying this resource as a simple and low-cost disinfectant to improve the microbial quality of harvested rainwater. Critical parameters affecting the disinfection efficacy of calcined oyster shell particles, i.e., heating temperature and duration, dosage, and contact time of the calcined shell material against Bacillus subtilis endospores in rainwater, were investigated. A central composite design of response surface methodology was employed to study the relative effects. As estimated from R² coefficients, a quadratic model was identified to predict the response variable satisfactorily. Results indicated that the heating temperature, dosage, and contact time of the calcined material in the rainwater significantly influenced (p < 0.05) the sporicidal effect, consistent with the prior literature on calcined shells of similar nature. However, heating time had a relatively low influence on the sporicidal impact, suggesting that the rate of shell activation, i.e., conversion of the carbonate compound in the shell material to oxide, occurs rapidly at high calcination temperatures. In addition, the sterilization kinetics for heated oyster shell particles in aqueous media under stagnant storage conditions were investigated and found to be in good agreement with Hom's model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The objective of the current study was to describe outcomes on physiological and perceptual measures of auditory function in human listeners with and without a history of recreational firearm noise exposure related to hunting. Design: This study assessed the effects of hunting-related recreational firearm noise exposure on audiometric thresholds, oto-acoustic emissions (OAEs), brainstem neural representation of fundamental frequency (F0) in frequency following responses (FFRs), tonal middle-ear muscle reflex (MEMR) thresholds, and behavioral tests of auditory processing in 20 young adults with normal hearing sensitivity. Results: Performance on both physiological (FFR, MEMR) and perceptual (behavioral auditory processing tests) measures of auditory function were largely similar across participants, regardless of hunting-related recreational noise exposure. On both behavioral and neural measures including different listening conditions, performance degraded as difficulty of listening condition increased for both nonhunter and hunter participants. A right-ear advantage was observed in tests of dichotic listening for both nonhunter and hunter participants. Conclusion: The null results in the current study could reflect an absence of cochlear synaptopathy in the participating cohort, variability related to participant characteristics and/or test protocols, or an insensitivity of the selected physiological and behavioral auditory measures to noise-induced synaptopathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research aims to determine the sources and concentration of uranium in the groundwater of the hard rock aquifer. Two hundred and fifty-four groundwater samples were collected, and the analysis shows the uranium concentrations range from 0.5 to 113 ppb (pre-monsoon) and 0.5 to 120 ppb (post-monsoon). Factor analysis illustrates that the lower concentrations of uranium in the study region may be due to the poor dissolution of minerals in the subsurface. Saturation Index values confirm that the Uraninite mineral is undersaturated, and the U4O9 has dominant distribution during both seasons. During both seasons, four samples have a uranium concentration of more than 60 ppb, which might be due to the fertilizer usage in the agricultural activities in the study area. The GIS technique highlights the uranium-contaminated location and polluted water quality parameters using the Inverse Distance Weighted spatial interpolation plots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural fibers are being extensively used in recent technological and structural applications due to the need for biodegradable materials. This paper deals with extraction of new cellulosic fiber from the stem of Nelumbo nucifera (Nn) (lotus) and the investigations via physical, structural and thermal properties on the alkali-treated fiber were carried out. The XRD analysis of the Nn fiber provides the crystallinity index of about 52.53% that implies its high crystalline structure and own associated strength. The FTIR analysis proves the presence of alcoholic and alpha keto carboxylic acid in Nn fiber. Thermal stability of Nn composite is found around 210°C and the TGA results prove that the extracted as well as alkali-treated fibers provide a good reinforcement to the matrix, which can be well synthesized mechanically improved biocomposites. Test samples of three different weight % of Nn fiber with the epoxy basement are designated as L10, L15 and L20 to measure the tensile and flexural strength. Test sample with L20 as weight % exhibits better Young's and flexural modulus. Alkali treated Nn composite is an important candidate for the natural fiber reinforcement and such a category can serve as a good material for household applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetic retinal disease (DRD) is the leading cause of blindness among working-aged individuals with diabetes. In the United States, underserved and minority populations are disproportionately affected by diabetic retinopathy and other diabetes-related health outcomes. In this narrative review, we describe racial disparities in the prevalence and screening of diabetic retinopathy, as well as the wide-range of disparities associated with social determinants of health (SDOH), which include socioeconomic status, geography, health-care access, and education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remediation of water pollutants from water using various techniques is a highly focused area in recent years, and visible light-aided photocatalysis is an emerging technique in this field. Although semiconductor materials such as TiO2 or ZnO are commonly used catalysts, they have certain important limitations such as activation only under UV light, stability for reuse, and difficulties in the separation from treated waters. In this study, we attempt to prepare a TiO2-based hybrid that could be active under visible light and separable from the reaction medium by the magnetic method. Among various water pollutants, plastic industry leach-outs have been a major concern in recent years. Hence, bisphenol A (BPA) was chosen as a model pollutant in this study, which is also a known leaching chemical from PET. The magnetic composite, Fe3O4–carbon, was prepared hydrothermally using D -gluconic acid as a carbon source, and then modified wet chemically to obtain the TiO2-containing composite. The degradation of BPA