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BackgroundAnal fissure is a common proctologic condition that causes significant pain and anguish to patients, significantly impacting their quality of life and well-being. There are various treatment options for anal fissure, ranging from pharmacological agents that reduce anal sphincter tone to surgical interventions for cases resistant to medical management. Ayurvedic treatments have shown potential for the therapeutic management of anal fissure. ObjectiveThis clinical study aims to analyze the efficacy and safety of murivenna anal infiltration compared to diltiazem topical application in chronic anal fissure. MethodsThis is an open-labeled, randomized, controlled parallel group clinical trial with a sample size of 66 participants to be randomized and allocated in a 1:1 ratio to 2 groups. The intervention group will be treated with murivenna anal infiltration, and the control group will be treated with topical application of diltiazem for a period of 4 weeks. The primary outcome will be the proportion of participants demonstrating complete healing after 4 weeks of treatment. The secondary outcomes will be the proportion of participants demonstrating complete healing after 7 days and 14 days of treatment, change in pain at or after defecation, cessation of bleeding, and any recurrence during the study period. Any adverse events will also be recorded during the trial period. ResultsThe project was funded in July 2023, and the study period is 24 months. Participant recruitment started in December 2023. As of August 2024, we have enrolled 50 participants. The data analysis will be complete by June 2025, and the results are expected to be published by August 2025. ConclusionsHigh recurrence rates, adverse effects, incomplete healing, and the negative impact on patients’ daily activities and quality of life underscore the need for alternative therapeutic options. Ayurveda offers potential for more sustainable relief with fewer adverse effects. Murivenna oil is a time-tested medicated oil effectively used by Ayurvedic physicians for various ulcers of traumatic and pathological origin. This study will provide scientific evidence on the efficacy and safety of murivenna anal infiltration; further, it can be incorporated into the cost-effective management of chronic anal fissure. Trial RegistrationClinical Trials Registry India CTRI/2023/09/057330; https://tinyurl.com/y4ut9e8p International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/63063

Arsenic (As) is a regulated hazardous substance that persists in the environment, causing issues related to environmental health, agriculture, and food safety. Cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2 NPs) are emerging sustainable solutions for alleviating heavy metal stress. However, their effectiveness and optimization for foliar application in reducing As stress, especially in Pak choi, has not been reported yet. Hence, this study aims to examine the effects of foliar application of CeO2 NPs (75,000,000, 150,000,000, and 300,000,000 ng/L) on the growth, nutrient availability, and antioxidant enzymatic activities of Pak choi plants under As stress. The findings showed that foliar application of 75,000,000 ng/L CeO2 NPs significantly increased shoot length (77.32%), root length (80.98%), and number of leaves (80.23%) as compared to control without NPs. The lowest dose of CeO2 NPs (75,000,000 ng/L) increased antioxidant enzyme activities such as peroxidase (86.10%), superoxide dismutase (81.48%), and catalase (52.07%), while significantly reducing malondialdehyde (44.02%), hydrogen peroxide (34.20%), and electrolyte leakage (43.53%). Furthermore, foliar application of 75,000,000 ng/L CeO2 NPs significantly increased the content of zinc (81.02%), copper (56.99%), iron (88.04%), manganese (68.37%), magnesium (76.83%), calcium (61.16%), and potassium (84.91%) in leaves when compared to control without NPs. The same trend was observed for shoot and root nutrient concentrations. Most importantly, 75,000,000 ng/L CeO2 NPs foliar application significantly reduced shoot As (45.11%) and root As (20.89%) concentration compared to control, providing a reassuring indication of their potential to reduce As concentration in plants. Our study’s findings are of utmost importance as they indicate that lower concentrations of foliar-applied CeO2 NPs can be more effective in enhancing crop nutrition and reducing heavy metals than higher concentrations. This article is intended to present critical issues of As contamination in agricultural soils, which imposes substantial risks to crop productivity and food security.

