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Pulmonary mucormycosis is an angio-invasive fungal infection by mucorales with high mortality and morbidity. This pulmonary infection is caused by inhalation of spores and seen mostly in immunocompromised patients. In TB endemic country like India, pulmonary mucormycosis pose a diagnostic dilemma due to similar clinical presentation. Our 49-year-old female patient presented with characteristic symptoms and started on anti TB drugs. As patient was not having symptomatic relief, patient was investigated. On bronchoscopy, fungal mass seen and biopsy of which shown organisms consistent with mucormycosis. Patient underwent lobectomy and received 5 months of antifungal treatment.

Background Short stature homeobox (SHOX) haploinsufficiency underlies idiopathic short stature (ISS) and Leri-Weill dyschondrosteosis (LWD). The worldwide prevalence of SHOX variations in ISS varies from 2.5–15%. This study aims to assess the implication of SHOX variation in ISS in North India and its overall prevalence in Asian population. Methods SHOX gene analysis carried out by Multiplex ligation dependent probe amplification (MLPA) followed by Sanger sequencing in 54 patients with variable phenotypes. Meta-analysis was done to evaluate its prevalence which comprises 11 previous studies including present, carried out on a total of 979 participants. Results SHOX gene analysis resulted in 12.9% of positivity (7.4% deletions and 5.5% duplications). SHOX association was seen significantly related to gender, with predominance in female sex (P-value: 0.047). Short arms and forearms were the only significantly associated trait seen in 51.85% of children. We have found a rare association of multiple exostosis with LWD in a child with deletion. The prevalence of SHOX variation came as 15.2% in Asians. No significant difference was found in geographical region-specific analysis. Conclusion This meta-analysis compiles findings from the last decade and provides an updated picture of the prevalence of SHOX variations in Asians, emphasizing their potential as therapeutic targets in ISS patients.

Biobeds are an important tool to check point source of pesticide contamination and treat on-farm generated pesticide waste. The present study reports retention and degradation of azoxystrobin and i...

Frontometaphyseal dysplasia (FMD) is a rare genetic disorder with morphological abnormalities of the skeletal and extra skeletal tissues. It belongs to the group of otopalatodigital spectrum disorders. Here we report a 12-year-old boy from India with features of frontometaphyseal dysplasia who had severe scoliosis with neurological complications due to spinal cord compromise. Clinical examination of his mother also revealed mild features of FMD. The manuscript highlights the clinical presentation of the disorder and discusses the clinical heterogeneity of the otopalatodigital spectrum disorders.

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.

The research was conducted to determine with the title “Effect of Different Levels of Tapioca (Manihot esculenta) as a Fat Replacer in low Fat Probiotic Ice Cream” to develop suitable technology for the preparation of fat replacer in low fat probiotic ice cream, to access the feasibility of using four levels (5, 10, 15 and 20%) of tapioca (Manihot esculenta) with 1, 2 and 3% of L. Casei. Total 12 treatment combination was used in this study as T1L1(5% Tapioca + 1% L. Casei), T1L2(5% Tapioca + 2%L. Casei), T1L3(5% Tapioca + 3% L. Casei), T2L1(10% Tapioca + 1% L. Casei), T2L2(10% Tapioca + 2% L. Casei), T2L3(10% Tapioca + 3% L. Casei), T3L1(15% Tapioca + 1% L. Casei), T3L2(15% Tapioca + 2% L. Casei), T3L3(15% Tapioca + 3% L. Casei), T4L1(20% Tapioca + 1% L. Casei), T4L2(20% Tapioca + 2% L. Casei) and T4L3(20% Tapioca + 3% L. Casei) and all were replicated 4 times. The highest average value of colour and appearance score was obtained in the treatment T1L3 5% Tapioca + 3% L. casei (8.72). The highest average value of body and texture score was obtained in the treatment T1L3 5% Tapioca + 3% L. casei (8.04). The highest average value of flavor and taste score was obtained in the treatment T1L3 5% Tapioca + 3% L. casei (8.00). The highest average value of overall acceptability score content was obtained in the treatment T1L3 5% Tapioca + 3% L. casei (8.12). the highest average value of melting score was obtained in the treatment T4L3 20% Tapioca + 3% L. casei (8.52). the highest average value of over run was obtained in the treatment T1L1 5% Tapioca + 1% L. casei (71.80).