offered up to 95% (15 ppm BPA, 1 g L−1 catalyst dose) upon irradiation under visible light with a significant rate constant of 1.3 × 10−2 min−1. The photodegraded intermediates formed in the reaction were traced using the GC-MS technique. The importance of the carbon component in the material was studied in detail by thermal treatment at different temperatures, varying the amount of the carbon content and carbon layer, comparison with the physical mixture, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public health emergencies (PHEs), such as the COVID-19 crisis, are threats to global health and public order. We recommend that countries bolster their PHE responses by investing in health technology assessment (HTA), defined as a systematic process of gathering pertinent information on and evaluating health technologies from a medical, economic, social and ethical standpoint. We present examples of how HTA organizations in low- and middle-income countries have adapted to supporting PHE-related decisions during COVID-19 and describe the ways HTA can help the response to a PHE. In turn, we advocate for HTA capacity to be further developed globally and for increased institutional acceptance of these methods as a building block for preparedness and response to future PHEs. Finally, the long-term potential of HTA in strengthening health systems and embedding confidence and transparency into scientific policy should be recognized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of small amounts of replacement of Mn with Co/Fe on the structural, magnetic, and magneto-caloric properties of polycrystalline off-stoichiometric Ni-Mn-In Heusler alloy films has been investigated. An enhancement in Curie temperature (TC) up to 317 K was observed upon Fe substitution. The change in magnetic entropy (ΔSM) and refrigeration capacity (RC) across the second order ferromagnetic to paramagnetic phase transition increased significantly upon substituting Fe/Co in Mn sites. ΔSM (RC) estimated for a magnetic field change of 18 kOe near TC increased from −7.93 × 104 erg/cc K (1.98 × 106 erg/cc) to −12.79 × 104 erg/cc K (2.82 × 106 erg/cc) and −9.99 × 104 erg/cc K (2.60 × 106 erg/cc) in ∼3 at. % Fe and Co substituted Ni-Mn-In films, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The objective of this study was to determine if and how the subcortical neural representation of pitch cues in listeners with normal hearing is affected by systematic manipulation of vocoder parameters. Method: This study assessed the effects of temporal envelope cutoff frequency (50 and 500 Hz), number of channels (1-32), and carrier type (sine-wave and noise-band) on brainstem neural representation of fundamental frequency (fo) in frequency-following responses (FFRs) to vocoded vowels of 15 young adult listeners with normal hearing. Results: Results showed that FFR fo strength (quantified as absolute fo magnitude divided by noise floor [NF] magnitude) significantly improved with 500-Hz vs. 50-Hz temporal envelopes for all channel numbers and both carriers except the 1-channel noise-band vocoder. FFR fo strength with 500-Hz temporal envelopes significantly improved when the channel number increased from 1 to 2, but it either declined (sine-wave vocoders) or saturated (noise-band vocoders) when the channel number increased from 4 to 32. FFR fo strength with 50-Hz temporal envelopes was similarly small for both carriers with all channel numbers, except for a significant improvement with the 16-channel sine-wave vocoder. With 500-Hz temporal envelopes, FFR fo strength was significantly greater for sine-wave vocoders than for noise-band vocoders with channel numbers 1-8; no significant differences were seen with 16 and 32 channels. With 50-Hz temporal envelopes, the carrier effect was only observed with 16 channels. In contrast, there was no significant carrier effect for the absolute fo magnitude. Compared to sine-wave vocoders, noise-band vocoders had a higher NF and thus lower relative FFR fo strength. Conclusions: It is important to normalize the fo magnitude relative to the NF when analyzing the FFRs to vocoded speech. The physiological findings reported here may result from the availability of fo-related temporal periodicity and spectral sidelobes in vocoded signals and should be considered when selecting vocoder parameters and interpreting results in future physiological studies. In general, the dependence of brainstem neural phase-locking strength to fo on vocoder parameters may confound the comparison of pitch-related behavioral results across different vocoder designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of the study is to compare and evaluate the validity and reliability of tooth widths and Bolton ratios measured from digital models obtained from intraoral scanners and plaster models derived from alginate and polyvinyl siloxane impression materials. Materials and Methods: Alginate and polyvinylsiloxane impression was taken for 40 subjects, orthokal stone was poured and grouped as Group I and Group II, respectively. Intraoral scanning was done using Trios Pod 3shape for the same patients, digital models were obtained and grouped as Group III. OrthoAnalyzer software was used for obtaining measurements in digital models and Aerospace Vernier calipers in plaster models. The validity and reliability of the three groups were quantified and compared. Results: Validity measurements showed significant differences between tooth widths and Bolton ratios obtained from digital models and plaster models indicating higher accuracy for plaster models whereas reliability coefficients were excellent for digital models indicating better reproducibility of values. Conclusion: The study shows significant differences in accuracy on measuring with vernier calipers and Orthoanalyzer software showing plaster models are still better than digital models for measuring tooth widths and bolton ratios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While the role of anti-drug antibodies in mediating loss of response to infliximab (IFX) is known, it is possible that there are different clinical implications for high compared to low titers of antibodies to infliximab (ATI). The impact of ATI titer on efficacy of subsequent anti-TNF treatment has not been established previously. Methods: This is a multicenter retrospective cohort study of individuals with IBD who discontinued infliximab due to development of ATI and were subsequently switched to adalimumab therapy. IFX anti-drug antibody titer level was measured using Mayo or Esoterix assays. We examined clinical and endoscopic response to adalimumab at 3 months, 12 months, and 2 years. Results: Our study included 90 patients (69 CD, 17 UC, 4 CD of the ileoanal pouch) with IBD. The median antibody titer levels for the Esoterix (208 u/mL) or Mayo clinic laboratory (236 u/mL) were similar (p > 0. 