The study's objective is to conduct a comprehensive systematic review for assessing the safety and efficacy of Ayurvedic interventions in managing hemiplegia/Pakshaghata. The study involved a search across multiple online databases and online clinical trial registries. Additionally, major Ayurveda postgraduate institutes were contacted to acquire unpublished trial data related to hemiplegia/Pakshaghata. The review covered articles published until July 2023. Two reviewers independently performed data extraction and risk of bias assessment. The risk of bias assessment utilised the RoB 2 tool for randomised trials and the ROBINS-I tool for non-randomised trials. The screening process identified 28 articles from online databases and two dissertations from online repositories. However, practical challenges prevented access to grey literature from Ayurveda institutes. The 30 studies selected for this review, comprises nine randomised controlled trials (RCTs), eight non-randomised comparative trials, and thirteen pre-post studies. Quantitative analysis was unfeasible due to inadequate studies, leading to a qualitative analysis. All studies, except one, exhibited substantial bias upon risk of bias assessment. Moreover, most studies demonstrated methodological weaknesses attributed to a lack of masking, improper sampling techniques, non-validated outcome measurement tools, inadequate follow-up procedures, and confounding factors. The trials frequently did not document safety parameters, adverse events (AE), and adverse drug reactions (ADR). Current review could not definitively establish the efficacy and safety of Ayurvedic interventions in hemiplegia/Pakshaghata. Hence, the authors strongly advocate for good quality research incorporating proper methodology.

Abstract With the anticipated foliar application of nanoparticles (NPs) as a potential strategy to improve crop production and ameliorate heavy metal toxicity, it is crucial to evaluate the role of NPs in improving the nutrient content of plants under Lead (Pb) stress for achieving higher agriculture productivity to ensure food security. Herein, Brassica napus L. grown under Pb contaminated soil (300 mg/kg) was sprayed with different rates (0, 25, 50, and 100 mg/L) of TiO2 and ZnO-NPs. The plants were evaluated for growth attributes, photosynthetic pigments, leaf exchange attributes, oxidant and antioxidant enzyme activities. The results revealed that 100 mg/L NPs foliar application significantly augmented plant growth, photosynthetic pigments, and leaf gas exchange attributes. Furthermore, 100 mg/L TiO2 and ZnO-NPs application showed a maximum increase in SPAD values (79.1%, 68.9%). NPs foliar application (100 mg/L TiO2 and ZnO-NPs) also substantially reduced malondialdehyde (44.3%, 38.3%), hydrogen peroxide (59.9%, 53.1%), electrolyte leakage (74.8%, 68.3%), and increased peroxidase (93.8%, 89.1%), catalase (91.3%, 84.1%), superoxide dismutase (81.8%, 73.5%) and ascorbate peroxidase (78.5%, 73.7%) thereby reducing Pb accumulation. NPs foliar application (100 mg/L) significantly reduced root Pb (45.7%, 42.3%) and shoot Pb (84.1%, 76.7%) concentration in TiO2 and ZnO-NPs respectively, as compared to control. Importantly, macro and micronutrient analysis showed that foliar application 100 mg/L TiO2 and ZnO-NPs increased shoot zinc (58.4%, 78.7%) iron (79.3%, 89.9%), manganese (62.8%, 68.6%), magnesium (72.1%, 93.7%), calcium (58.2%, 69.9%) and potassium (81.5%, 68.6%) when compared to control without NPs. The same trend was observed for root nutrient concentration. In conclusion, we found that the TiO2 and ZnO-NPs have the greatest efficiency at 100 mg/L concentration to alleviate Pb induced toxicity on growth, photosynthesis, and nutrient content of Brassica napus L. NPs foliar application is a promising strategy to ensure sustainable agriculture and food safety under metal contamination.