Detection and classification of entanglement properties of a multi-qubit system is a topic of great interest. This topic has been studied extensively and thus we found different approaches for the detection and classification of multi-qubit entangled states. We have applied partial transposition operation on one of the qubit of the three-qubit system and then studied the entanglement properties of the three-qubit system, which is under investigation. Since the partial transposition operation is not a quantum operation so we have approximated partial transposition operation in such a way so that it represent a completely positive map. The approximated partial transposition operation is also known as structural physical approximation of partial transposition (SPA-PT). We have studied in detail the application of SPA-PT on a three qubit system and provided explicitly the matrix elements of the density matrix describing SPA-PT of a three qubit system. Moreover, we propose criterion to classify all possible stochastic local operations and classical communication(SLOCC) inequivalent classes of a pure as well as mixed three qubit state through SPA-PT map, which makes our criterion experimentally realizable. We have illustrated our criterion for detection and classification of three-qubit entangled states by considering few examples., Comment: 9 pages

Quantification of entanglement is one of the most important problem in quantum information theory. In this work, we will study this problem by defining a physically realizable measure of entanglement for any arbitrary dimensional bipartite system $\rho$, which we named as structured negativity $(N_S(\rho))$. We have shown that the introduced measure satisfies the properties of a valid entanglement monotone. We also have established an inequality that relate negativity and the structured negativity. For $d\otimes d$ dimensional state, we conjecture from the result obtained in this work that negativity coincide with the structured negativity when the number of negative eigenvalues of the partially transposed matrix is equal to $\frac{d(d-1)}{2}$. Moreover, we proved that the structured negativity not only implementable in the laboratory but also a better measure of entanglement in comparison to negativity. In few cases, we obtain that structure negativity gives better result than the lower bound of the concurrence obtained by Albeverio [Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{95}, 040504 (2005)]., Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, Accepted in Annals of Physics

In this work, a high-performance multioperation bit-manipulator is presented. The presented electro-optical design can perform several bit-manipulations such as bidirectional bit-shifting, bit-rotation, multiply-by-2 and divide-by-2, and sequence designing operation. The technique relies on the electrooptic principle in lithium niobate. Lithium niobate-based waveguides have been used to design Mach–Zehnder interferometer, which is the fundamental optical switching element of the whole model. Extinction ratio, contrast ratio, and insertion loss values computed for the simulated results are 29.16 dB, 29.48 dB, and 0.77 dB, respectively.

Solid waste management is the major concern in the Himalayan region due to relatively cold climate, rapid urbanization, a substantial rise in consumption patterns, over-crowded tourist destinations, and illegal dumping. Biodegradable organic waste is a major portion of solid waste, but due to harsh and prolonged winter, processes, like composting and vermicomposting, are considered inefficient. The limited microbial population on the onset of degradation, low temperature, and moisture level, inefficient proteo-lingo-cellulolytic microbes hinders the composting process. The low temperatures limit the initial microbial load and hence pose technical challenges by extending the mesophilic phase and shortening the thermophilic stage. Psychrotrophic bacteria that can synthesize cold-active extracellular enzymes carry out efficient catalysis of biological reactions under conditions where the mesophilic counterparts cannot function. Cold-tolerant bacteria are hence known to be more valuable in aerobic degradation of organic matter under low temperatures and are very suitable in the organic waste treatment system. The decay of materials during composting follows the common biochemical pathways to recycle the nutrients. This chapter discusses the metabolic pathways in biodegrading psychrotrophic bacteria at low temperatures. Generally, plant or animal-based waste and food waste forms a rich organic source for compost mix. The degradation of these organic compounds involves various enzymes discussed in this chapter with special emphasis on cellulase, amylase, pectinase, xylanase, and protease.

A heptazine-based microporous polymeric network, HMP-TAPA was synthesised by direct coupling of trichloroheptazine and tris(4-aminophenyl)amine (TAPA). A high surface area of 424 m2 /g was achieved, which is the highest surface area among heptazine-based polymeric networks (HMPs). The tailored electron-donor and -acceptor units in HMP-TAPA give broad visible-light absorption. HMP-TAPA was employed as metal-free photocatalyst for oxidative coupling of amines to imines under visible light irradiation with 98 % selectivity. Furthermore, the surface basicity of HMP-TAPA was used to achieve metal-free heterogeneous base catalysis for Knoevenagel condensation under base-free conditions with >99 % conversion. In addition, HMP-TAPA showed extreme robustness over a wide pH range (1-14). The versatility and flexibility of the current material design is beneficial for understanding its photoactivity and surface basicity so as to design dual active (photo)catalyst materials for specific applications.