50). Patients with high ATI titers (median 824 u/ml, IQR 405–1250 u/ml) were as likely to respond to adalimumab as those with low titers (median 76u/ml, IQR 41–129 u/ml). At 3 months and 12 months, the rates of clinical response/remission to adalimumab therapy were 78% and 77%, respectively, among those with high ATI titers and 81% and 84% among those with low ATI titers (p = 0.81 and 0.62, respectively). In patients who initiated a different therapeutic mechanism after adalimumab, the response rates were similar to that observed with adalimumab. Conclusions: The presence of high titers of anti-drug antibodies to IFX is not predictive of treatment failure with adalimumab. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mace derived from the arils of Myristica fragrans, is red in colour, whereas the present study reports the evaluation of Myristica fragrans with yellow arils. Morphological features of fruits of M. fragrans with yellow arils and that of common red aril variant from cultivated locations in Kerala, South India, were similar. The average mace yield was higher for the yellow arils (2.5 kg plant-1) than the red arils (2.0 kg plant-1). The volatile chemical profiling revealed that the essential oil yield of the yellow mace (19.3% v/w) was more than twofold higher than standard red mace (9.2% v/w). GC-MS analysis showed that the distribution of monoterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids, and phenylpropanoids were similar in both the varieties, except for the percentage distribution. The major constituents of mace of both the red and yellow types were α-pinene, and sabinene followed by elemicin and safrole. Though an exotic species, M. fragrans has been naturalized in south India, and several high-yielding varieties have been reported from the region. The present study highlights nutmeg with yellow arils as a potential spice crop with high oil yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field of advertisements is getting evolved with the inclusion of Artificial-Intelligence in terms of computational advertising; audio, video and text based automated brand generated contents; omni-channel communications and improved consumer engagement. Despite this rapid growth, the reduced involvement of human aspect in this process questions its effectiveness in the long run. In developing a model for an effective automated brand-generated content, Noort et al (2020) had raised an apprehension related to consumers’ perceptions of brand content generated by AI. Our empirical paper aims to address specifically the uncertainty of creativity in AI-aided advertisements and to find if there is any significant difference in consumers’ perception between AI-aided and human-alone generated advertisements. Our research design which includes convenient sampling and online survey to collect consumers’ preferences between two advertisements of the same luxury car brand (one created by humans and the other AI-aided) answers to the apprehension of AI-generated advertisements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enzymes are extensively studied for its use in production of bioactive peptides, and due to their great potential they find enomorus commercial applications. The study is use of purified protease in protein hydrolysis for bioactive peptide production and its applications. The protein rich natural sources such as spirulina, yeast, casein, soy protein and β-lactoglobulin were selected and were prepared as protein substrates of protease. Upon reaction, the peptides samples were analysed for their antioxidant, antimicrobial and antithrombotic properties. Antioxidant activities and potential of the protease from Bacillus sp. to generate antibacterial peptides from different natural protein sources was also studied. The results of antithrombotic activity of bioactive peptides from different protein sources indicated inhibitory activities on the thrombin-catalyzed coagulation of fibrinogen. The potent inhibitory effects were observed for casein peptides. The peptides were termed bioactive peptides as they exhibited the above mentioned activities. The bioactive peptides were also characterized and profile of its amino acid content was determined. The presence and characterization of bioactive peptides were confirmed by Tricine-SDS-PAGE and LC-MS-MS analysis. The results were analyzed for the presence of essential amino acids. The results indicated that the protein peptides have potential applications as food supplements. As the protease hydrolyzed peptides containing hydrophobic amino acids, are much useful in reducing the bitterness by removing these amino acids. Therefore, Bacillus sp. protease may have the scope to eliminate the bitter taste by selective hydrolysis of bitter peptides and may offer possibilities for debittering of protein hydrolysates and utilization of non-conventional food sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interface between fluid mechanics and machine learning has ushered in a new avenue of scientific inquiry for complex fluid flow problems. This paper presents the development of a reduced-order predictive framework for the fast and accurate estimation of internal flowfields in two classes of scramjet intakes for hypersonic airbreathing propulsion. Proper orthogonal decomposition is employed as a reduced-order model while the moving least squares-based regression model and the multilayer perceptron-based neural network technique are employed. The samples required for the training process are generated using a sampling strategy, such as Latin hypercube sampling, or obtained as an outcome of multi-objective optimization. The study explores the flowfield estimation capability of this framework for the two test cases, each representing a unique type of scramjet intake. The importance of tuning the user-defined parameters as well as the use of multiple reduced-order bases instead of a global basis are highlighted. It is also demonstrated that the bias involved in the generation of input samples in an optimization problem can potentially be utilized to build a reduced-order predictive framework while using only a moderate number of training samples. This offers the potential to significantly reduce the computational time involved in expensive optimization problems, especially those relying on a population-based approach to identify global optimal solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is accelerated by the widespread and often indiscriminate use of antimicrobials in humans, animals, and the environment. In 2015, the World Health Organization