Abstract Soil salinity is a major nutritional challenge with poor agriculture production characterized by high sodium (Na+) ions in the soil. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) and biochar have received attention as a sustainable strategy to reduce biotic and abiotic stress. However, there is a lack of information regarding the incorporation of ZnO NPs with biochar to ameliorate the salinity stress (0, 50,100 mM). Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the potentials of ZnO NPs application (priming and foliar) alone and with a combination of biochar on the growth and nutrient availability of spinach plants under salinity stress. Results demonstrated that salinity stress at a higher rate (100 mM) showed maximum growth retardation by inducing oxidative stress, resulted in reduced photosynthetic rate and nutrient availability. ZnO NPs (priming and foliar) alone enhanced growth, chlorophyll contents and gas exchange parameters by improving the antioxidant enzymes activity of spinach under salinity stress. While, a significant and more pronounced effect was observed at combined treatments of ZnO NPs with biochar amendment. More importantly, ZnO NPs foliar application with biochar significantly reduced the Na+ contents in root 57.69%, and leaves 61.27% of spinach as compared to the respective control. Furthermore, higher nutrient contents were also found at the combined treatment of ZnO NPs foliar application with biochar. Overall, ZnO NPs combined application with biochar proved to be an efficient and sustainable strategy to alleviate salinity stress and improve crop nutritional quality under salinity stress. We inferred that ZnO NPs foliar application with a combination of biochar is more effectual in improving crop nutritional status and salinity mitigation than priming treatments with a combination of biochar.

Abstract Current low coherence quantitative phase microscopy (LC-QPM) systems suffer from either reduced field of view (FoV) or reduced temporal resolution due to the short temporal coherence (TC) length of the light source. Here, we propose a hybrid, experimental and numerical approach to address this core problem associated with LC-QPM. We demonstrate high spatial resolution and high phase sensitivity in LC-QPM at high temporal resolution. High space–time bandwidth product is achieved by employing incoherent light source for sample illumination in QPM to increase the spatial resolution and single-shot Hilbert spiral transform (HST) based phase recovery algorithm to enhance the temporal resolution without sacrificing spatial resolution during the reconstruction steps. The high spatial phase sensitivity comes by default due to the use of incoherent light source in QPM which has low temporal coherence length and does not generate speckle noise and coherent noise. The spatial resolution achieved by the HST is slightly inferior to the temporal phase-shifting (TPS) method when tested on a specimen but surpasses that of the single-shot Fourier transform (FT) based phase recovery method. Contrary to HST method, FT method requires high density fringes for lossless phase recovery, which is difficult to achieve in LC-QPM over entire FoV. Consequently, integration of HST algorithm with LC-QPM system makes an attractive route. Here, we demonstrate scalable FoV and resolution in single-shot LC-QPM and experimentally corroborate it on a test object and on both live and fixed biological specimen such as MEF, U2OS and human red blood cells (RBCs). LC-QPM system with HST reconstruction offer high-speed single-shot QPM imaging at high phase sensitivity and high spatial resolution enabling us to study sub-cellular dynamic inside U2OS for extended duration (3 h) and observe high-speed (50 fps) dynamics of human RBCs. The experimental results validate the effectiveness of the present approach and will open new avenues in the domain of biomedical imaging in the future.

Abstract Scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM) is a label-free imaging technique used in biomedical imaging, non-destructive testing, and material research to visualize surface and sub-surface structures. In ultrasonic imaging, noises in images can reduce contrast, edge and texture details, and resolution, negatively impacting post-processing algorithms. To reduce the noises in the scanned image, we have employed a 4D block-matching (BM4D) filter that can be used to denoise acoustic volumetric signals. BM4D filter utilizes the transform domain filtering technique with hard thresholding and Wiener filtering stages. The proposed algorithm produces the most suitable denoised output compared to other conventional filtering methods (Gaussian filter, median filter, and Wiener filter) when applied to noisy images. The output from the BM4D-filtered images was compared to the noise level with different conventional filters. Filtered images were qualitatively analyzed using metrics such as structural similarity index matrix (SSIM) and peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR). The combined qualitative and quantitative analysis demonstrates that the BM4D technique is the most suitable method for denoising acoustic imaging from the SAM. The proposed block matching filter opens a new avenue in the field of acoustic or photoacoustic image denoising, particularly in scenarios with poor signal-to-noise ratios.