An optimized design of a two-bit array multiplier is proposed here. The multiplication operation for an array is performed using half adder and AND gate. Multiplication is a basic operation for arithmetic logical devices. The performance of the proposed device is simulated using the beam propagation method (BPM). The extinction ratio and insertion loss are reported as 38.38 and 0.1 dB at 1300 nm wavelength.

The dramatic spread of COVID-19 has threatened human lives, disrupted livelihoods, and affected trade, economy and businesses across the globe. The global economy has begun to show major disruptions and is heading toward a severe recession with an unprecedented economic crisis. As the global economy is highly integrated and interdependent through the global supply chains, it has been profoundly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although all countries have faced difficulties due to Covid-19, South Asian countries in particular have had to deal with a more challenging situation due to their large population, weak health facilities, high poverty rates, low socio-economic conditions, poor social protection systems, limited access to water and sanitation, and inadequate living space, necessary to maintain physical distancing and take other required measures to contain this pandemic. To contain the spread of the virus, South Asian countries have imposed stringent lockdowns, which have consequently affected the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in the region, where a third of world’s poor live. Against this backdrop, this paper examines the existing and prospective impacts, risks and challenges of Covid-19 on key social and economic sectors including migration, tourism, informal sector, agriculture and rural livelihoods. The analysis revealed that COVID-19 is likely to affect economic growth, increase fiscal deficit and monetary burden, increase the risks of macroeconomic instability, decrease migration and remittance, reduce income from travel and tourism, and result in dwindling micro-small and medium industries and informal businesses. This is likely to deepen poverty and increase unemployment and the risks of hunger and food insecurity. If not addressed properly, this may reinforce existing inequalities, break social harmony, and increase tension and turbulence. The economic and social costs of the COVID-19 outbreak are therefore likely to be significant and long-lasting in South Asia.

The paper reports the kinetics and adsorption isotherm modeling for imidacloprid (IMIDA) and azoxystrobin (AZOXY) in rice straw (RS)/corn cob (CC) and peat (P)/compost (C) based biomixtures. The pseudo-first-order (PFO), pseudo-second-order (PSO), Elovich and intraparticle diffusion models were used to describe the kinetics. The adsorption data were subjected to the Langmuir and the Freundlich isotherms. Results (r2Adj values) suggested that the modified Elovich model was the best suited to explain the kinetics of IMIDA sorption while different models explained AZOXY sorption kinetics in different biomixtures (PFO in RS + C and RS + P; PSO in CC + P and Elovich in CC + C). Biomixtures varied in their capacity to adsorb both pesticides and the adsorption coefficient (Kd) values were 116.8-369.24 (AZOXY) and 24.2-293.4 (IMIDA). The Freundlich isotherm better explained the sorption of both pesticides. Comparison analysis of linear and nonlinear method for estimating the Freundlich adsorption constants was made. In general, r2Adj values were higher for the nonlinear fit (AZOXY = 0.938-0.982; IMIDA = 0.91-0.970) than the linear fit (AZOXY = 0.886-0.993; IMIDA = 0.870-0.974) suggesting that the nonlinear Freundlich equation better explained the sorption. The rice straw-based biomixtures performed better in adsorbing both the pesticides and can be used in bio-purification systems.

In this report recycled LiFePO4 (LFP) from exhaust batteries was utilized to form B@C3N4/LiFePO4/CuFe2O4 (BLC) nano-junction as a visible active photocatalyst. The junction synthesized by two routes: Using as extracted LFP and forming LFP by extracted FePO4 and Li2CO3 via in-situ deposition method. The two ternary junctions BLC and BLC (E) (utilizing as extracted LFP) were utilized for visible and solar powered degradation of beta-blocker drug Atenolol (ATL). Varying the loading of CuFe2O4 (CF) which possesses lowest band gap, BLC (10%), BLC-3 (30%), BLC-5 (50%) and BLC-E (30% CF and as extracted LFP) were produced with BLC-3 exhibiting remarkable activity. The optical band gaps of BLC-3 (2.40 eV) and BLC (E) (2.46 eV) and photocurrent responses reveal high visible absorption and highly diminished recombination. 99.5% and 85.3% of ATL (20 mg L-1) could be degraded by BLC-3 and BLC (E) (0.3 g L-1) respectively in 60 min of exposure to Xe lamp and retaining of high activity in natural sunlight. Band-junction analysis, effect of scavengers and effect on teraphthalic acid and nitroblue tetrazolium reveal O2- and OH radicals as active species and mineralization was confirmed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer (LC-MS). Cyto-toxicity studies on human peripheral blood cells and effect on growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa confirm the complete mineralization. The BLC photocatalyst is a promising multi-functional catalyst utilizing LFP (rarely used as photocatalyst) for treatment of pharmaceutical waste water and other environmental applications.