recognised AMR as one of the top ten global health threats, due to its potential to neutralise humanity's advancements in western medicine by enabling the emergence of new strains of existing pathogens, many of which have no available treatments. Over the past decade, several countries, including those in low- and middle-income contexts, have started implementing interventions to tackle AMR. However, economic evidence regarding the cost-effectiveness of these interventions remains weak. To address this evidence gap, we will conduct a systematic literature review to provide a comprehensive summary on the value for money of different AMR interventions. Methods: We aim to conduct a systematic literature review of all available economic evaluations on interventions addressing AMR and will provide a narrative synthesis of our findings. Systematic searches for relevant studies will be performed across all suitable databases as well as in grey literature sources such as unpublished studies, reports, and other relevant documents. All economic evaluation studies will be included as long as they report an economic outcome and have stated that the analysed intervention will reduce antimicrobial resistance or antimicrobial use in the abstract. Those studies reporting clinical endpoints alone will be excluded. Selection for final inclusion and data extraction will be performed by two independent reviewers. Discussion: The review will be one of the first of its kind, and the most recent, to systematically review literature on the cost-effectiveness of AMR interventions, an important evidence gap in the economics of AMR. The findings will enable policy and decision-makers, particularly in resource-constrained settings, to better use available resources when selecting interventions to address AMR burdens, Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42020190310 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A water-soluble Schiff base, 2,3-bis((E)-(2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene)amino) propanoic acid (ODA) prepared by condensing o-vanillin and DL-2,3-diaminopropionic acid was evaluated as an efficient "turn on" fluorescent chemosensor for the selective recognition of Al3+ and Zn2+ ions in presence of several interfering metal ions (detection limit; for Al3+ = 1.82 nM, Zn2+ = 7.06 nM). The probe also shows a selective chromogenic behavior towards Al3+ and Zn2+ ions that the naked eye can view. The binding stoichiometry was determined using 1H-NMR titration and ESI-MS spectrometry. The sensing mechanism is due to the inhibition of ESIPT and isomerization of -C=N of ODA on complexation with Al3+/Zn2+. The intramolecular hydrogen bonding energy and the critical bond energy in ODA-Al3+/Zn2+ were calculated using QTAIM analysis. The Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) plates and strip papers loaded with ODA were used to test the practical applications for sensing Al3+ and Zn2+ ions. Moreover, the probe has been used for live-cell imaging to detect Al3+ and Zn2+ ions in hepatoma C3A and human glioblastoma U87 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The brain's small-world network utilizes its short-range and long-range synaptic connections to process information in a complex and energy-efficient manner. To emulate the former, neuromorphic hardware typically leverages the conductance switching properties of thin-film dielectrics and semiconductors. Because these materials offer low ion mobilities, long-range connections built from thicker dielectrics require impractically-large forming voltages. To overcome this intrinsic shortcoming of solid-state active media, we present in this paper a simple Ag–H2O–Au cell that takes advantage of the relatively high ion mobility offered by deionized water to enable programmable connectivity switches between neurons separated by large gaps (∼40 µm). We introduce dual voltage programming schemes that allow the switch conductance to be modulated in analog and digital steps. When operating in the analog mode, the switch conductance could be potentiated and depressed over a relatively large (3.5×) range. In the digital mode, the Ag–H2O–Au switch delivered a high ON/OFF current ratio of ∼600 and sustained this margin over 200 switching cycles. Additionally, both switch states could be maintained for at least 3 h without external power. We show that unlike their solid-state counterparts, the water-gap in the Ag–H2O–Au cell can be easily refreshed without compromising the switching functionality. These attributes of Ag–H2O–Au switches in addition to their biocompatibility and simple design make them attractive for neuromorphic wetware implementations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, utilization of solar light for chemical reactions has become a popular approach. Inspired by nature, we fabricated a ternary system, BiOI‐CD‐CdS, which is more durable and shows multiple photocatalytic applications. The incorporated carbon dots (CD) serve as a solid‐state electron mediator and Z‐scheme facilitator. The material was employed for photooxidative degradation of 4‐nitrophenol (a pollutant) and selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol into the corresponding aldehyde in an acetonitrile medium. In this study, 10 wt % BiOI‐CD‐CdS (denoted as 10 wt % BCC) shows the highest photocatalytic performance compared to the individual semiconductors BiOI and CdS, and gave a degradation rate constant (k) of 12.67×10−3 min−1 (4‐nitrophenol), which is 17.5 times and 6.5 times higher than its individual components. Moreover, the catalyst offers a 90 % conversion of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde with high selectivity (98 %). Directed by mechanistic insight, the charge transfer process was observed between BiOI and CdS, where CD serves as an electron mediator/charge separator. The radicals formed by the photocatalysis are superoxide (O2.