Freshwater scarcity and a shortage of agricultural land constitute the primary limiting factors affecting crop production in numerous arid and semi-arid regions across the globe. This study involves the introduction of three sorghum cultivars (Kaoliang, Sudan grass, and Sweet grass) from China into the dry land of Pakistan, with irrigation using different water qualities (fresh water and saline water) during the rainy season. Parameters including plant height, stem diameter, leaves per plant, number of tillers per plant, specific leaf area, aboveground biomass, below ground biomass, and yield per acre were measured. All plant species exhibited a reduction of 30–40% in their physiological functions, growth parameters, and yield under saline water irrigation compared to freshwater irrigation. Sweet grass and Sudan grass demonstrated higher yields under saline water irrigation compared to Kaoliang, although the overall yields of all three cultivars remained within an acceptable range, while using saline water irrigation. It was concluded that these three introduced sorghum cultivars are well-suited for cultivation in the arid region during the rainy season, particularly when irrigated with saline water. This study offers an eco-friendly approach to utilizing dry land resources for agricultural production, thereby assisting local communities in sustaining their livelihoods.

Abstract We present experimental demonstration of tilt-mirror assisted transmission structured illumination microscopy (tSIM) that offers a large field of view super resolution imaging. An assembly of custom-designed tilt-mirrors are employed as the illumination module where the sample is excited with the interference of two beams reflected from the opposite pair of mirror facets. Tunable frequency structured patterns are generated by changing the mirror-tilt angle and the hexagonal-symmetric arrangement is considered for the isotropic resolution in three orientations. Utilizing high numerical aperture (NA) objective in standard SIM provides super-resolution compromising with the field-of-view (FOV). Employing low NA (20X/0.4) objective lens detection, we experimentally demonstrate $$\sim$$ ∼ (0.56 mm $$\times$$ × 0.35 mm) size single FOV image with $$\sim$$ ∼ 1.7- and $$\sim$$ ∼ 2.4-fold resolution improvement (exploiting various illumination by tuning tilt-mirrors) over the diffraction limit. The results are verified both for the fluorescent beads as well as biological samples. The tSIM geometry decouples the illumination and the collection light paths consequently enabling free change of the imaging objective lens without influencing the spatial frequency of the illumination pattern that are defined by the tilt-mirrors. The large and scalable FOV supported by tSIM will find usage for applications where scanning large areas are necessary as in pathology and applications where images must be correlated both in space and time.

Abstract Dynamic speckle illumination (DSI) has recently attracted strong attention in the field of biomedical imaging as it pushes the limits of interference microscopy (IM) in terms of phase sensitivity, and spatial and temporal resolution compared to conventional light source illumination. To date, despite conspicuous advantages, it has not been extensively implemented in the field of phase imaging due to inadequate understanding of interference fringe formation, which is challenging to obtain in dynamic speckle illumination interference microscopy (DSI-IM). The present article provides the basic understanding of DSI through both simulation and experiments that is essential to build interference microscopy systems such as quantitative phase microscopy, digital holographic microscopy and optical coherence tomography. Using the developed understanding of DSI, we demonstrated its capabilities which enables the use of non-identical objective lenses in both arms of the interferometer and opens the flexibility to use user-defined microscope objective lens for scalable field of view and resolution phase imaging. It is contrary to the present understanding which forces us to use identical objective lenses in conventional IM system and limits the applicability of the system for fixed objective lens. In addition, it is also demonstrated that the interference fringes are not washed out over a large range of optical path difference (OPD) between the object and the reference arm providing competitive edge over low temporal coherence light source based IM system. The theory and explanation developed here would enable wider penetration of DSI-IM for applications in biology and material sciences.