An inclusive study towards the stereospecific synthesis of novel cis-3-monosubstituted-β-lactams from cis-3-functionalized 3-phenylsulfonyl/sulfinyl-β-lactams is described. 3-Sulfinyl-β-lactams 5/5ʹ successfully furnished stereospecific cis-3-monosubstituted-β-lactams 6, however 3-sulfonyl-β-lactams 2 failed to give the desulfurized product 6ʹ. The final stereochemical and structural conformations of novel β-lactams were established by single crystal X-ray crystallographic study (5c). The cis configuration of the β-lactams 5/5ʹ and 6 was assigned in relevance to E and C4-H and C3-H and C4-H respectively.

WOS: 000452300000024, Wheat breads contains gluten protein that is responsible for the visco-elastic properties of dough. There has recently been an increase in the prevalence of gluten-related disorders including celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Therefore, this study has been designed for improving bread production for gluten-free bread (sorghum and potato starch) using hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) and whey protein concentrate (WPC-70) as technological improver and optimizing it using response surface methodology (RSM). RSM was used to investigate the influence of predictor variables (HPMC and WPC-70) on bread quality in terms of crust and crumb texture and color, flavor, porosity and overall acceptability. The HPMC level varies from 2- 3% and WPC-70 from 12-15%. Quadratic models are developed to fit with experimental data. The predictor variables had desirable effect on all the responses. Finally, 3% HPMC and 15 % WPC-70 were chosen as optimum levels. The obtained gluten-free bread can be considered as protein rich. The optimized bread was analyzed for various parameters including protein, moisture, fat, crude fiber content, acid insoluble ash and pH. The analyzed results were reported as 10.48g, 38.73g, 8.97g, 2.8g, 0.134g, 6.1 respectively. The microbiological analysis of optimized bread was performed. The total plate count was

Heterogeneous catalysis has great application potential in numerous industries and significant role in global economic development. The high speed of catalyzed reactions and guaranteeing high selectivity to the target products are the two important aspects in heterogeneous catalysis. In heterogeneous catalysis, widespread attention has been engrossed by bimetallic nanoparticles/metal organic framework (MOF) materials. These materials are used in diverse incipient application areas such as electrochemical energy storage batteries, supercapacitors and have prospective applications in gas separation, sensing, catalysis, and energy storage and conversion. The bimetallic MOF catalysts exhibited enhanced catalytic activity compared with that of mono metal catalyst. The simplicity of synthesis of bimetallic MOFs is considered a great advantage, and the bimetallic MOFs are recognized as new class of active materials for energy conversion and storage. In this article, an attempt has been made to thoroughly summarize the development of bimetallic MOFs as well as their useful fabrication approaches and applications in numerous heterogeneous catalytic reactions.

Inspired by waste to energy production, we report construction of dual Z-scheme advanced photocatalyst g-C3N4/Bi4Ti3O12/Bi4O5I2 heterojunction for coupled photocatalytic H2 evolution and degradation of antibiotics with high efficiency. The optimal CTBT-30 i.e (40 %g-C3N4/Bi4Ti3O12)/30 % Bi4O5I2 photocatalyst exhibited an excellent rate of H2 production under visible light (56.2 mmol g−1 h−1) along with simultaneous 87.1 % ofloxacin (OFL) removal. The H2 production rate is manifolds higher than in ultrapure water, sulfadiazine, rhodamine B and higher in hole scavenging triethanolamine. The interfacial intimate coupling with well-matched energy bands, foster the charge separation with effective Z-scheme transfer facilitated by I3−/I− and Bi3+/Bi5+ and redox mediators. The scavenging of majority of holes for direct oxidation or via OH radical formation leaves photogenerated electrons (at CB of g-C3N4 and Bi4O5I2) free for H2 evolution from H2O. Such work is promising for designing high photo-absorbing heterojunction photocatalysts for dual functionalities of clean energy production and environmental detoxification.