−), hydroxyl radicals (.OH), and holes (h+). The intermediates and mechanistic pathways were traced using HPLC, GC‐MS, and EPR studies. Moreover, the work demonstrated a smart strategy for designing a ternary Z‐scheme photocatalytic system, which could be useful for environmental decontamination and selective organic transformation under visible light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider the problem of estimating the average treatment effect (ATE) in a semi‐supervised learning setting, where a very small proportion of the entire set of observations are labeled with the true outcome but features predictive of the outcome are available among all observations. This problem arises, for example, when estimating treatment effects in electronic health records (EHR) data because gold‐standard outcomes are often not directly observable from the records but are observed for a limited number of patients through small‐scale manual chart review. We develop an imputation‐based approach for estimating the ATE that is robust to misspecification of the imputation model. This effectively allows information from the predictive features to be safely leveraged to improve efficiency in estimating the ATE. The estimator is additionally doubly‐robust in that it is consistent under correct specification of either an initial propensity score model or a baseline outcome model. It is also locally semiparametric efficient under an ideal semi‐supervised model where the distribution of the unlabeled data is known. Simulations exhibit the efficiency and robustness of the proposed method compared to existing approaches in finite samples. We illustrate the method by comparing rates of treatment response to two biologic agents for treatment inflammatory bowel disease using EHR data from Partners' Healthcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clostridioides difficile is the most common cause of healthcare-associated diarrhea. Disease complications as well as recurrent infections contribute significantly to morbidity and mortality. Over the past decades, there has been a rapid increase in the incidence of C. difficile infection (CDI), with a rise in the number of community-acquired cases. CDI has a profound economic impact on both the healthcare system and patients, secondary to recurrences, hospitalization, prolonged length of stay, cost of treatment, and indirect societal costs. With emergence of newer treatment options, the standard of care is shifting from metronidazole and vancomycin towards fidaxomicin and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), which despite being more expensive, are more efficacious in preventing recurrences and hence overall are more beneficial forms of therapy per cost-effectiveness analyses. Data regarding preferred route of FMT, timing of FMT, and non-conventional therapies such as bezlotoxumab is scant. There is a need for further studies to elucidate the true attributable costs of CDI as well as continued cost-effectiveness research to reduce the economic burden associated with the disease and improve clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insulin signaling in Drosophila has a significant role in regulating growth, metabolism, fecundity, stress response, and longevity. The molecular mechanism by which insulin signaling regulates these vital processes is dependent on the nutrient status and oxygen availability of the organism. In a genetic screen to identify novel genes that regulate Drosophila insulin signaling, we discovered lumens interrupted (lint), a gene that has previously been shown to act in tracheal development. The knockdown of lint gene expression using a Dilp2Gal4 driver which expresses in the neuronal insulin producing cells (IPCs), led to defects in systemic insulin signaling, metabolic status and growth. However, our analysis of lint knockdown phenotypes revealed that downregulation of lint in the trachea and not IPCs was responsible for the growth phenotypes, as the Gal4 driver is also expressed in the tracheal system. We found various tracheal terminal branch defects, including reduction in the length as well as number of branches in the lint knockdown background. Our study reveals that substantial effects of lint downregulation arose because of tracheal defects, which induced tissue hypoxia, altered systemic insulin/TOR signaling, and resulted in effects on developmental growth regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though after the failure of two drug classes surgery was recommended, the patient's preferences led to pursuit of alternative therapeutic strategies including a partial elemental diet and ultimately initiation of ustekinumab therapy, which had not been approved for the treatment of UC at the time of induction. Keywords: Inflammatory bowel diseases; Ulcerative colitis; Biologic; Remission; Non-responder; Ustekinumab; Anti-TNF EN Inflammatory bowel diseases Ulcerative colitis Biologic Remission Non-responder Ustekinumab Anti-TNF 733 737 5 03/08/21 20210301 NES 210301 A profile of Rahul S. Dalal is available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-021-06853-2. Welty et al. recently performed a systematic review and network meta-analysis comparing ustekinumab to all other advanced therapies for UC and found that at 1 year, ustekinumab was associated with a higher Bayesian probability of clinical response, remission, and endoscopic mucosal healing compared with all agents [[7]]. Here we present a unique case in which a young patient with moderately active pan-UC failed to achieve a primary endoscopic response and maintain clinical response to both infliximab and vedolizumab therapies despite dose escalation. [Extracted from the article]

Clostridioides difficile is the most common cause of healthcare-associated diarrhea. Disease complications as well as recurrent infections contribute significantly to morbidity and mortality. Over the past decades, there has been a rapid increase in the incidence of C. difficile infection (CDI), with a rise in the number of community-acquired cases. CDI has a profound economic impact on both the healthcare system and patients, secondary to recurrences, hospitalization, prolonged length of stay, cost of treatment, and indirect societal costs. With emergence of newer treatment options, the standard of care is shifting from metronidazole and vancomycin towards fidaxomicin and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), which despite being more expensive, are more efficacious in preventing recurrences and hence overall are more beneficial forms of therapy per cost-effectiveness analyses. Data regarding preferred route of FMT, timing of FMT, and non-conventional therapies such as bezlotoxumab is scant. There is a need for further studies to elucidate the true attributable costs of CDI as well as continued cost-effectiveness research to reduce the economic burden associated with the disease and improve clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qualitative determination of bisphenol A (BPA) is imperative as it has an endocrine-disrupting nature in humans. The main objective of the current work is to fabricate an efficient chemical modifier for the electrochemical determination of BPA. Though various studies have been reported in sensing of BPA electrochemically, the exploration of cage-like POSS (polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane)-based silica chemical modifiers has not been reported so far. Due to their high surface area, fast electron transfer, and functionalities, these POSS based silica