Abstract Several operations, ranging from regular code updates to compiling, building, testing, and distribution to customers, are consolidated in continuous integration and delivery. Professionals seek additional information to complete the mission at hand during these tasks. Developers who devote a large amount of time and effort to finding such information may become distracted from their work. We will better understand the processes, procedures, and resources used to deliver a quality product on time by defining the types of information that software professionals seek. A deeper understanding of software practitioners' information needs has many advantages, including remaining competitive, growing knowledge of issues that can stymie a timely update, and creating a visualisation tool to assist practitioners in addressing their information needs. This is an extension of a previous work done by the authors. The authors conducted a multiple‐case holistic study with six different companies (38 unique participants) to identify information needs in continuous integration and delivery. This study attempts to capture the importance, frequency, required effort (e.g. sequence of actions required to collect information), current approach to handling, and associated stakeholders with respect to identified needs. 27 information needs associated with different stakeholders (i.e. developers, testers, project managers, release team, and compliance authority) were identified. The identified needs were categorised as testing, code & commit, confidence, bug, and artefacts. Apart from identifying information needs, practitioners face several challenges in developing visualisation tools. Thus, 8 challenges that were faced by the practitioners to develop/maintain visualisation tools for the software team were identified. The recommendations from practitioners who are experts in developing, maintaining, and providing visualisation services to the software team were listed.

Current state-of-the-art infection and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) diagnostics are based on culture-based methods with a detection time of 48–96 h. Therefore, it is essential to develop novel methods that can do real-time diagnoses. Here, we demonstrate that the complimentary use of label-free optical assay with whole-genome sequencing (WGS) can enable rapid diagnosis of infection and AMR. Our assay is based on microscopy methods exploiting label-free, highly sensitive quantitative phase microscopy (QPM) followed by deep convolutional neural networks-based classification. The workflow was benchmarked on 21 clinical isolates from four WHO priority pathogens that were antibiotic susceptibility tested, and their AMR profile was determined by WGS. The proposed optical assay was in good agreement with the WGS characterization. Accurate classification based on the gram staining (100% recall for gram-negative and 83.4% for gram-positive), species (98.6%), and resistant/susceptible type (96.4%), as well as at the individual strain level (100% sensitivity in predicting 19 out of the 21 strains, with an overall accuracy of 95.45%). The results from this initial proof-of-concept study demonstrate the potential of the QPM assay as a rapid and first-stage tool for species, strain-level classification, and the presence or absence of AMR, which WGS can follow up for confirmation. Overall, a combined workflow with QPM and WGS complemented with deep learning data analyses could, in the future, be transformative for detecting and identifying pathogens and characterization of the AMR profile and antibiotic susceptibility.

Abstract Histology involves the observation of structural features in tissues using a microscope. While diffraction-limited optical microscopes are commonly used in histological investigations, their resolving capabilities are insufficient to visualize details at subcellular level. Although a novel set of super-resolution optical microscopy techniques can fulfill the resolution demands in such cases, the system complexity, high operating cost, lack of multi-modality, and low-throughput imaging of these methods limit their wide adoption for histological analysis. In this study, we introduce the photonic chip as a feasible high-throughput microscopy platform for super-resolution imaging of histological samples. Using cryopreserved ultrathin tissue sections of human placenta, mouse kidney, pig heart, and zebrafish eye retina prepared by the Tokuyasu method, we demonstrate diverse imaging capabilities of the photonic chip including total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy, intensity fluctuation-based optical nanoscopy, single-molecule localization microscopy, and correlative light-electron microscopy. Our results validate the photonic chip as a feasible imaging platform for tissue sections and pave the way for the adoption of super-resolution high-throughput multimodal analysis of cryopreserved tissue samples both in research and clinical settings.

Total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy typically relies on opaque optical waveguides, compatible only with upright microscopes. Here, a versatile approach is reported that uses CMOS-compatible transparent chips, demonstrated for the imaging of synthetic and biological samples, including super-resolution applications.

Abstract High space-bandwidth product with high spatial phase sensitivity is indispensable for a single-shot quantitative phase microscopy (QPM) system. It opens avenue for widespread applications of QPM in the field of biomedical imaging. Temporally low coherence light sources are implemented to achieve high spatial phase sensitivity in QPM at the cost of either reduced temporal resolution or smaller field of view (FOV). In addition, such light sources have low photon degeneracy. On the contrary, high temporal coherence light sources like lasers are capable of exploiting the full FOV of the QPM systems at the expense of less spatial phase sensitivity. In the present work, we demonstrated that use of narrowband partially spatially coherent light source also called pseudo-thermal light source (PTLS) in QPM overcomes the limitations of conventional light sources. The performance of PTLS is compared with conventional light sources in terms of space bandwidth product, phase sensitivity and optical imaging quality. The capabilities of PTLS are demonstrated on both amplitude (USAF resolution chart) and phase (thin optical waveguide, height ~ 8 nm) objects. The spatial phase sensitivity of QPM using PTLS is measured to be equivalent to that for white light source and supports the FOV (18 times more) equivalent to that of laser light source. The high-speed capabilities of PTLS based QPM is demonstrated by imaging live sperm cells that is limited by the camera speed and large FOV is demonstrated by imaging histopathology human placenta tissue samples. Minimal invasive, high-throughput, spatially sensitive and single-shot QPM based on PTLS will enable wider penetration of QPM in life sciences and clinical applications.