materials can act as an efficient chemical modifier over a glassy carbon (GC) surface, POSS@GCE. In this work, three different POSS based silica materials were used which are functionalized using tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS), (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane (MPTMS), and vinyltrimethoxysilane (VTES) to obtain POSS-OH, POSS-SH, and POSS-vinyl, respectively. These silica materials were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) techniques were employed for the electrochemical studies. Under the optimized conditions, while comparing these three materials' electrochemical response, POSS-vinyl showed higher sensitivity with a lower detection range of 0.749–7.49 μM in DPV analysis followed by POSS-SH and POSS-OH. Scan rate studies done with CV showed that the determination of BPA with the aforementioned chemical modifiers was a completely diffusion-controlled process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tuberculosis prevalence surveys have demonstrated the benefit of screening with chest x-ray (CXR) and sensitive diagnostic tests compared to symptoms and smear microscopy. However, in programmatic practice there is little evidence on the yield of different algorithms. We implemented contact tracing in Chennai, India for adult sputum-positive TB patients registered from January 2015 to March 2016. Patients with symptoms or abnormal X-ray findings further underwent testing using Xpert MTB/RIF (Xpert) and smear microscopy. A retrospective cohort study was done to summarize the key findings. We verbally screened 5553 contacts for symptoms, CXR through private sector collaboration, Xpert, and smear microscopy. Overall, 1312 (23.6%) contacts screened positive. CXR alone identified 531 (40.5%) of them, 679 (51.8%) were symptom-positive only, while 102 (7.8%) were positive on both the symptom and CXR screen. Overall, 35 bacteriologically positive cases were identified (0.7%). A standard approach of symptoms screening followed by microscopy identified only 9 (25.7%) of the total number of bacteriologically positive cases, whereas the combination of a CRX screening followed by microscopy identified 13 (37.1%) of the cases. The algorithm of symptoms screening followed by Xpert testing, detected 20 cases, whereas the combination of symptoms and CXR followed by Xpert increased this number to 35 (75% increase compared to symptoms and Xpert). Optimal use of more sensitive screening tests, better diagnostic tests, and novel private sector engagement can improve diagnostic yield in a programmatic setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To compare radiation dose and image quality for abdominal CTs performed on a spectral detector CT (SDCT) and a comparable single-energy conventional CT scanner for patients of different sizes. Methods: Four semi-anthropomorphic phantoms were scanned on an SDCT (IQon, Philips Healthcare) and a comparable single-energy CT (iCT 256, Philips Healthcare) under matched scan parameters. Image noise and radiation dose were compared. For the HIPAA-compliant, IRB-approved retrospective cohort patient study, radiation dose was compared after adjusting for patient water equivalent diameter. Difference in subjective and objective image quality was assessed on a subset of 50 patients scanned on both scanners by two readers. Results: CTDIvol and noise from SDCT were higher than conventional CT for all phantoms, with a relative difference of 7.8% (range 5.3–14%) for radiation dose and average difference of 9.0% (range 5.5–11%) for noise. 718 SDCT and 937 conventional CT patients were included in the patient study. CTDIvol for SDCT patients tends to be lower for smaller patients (− 2%, 95% confidence interval (− 5%, − 0.2%) for 200 mm water equivalent diameter) and higher for larger patients compared to conventional CT (8%, (6%, 11%) for 400 mm). No difference was seen for subjective image quality, SNR, CNR, or image noise between the two scanners, except for higher image noise in the portal vein and higher signal in the aorta on SDCT. Conclusion: Radiation dose for abdominal CT performed on SDCT is similar to the dose on a conventional CT for average size patients, lower for smaller patients, and slightly higher for larger patients. Image quality is similar between the two scanners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to investigate whether a 3D printed beta-tricalcium phosphate (Î?-TCP) scaffold tethered with growth factors and fibrin glue implanted autologous bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells would provide a 3D platform for bone regeneration resulting in new bone formation with plasticity. Twenty 3D printed Î?-TCP scaffolds, ten scaffolds engrained with osteogenic mesenchymal stem cells with fibrin glue (group A), and ten scaffolds used as a control group with Î?-TCP scaffold and fibrin glue inoculation only (group B) were included in the study. Cell infiltration, migration, and proliferation of human osteogenic stem cells on the scaffolds were executed under both static and dynamic culture conditions. Each scaffold was examined post culture after repeated changes in the nutrient medium at 2, 4 or 8 weeks and assessed for opacity and formation of any bone-like tissues macroscopic, radiographic, and microscopic evaluation. Significant changes in all the prerequisite parameters compiled with an evaluated difference of significance showing maxillofacial skeletal repair via tissue engineering by Î?-TCP scaffold and MSCs remains will be the most promising alternative to autologous bone grafts and numerous modalities involving a variety of stem cells, growth factors from platelet-rich fibrin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cynoglossum zeylanicum Lehm belongs to Boraginaceae family, abundantly found in the eastern Himalayan region. It has been traditionally used in the Mishmi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh for women's reproduction regulation. The present study was intended to determine the phytoconstituents present in the root bark of the plant and their stochastic nature of ligand binding affinity to human estrogen receptors (ERα and ERβ) and progesterone receptor (PR). The plant was collected from Lower Dibang Valley district of Arunachal Pradesh. Methanol was taken as a solvent system for extract preparation. The phytoconstituents present in the plant were studied by GC/MS analysis and further analyzed by molecular docking with hER and hPR. GC/MS result showed a total of 41 compounds, out of which 9 phytocompounds namely Hexadecanoic acid, Octadecanoic acid, Acetyllycopsamine, Chempestorol, Demecolcine, Fumaric acid, Gamma-sitosterol, 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural and Homatropine were selected as ligands for docking studies. Five compounds were found to have a high affinity for ER and PR out of which Demecolcine showed the highest affinity for ERβ (-54.47 kcal/mol) and PR (-56.33 kcal/mol). Our present study is the first-ever report on the crude root bark extract of Cynoglossum zeylanicum which contains compounds that showed binding affinity with ovarian steroid hormones. Isolation and further investigation on the biological effects of these phytocompounds in vivo/in vitro, may lead to new nonsteroidal drugs (herbal medicine) formulation to address problems in female reproductive health with minimal side effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a new approach to monitor drug release from nanocarriers via a paclitaxel–methylene blue conjugate (PTX‐MB) with redox activity. This construct is in a photoacoustically silent reduced state inside poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (PTX‐MB@PLGA NPs). During release, PTX‐MB is spontaneously oxidized to produce a concentration‐dependent photoacoustic signal. An in vitro drug‐release study showed an initial burst release (25 %) between 0–24 h and a sustained release between 24–120 h with a cumulative release of 40.6 % and a 670‐fold increase in photoacoustic signal. An in vivo murine drug release showed a photoacoustic signal enhancement of up to 649 % after 10 hours. PTX‐MB@PLGA NPs showed an IC50 of 78 μg mL−1 and 44.7±4.8 % decrease of tumor burden in an orthotopic model of colon cancer via luciferase‐positive CT26 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a new approach to monitor drug release from nanocarriers via a paclitaxel–methylene blue conjugate (PTX‐MB) with redox activity. This construct is in a photoacoustically silent reduced state inside poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (PTX‐MB@PLGA NPs). During release, PTX‐MB is spontaneously oxidized to produce a concentration‐dependent photoacoustic signal. An in vitro drug‐release study showed an initial burst release (25 %) between 0–24 h and a sustained release between 24–120 h with a cumulative release of 40.6 % and a 670‐fold increase in photoacoustic signal. An in vivo murine drug release showed a photoacoustic signal enhancement of up to 649 % after 10 hours. PTX‐MB@PLGA NPs showed an IC50 of 78 μg mL−1 and 44.7±4.8 % decrease of tumor burden in an orthotopic model of colon cancer via luciferase‐positive CT26 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The photocatalytic reduction of CO2 with its simultaneous functionalization is a profound journey to achieve under an ambient condition. In the current research, precedence exists for the formation of HCHO, HCOOH, CO, CH4, and CH3OH after the reduction of CO2 under suitable conditions. In this progression, HCHO is considered to be a reactive molecule, which occurs in the photocatalysis under suitable condition observed in the photocatalytic process. Herein, we report CO2 reduction to formaldehyde via heterogeneous photocatalysis in an aqueous medium at pH 7. The as-synthesized hybrid photocatalyst is capable of being active under visible light (λ > 420 nm) by utilizing the heteroleptic ruthenium metal complex over TiO2 nanoparticles via covalent interactions. The major reaction product was identified as formaldehyde, while trace amounts of CO and CH4 were also detected in the presence of triethanolamine (TEOA) as a sacrificial donor. The maximum turnover number (720) for HCHO was obtained based on the metal complex used over the surface after 5 h visible light irradiation. Furthermore, formaldehyde (in situ) was utilized for the reaction with primary amines (aniline, 4-aminobenzoic acid) to form the corresponding imines under visible light. Directed by mechanistic studies, the results indicate for the first time that the C1 reduced product of CO2 in a heterogeneous medium can be utilized for synthesis of useful products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of cardiac output monitoring application of impedance cardiography a miniature impedance cardiograph has been developed, which is based on an application specific integrated circuit (analog front end chip AFE4300). Carrier current capability of this chip has been enhanced four times (up to 3.2 milliamperes) for cardiology applications with the help of an external resistance, not provisioned in the original design. Also the sensed signal is externally amplified before feeding to AFE chip to increase resolution in the impedance range of 10-50 Ohms.The AFE chip is interfaced to a Personal Computer with the help of a microcontroller board through a USB cable. Application software programs the AFE chip for sending a carrier current of 3.2 milliamperes (peak to peak) to the subject's body segment through current output ports and sensing the chest impedance through voltage input ports. The chest impedance is read in detector mode and communicated to Laptop through serial peripheral interface of the chip. Chest impedance, change in impedance as a function of time and rate of change of impedance are displayed on the graphic user interface. Fifteen minute data from volunteers have shown consistent recordings, as described in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corrosive ingestion remains a common problem in developing countries, such as India due to the lack of strict laws that regulate the sale of caustics. While appropriate treatment of the acute phase can mitigate tissue damage improper management of the acute corrosive injury is widely prevalent due to the limited experience of the individual physicians in managing this condition. The aim of this review is to summarize the epidemiology and pathophysiology of corrosive ingestion, principles in the management of acute phase injury, long-term effects of caustic ingestion, and prevention of corrosive ingestion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is limited evidence-informed guidance on TISP processes for countries where health technology assessment (HTA) is in a nascent phase. We aimed to explore the range of topic identification, selection and prioritization (TISP) processes and practices for HTA in selected countries and identify aspects relevant to emerging HTA systems. Methods: This mixed design study included a systematic literature review, an electronic survey, and individual interviews. We conducted a systematic literature review with criteria that were developed a priori to identify countries deemed to have a recently formalized HTA system. Based on the literature review, a twenty-three item online survey was shared with the identified countries, we completed follow-up interviews with ten participants who have experience with HTA. We analyzed documents, survey