BackgroundDuring the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in India, the Ministry of Ayush conducted a community study to provide therapeutic care to patients with asymptomatic, mild, and moderate COVID-19 in home isolation based on the empirical evidence generated on the efficacy of AYUSH-64 in COVID-19.ObjectiveTo document disease characteristics, care-seeking behavior, and outcomes in patients with asymptomatic, mild, or moderate COVID-19 in home isolation who used AYUSH-64 for COVID-19.MethodsCross-sectional analysis of the data generated through a community study conducted in India from 08 May to 31 August 2021 was performed to study the disease characteristics, care-seeking behavior during home isolation, clinical outcomes, adverse events, and the association between various risk factors and clinical recovery during the study period. The data were collected through semi-structured questionnaires, available in electronic data collection format at the baseline, 7, 14, and 21 days. A logistic regression was performed to explore the relationship between relevant variables and clinical recovery.ResultsData from 64,642 participants were analyzed for baseline assessment, and final analysis was done for 49,770 participants. The mean age of the enrolled participants was 38.8 ± 11.7 years, and 8.4% had co-morbidities. AYUSH-64 was utilized as an add-on to the standard care by 58.3% of participants. Comparable clinical outcomes were observed in participants utilizing AYUSH-64 either as a standalone or as an add-on to standard care, in terms of clinical recovery, disease progression, the requirement for oxygen supplementation, hospitalization, ICU admission, and need for ventilator support. Younger age, having no co-morbidities or substance abuse, and having been vaccinated were associated with early clinical recovery than those who were older and not vaccinated.ConclusionsThe study findings suggest that AYUSH-64 use, either standalone or as an adjunct to standard care, in asymptomatic, mild, or moderate COVID-19 is associated with good clinical outcomes. Ayush services and interventions can be effectively integrated into the mainstream public health architecture to serve public health goals.

Two okra cultivars (Chinese green and Chinese red) were subjected to salt stress for 12 weeks. Salt stress treatments T1 (20.8 mM), T2 (103.3 mM), T3 (180.0 mM) and T4 (257.0 mM) were applied with equal proportions of NaCl and CaCl2 in Hoagland nutrient solution. Salt stress significantly affects photosynthesis, transpiration, stomatal conductance, water use efficiency, water potential, plant height, root length, fresh weight and dry weight of both okra cultivars in every salt stress treatment. At T2, T3 and T4, Chinese red plants maintained their physiological and growth traits up to Weeks 9, 6 and 3, respectively; beyond these salt-stress durations, growth reductions were found. Similarly, Chinese green plants maintained their growth up to Weeks 9, 5 and 3, respectively, at T2, T3 and T4 treatments. In comparison, Chinese red showed more tolerance than Chinese green. According to the results, the third and ninth weeks are the tolerance threshold limits for both cultivars to sustain their physiological traits and growth under T4 and T2 salinity treatments. Similarly, Chinese red has the threshold limit to bear T3 treatment up to the eighth week and Chinese green, up to the fifth week. Thus, this study provides a new method to determine the threshold value of crops with respect to duration under salt stress. This finding would be useful in the field of water saving and utilisation of saline water resources.