responses and interview transcripts thematically to identify lessons related to TISP processes and practices. Results: The literature review identified 29 nine candidate countries as having a "potential" recently formalized HTA system. Twenty-one survey responses were analyzed and supplemented with ten individual interviews. We found variation in countries' approaches to TISP — particularly between pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical interventions. Results indicate that TISP is heavily driven by policy makers, expert involvement, and to a lesser extent, relevant stakeholders. The use of horizon-scanning and early warning systems is uncommon. Interviewee participants provided further insight to the survey data, reporting that political awareness and an institutional framework were important to support TISP. TISP can be optimized by stronger national regulations and legislative structures, in addition to education and advocacy about HTA among politicians and decision-makers. In some settings regional networks have been useful, particularly in the development of TISP guidelines and methodologies. Additionally, the technical capacity to conduct TISP, and access to relevant local data were factors limiting TISP in national settings. Increased network collaboration and capacity building were reported as future needs. Conclusions: This study provides current insights into a topic where there is limited published peer reviewed literature. TISP is an important first step of HTA, and topics should be selected and prioritized based on local need and relevance. The limited capacity for TISP in settings where HTA is emerging may be supported by local and international collaboration to increase capacity and knowledge. To succeed, both TISP and HTA need to be embedded within national health care priority setting and decision-making. More in-depth understanding of where countries are situtated in formalizing the TISP process may help others to overcome factors that facilitate or hinder progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the design of a novel dual‐band quasi‐Yagi antenna for on‐body communications. The proposed antenna is designed on 0.05 mm thin microwave laminate and is designed to cover the 2.45 and 3.5 GHz spectrum to meet the needs of on‐body Internet of Things networks. Microstrip to slot‐line transition is used for the excitation of the feeder element. The conventional feeder of the quai‐Yagi is replaced with F‐shaped radiators to obtain a dual‐band response. In addition, a pair of directors are used to enhance the antenna gain. The proposed quasi‐Yagi antenna is optimized using the spider monkey algorithm. The chosen algorithm is used to synthesize the dimensions of the dual‐band radiator and is preferred to obtain quick convergence, unlike the traditional optimization algorithms. The optimized planar quasi antenna offers 5% bandwidth in both operating bands with a measured gain of 5.7 and 5.8 dBi, respectively. The optimization time is also considerably reduced in comparison with traditional optimization algorithms. The simulated and optimized antenna is fabricated and tested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LINKED CONTENT: This article is linked to Woelfel et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17264 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reflects on the findings of an intercultural, transdisciplinary workshop, which engaged drawing, performance and digital technology, conducted at the University of Hyderabad, India, in 2014, with theatre and fine art students from Sarojini Naidu School of Arts and Communication, Hyderabad and Wimbledon College of Arts, London. We argue for the value of this kind of practical experiment, where students worked alongside each other on a project from the same starting point, in terms of what it revealed about the hierarchical assumptions embedded in the fields of theatre and fine art, in India and in the UK. These hierarchies are being challenged by digital technologies and we call for new pedagogies in the arts to address this. In this reflection on the outcomes of the project, we focus primarily on performer training and align our findings with music theatre director/composer Heiner Goebbels' arguments against a hierarchy of 'expressive means' in performance. We conclude by advocating more programmes in universities and academies, both in India and the UK, where performers, sound and visual artists, designers, digital artists and makers can work not only in more integrated ways but also alongside each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new turn‐on fluorescence small‐molecular dicarboxylic acid functionalized chemosensor (L2) has been designed strategically. The bidentate ligand (L2) is exceedingly selective for the sensing of HgII ions over other heavy‐metal ions, and exhibits excellent resolution on imaging living cells in‐vitro. The HgII binding mechanism by the probe occurs selectively through lone pair of electrons from imine nitrogens, which was established by using 1H NMR titrations, density functional theory (DFT) and time‐dependent density functional theory (TD‐DFT). The free acid protons facilitated enhanced fluorescence intensity upon shift at deprotonation and gave a 50 nm hypsochromic at slight basic medium. The para‐ and meta‐positions of imine nitrogen atoms with respect to the donor (NH2) inducing the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT). The designed probe has high sensitivity to mercury(II) ions, excellent cell membrane permeability and negligible cytotoxicity, which result in bright and specific detection of HgII in living cells (HeLa cells) by fluorescence turn‐on at physiological pH. Further, the strategic approach executed in this work would be useful to design new chemosensors for sensing of different molecules or ions in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic phosphors have been widely explored with an understanding that crystalline molecular ordering is a requisite for enhanced intersystem crossing. In this context, we explored the room‐temperature phosphorescence features of a solvent‐free organic liquid phosphor in air. While alkyl chain substitution varied the physical states of the bromonaphthalimides, the phosphorescence remained unaltered for the solvent‐free liquid in air. As the first report, a solvent‐free liquid of a long swallow‐tailed bromonaphthalimide exhibits room‐temperature phosphorescence in air. Doping of the phosphor with carbonyl guests resulted in enhanced phosphorescence, and hence a large‐area paintable phosphorescent liquid composite with improved lifetime and quantum yield was developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]