This study aims to demonstrate the generation and detection of Scholte waves inside polystyrene microparticles. This was proven using both experimental analysis and COMSOL simulation. Microspheres of different sizes were excited optically with a pulsed laser (532 nm), and the acoustic signals were detected using a transducer (40 MHz). On analyzing the laser-generated ultrasound signals, the results obtained experimentally and from COMSOL are in close agreement both in the time and frequency domain. A simplified analysis of Scholte wave generation by laser irradiation for homogeneous, isotropic microspheres is presented. The theoretical wave velocity of the Scholte wave was calculated and found close to our experimental results. A representation of pressure wave motion showing the Scholte wave generation is presented at different times.

Abstract Trial registration Registered with PROSPERO ( CRD42021267844 ) dated 14.07.2021.

Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) is used to make ultrasound transducers, sensors, and actuators due to its large piezoelectric coefficient. Several micro-defects develop in the PZT sensor due to delamination, corrosion, huge temperature fluctuation, etc., causing a decline in its performance. It is thus necessary to identify, locate, and quantify the defects. Non-Destructive Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is the most optimal and economical evaluation method. Traditional ultrasound SHM techniques have a huge impedance mismatch between air and solid material, and most of the popular signal processing methods define time series signals in only one domain, which provides sub-optimal results for non-stationary signals. Thus, to improve the accuracy of detection, the point contact excitation and detection method is implemented to determine the interaction of ultrasonic waves with micro-scale defects in the PZT. The signal generated from this method being non-stationary in nature, it requires signal processing with changeable resolutions at different times and frequencies. The Haar Discrete Wavelet Transformation (DWT) is applied to the time series data obtained from the coulomb coupling setup. Using the above process, defects up to 100 μm in diameter could be successfully distinguished.

The objective of this research was to investigate the effects caused by the announcement of mergers of SBI and its associate banks i.e. State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur (SBBJ), State Bank of Hyderabad (SBH), State Bank of Mysore (SBM), State Bank of Patiala (SBP) and State Bank of Travan-core (SBT) with State Bank of India on the volatility of the return of SBI stock during the event window of 300 days. In order to achieve the proposed objective, this study applied Generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (Garch) class model to the return series to model their volatility because it is considered an important tool for time series data analysis. Our results confirmed the impact of the announcement of Merger on volatility. The results suggest that merger announcement was expected to cause a reaction in the returns, which is related to higher abnormal return in lesser time through merger announcement for investors.

In the vilest competitive market, the purchaser goods manufacturing industries pay devotion to purchasing intention to continue their market status and boost their goodwill. This research study was agreed out to clarify the factors affecting the purchase intention of Coca Cola. This study aims to observe the effect of the independent variable (Health Consciousness and Obesity perception) on the dependent variable (purchase intention). The study describes that the relation between the dependent variable has an insignificant relationship with Health Consciousness and Obesity Perception. This study is based on quantitative estimates, and the sample size of this study is 384. And 550 questionnaires were used for the collection of data. This study shows that health consciousness and obesity perception have an insignificant relationship with purchase intention. The results revealed from SPSS and PLS-SEM showed two out of two insignificant hypotheses, and the remaining are insignificant. Moreover, this study's results have key implications for the beverage sector as they strain the beverage industry's vital role.

The rapid development of nanomedicine and drug delivery systems calls for new and effective characterization techniques that can accurately characterize both the properties and the behavior of nanosystems. Standard methods such as dynamic light scattering (DLS) and fluorescent-based assays present challenges in terms of system’s instability, machine sensitivity, and loss of tracking ability, among others. In this study, we explore some of the downsides of batch-mode analyses and fluorescent labeling, while introducing quantitative phase microscopy (QPM) as a label-free complimentary characterization technique. Liposomes were used as a model nanocarrier for their therapeutic relevance and structural versatility. A successful immobilization of liposomes in a non-dried setup allowed for static imaging conditions in an off-axis phase microscope. Image reconstruction was then performed with a phase-shifting algorithm providing high spatial resolution. Our results show the potential of QPM to localize subdiffraction-limited liposomes, estimate their size, and track their integrity over time. Moreover, QPM full-field-of-view images enable the estimation of a single-particle-based size distribution, providing an alternative to the batch mode approach. QPM thus overcomes some of the drawbacks of the conventional methods, serving as a relevant complimentary technique in the characterization of nanosystems.

Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. nebraskensis (Cmn), the causal organism of Goss's wilt and leaf blight of maize, can be detected in the phyllosphere of its host prior to disease development. We compared the morphology and pathogenicity of 37 putative isolates of Cmn recovered from asymptomatic and symptomatic maize leaves. Thirty-three of the isolates produced mucoid orange colonies, irrespective of the source of isolation and all but four of these isolates were pathogenic on maize. The remaining 4 isolates recovered from asymptomatic leaves had large fluidal yellow colonies, and were non-pathogenic on maize. Isolates varied in their aggressiveness on a susceptible hybrid of maize but no significant differences in aggressiveness were detected between epiphytic isolates and those recovered from diseased maize tissues. The genomics of Cmn is poorly understood; therefore as a first step to determining what genes may play a role in virulence, we compared 33 putative virulence gene sequences from 6 pathogenic and a non-pathogenic isolate recovered from the phyllosphere. Sequence polymorphisms were detected in 5 genes, cellulase A, two endoglucanases, xylanase B and a pectate lyase but there was no relationship with pathogenicity. Further research is needed to determine what genes play a role in virulence of Cmn. Our data show however, that the virulence factors in Cmn likely differ from those reported for the closely related subspecies michiganensis and sepedonicus.

Digital detoxification is a conscious disconnection from all smartphone activities for a certain period of time, which has been undertaken as effective by researchers to improve well-being, but studies found inconsistent results, with a primary focus on negative well-being, thus necessitating a need to focus on the positive aspect. As a result, the current study conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess digital detoxification and its influence on users subjective and psychological well-being (PWB). A comprehensive search (up to November 19, 2023) across databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Pro-Quest, and Google Search yielded a total of 26 eligible studies (18 for meta-analysis) comprising 8,147 participants (Mage = 25.20 years). The Studies' quality was assessed using Cochrane's updated Risk of Bias Tool, and statistical analysis was performed in R Studio. Digital detoxification was found to be effective in improving subjective well-being (SWB) (Standardized mean difference [SMD] = 0.21, 95% CI: 0.06, 0.34; p < 0.01, I2 = 73.6%, n = 14 papers), as well as PWB (SMD = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.09, 0.46; p < 0.05; I2 = 0.0%, n = 4 papers). Notably, we detected no publication bias but addressed funnel plot asymmetry using Trim & Fill. Moderation analysis revealed the impact of internet coverage, developmental status, location, intervention effectiveness, and risk of bias on the estimated effect size for SWB. Meta-regression highlighted the significant influence of mean age, and although no potential outliers were identified, influential plots are provided for transparency. Our findings consolidate the efficacy of digital detoxification, emphasizing the need for nuanced consideration of study factors. This study contributes to the ongoing discourse on digital well-being, offering valuable insights for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Financial technology (FinTech) represents an innovative shift in the financial services industry, transforming the business model from traditional to technological, notably through digital wallets (e-wallets). Despite mobile payments becoming increasingly popular during the COVID-19 pandemic, there remains a scarcity of studies on this topic. Small companies faced numerous challenges during the pandemic, including layoffs, absenteeism, reduced sales, financial crises, weakened consumer demand due to closures, movement restrictions, and supply chain disruptions. Consequently, companies are actively seeking effective solutions to mitigate these impacts, such as adopting new FinTech. This research aims to investigate how environmental factors influenced the adoption of e-wallets by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors will base the conceptual model on the technological, organizational, and environmental (TOE) framework (Tornatzky et al., 1990). The study will employ an electronic survey method to gather data from a community of small companies in Jordan, with a sample size of 600. The study will analyze five environmental factors that affect the decision to adopt e-wallets, including competition pressure, customer, supplier, and government pressure, support from government and technology suppliers, related technologies, and network externalities. This research will contribute to the literature by providing insights into the environmental challenges faced by SMEs during the pandemic and offering a model to explain the key factors that influence the adoption of e-wallets. Furthermore, it will serve as a valuable resource for policymakers in the financial sector to promote the adoption of e-wallets and other FinTech solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]