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Drug-resistant parasitic nematodes pose a grave threat to plants, animals, and humans. An innovative paradigm for treating parasitic nematodes is emphasized in this opinion. This approach relies on repurposing methuosis (a death characterized by accumulation of large vacuoles) inducing anticancer drugs as anthelmintics. We review drugs/chemicals that have shown to kill nematodes or cancerous cells by inducing multiple vacuoles that eventually coalesce and rupture. This perspective additionally offers a succinct summary on Structure-Activity Relationship (SAR) of methuosis-inducing small molecules. This strategy holds promise for the development of broad-spectrum anthelmintics, shedding light on shared molecular mechanisms between cancer and nematodes in response to these inducers, thereby potentially transforming both therapeutic domains.

Even though electric cars are growing more and more common, many drivers still have trouble finding charging stations. Because of this, customers need an EV charging station finder app that is user-friendly and dependable, and that can provide them with the most recent information on the location and availability of charging stations specific to the type of electric vehicle they are driving. An dependable and user-friendly app that can assist EV drivers in finding charging stations is becoming increasingly necessary as more and more people choose to use electric vehicles (EVs). Although there are now a few apps for this usage, they frequently have limited functionality, lack real-time information, or are challenging to use. For EV drivers, this might cause aggravation and annoyance as they can find it difficult to map out their routes or locate. This app would be a helping hand for EV drivers.

Android smartphone app will automatically detect the accident that will be occurred. The app immediately retrieves the GPS location and activates an alarm screen. With one tap, the user can request emergency assistance. The app calls the local emergency number and sends SMS alerts to predefined contacts. The alerts provide accident details including location coordinates, number of passengers, and crash characteristics. Development challenges include accurately identifying crashes across varying conditions while minimizing false positives, integrating with onboard vehicle systems for additional data, addressing cybersecurity risks, optimizing for minimal battery usage, and easing privacy concerns over data collection. If technical obstacles can be overcome, such an automated crash detection and emergency alert app could help expedite emergency responses and improve road safety outcomes. Intended as an low-cost, scalable supplementary crash alert system, it has the potential to save lives worldwide.

This research focuses on the impact of stir casting variables namely, Stir speed, Melt temperature, Percent of reinforcement and Stir time on two characteristics namely Ultimate tensile strength and wear rate of Al 6063/TiB2/Al2O3 hybrid composites using Taguchi method. It also aims at developing a multi-response optimization technique using Taguchi based TOPSIS. Through the experiments, it was found that the highest and the lowest value of ultimate tensile strength (UTS) was in experiment 3 and 14 respectively. Likewise, the maximum and minimum wear rate (WTR) were noted down in the experiments 15 and 7, respectively. By using the TOPSIS method, the optimal solution for both UTS and WTR was identified to be the SD2 ‘ME3 PT4 SE1 set at 500 rpm, 800°C, 8 wt%, and 5 minutes. When the experiment was performed under these optimal conditions the tensile strength recorded were measured to be 229 MPa and wear rate of 0. 00272 mm3/Nm.

In this paper we explore the problem of task allocation when communication is very low, e.g., when the probability of a successful message between agents is $\ll 0.01$ . Such situations may occur when agents choose not to communicate for reasons of stealth or when agent-to-agent communication is actively jammed by an adversary. In such cases, agents may need to divide tasks without knowing the locations of each other. Given the assumption that agents know the total number of agents in the workspace, we investigate solutions that ensure all tasks are eventually completed—even if some of the agents are destroyed. We present two task allocation algorithms that assume communication may not happen, but that benefit whenever communications are successful. (1) The Spatial Division Playbook Algorithm divides task among agents based on an area decomposition. (2) The Traveling Salesman Playbook Algorithm considers mission travel distance by leveraging Christofides’ 3/2 approximation algorithm. These algorithms have task completion runtime complexity of $O(m \log m)$ and $O(m^{3})$ , respectively, where $m$ refers to the total number of tasks. We compare both algorithms to four state-of-the-art task allocation algorithms — ACBBA, DHBA, PIA and GA — across multiple communication levels and multiple numbers of targets, and using three different communication models. The new algorithms perform favorably, in terms of the time required to ensure all targets are visited, in the special case when communication is very low.

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is a nosocomial pathogen associated with urinary tract infections and expresses several virulence factors that cause recurring infections and cystitis of the bladder, which can lead to pyelonephritis. UPEC uses different types of extracellular appendages like fimbriae and pili that aid colonization and adherence to bladder epithelium and can form persistent biofilm-like bacterial communities that aid its survival after the deployment of host immune responses. We investigated the antibiofilm, antimicrobial, and antivirulence properties of three indole derivatives namely, 4-chloroindole, 5-chloroindole, and 5-chloro 2-methyl indole. All the three chloroindoles had MICs of 75 μg/ml and inhibited biofilm formation by an average of 67% at 20 μg/ml. In addition, they inhibited swarming and swimming motilities, which are essential for dissemination from bacterial communities and colonization, reduced cell surface hydrophobicity, and inhibited indole production and curli formation. Gene expression analysis showed all three chloroindoles significantly downregulated the expressions of virulence genes associated with adhesion, stress regulation, and toxin production. A 3D-QSAR analysis revealed substitutions at the fourth and fifth positions of the indole moiety favored antimicrobial activity. Furthermore, these chloroindoles potently inhibited biofilm formation in other nosocomial pathogens and polymicrobial consortia.

Tryptophanase encoded by the gene tnaA is a pyridoxal phosphate-dependent enzyme that catalyses the conversion of tryptophan to indole, which is commonly used as an intra- and interspecies signalling molecule, particularly by microbes. However, the production of indole is rare in eukaryotic organisms. A nucleotide and protein database search revealed tnaA is commonly reported in various Gram-negative bacteria, but that only a few Gram-positive bacteria and archaea possess the gene. The presence of tnaA in eukaryotes, particularly protozoans and marine organisms, demonstrates the importance of this gene in the animal kingdom. Here, we document the distribution of tnaA and its acquisition and expansion among different taxonomic groups, many of which are usually categorized as non-indole producers. This study provides an opportunity to understand the intriguing role played by tnaA, and its distribution among various types of organisms.

The Long-billed Vulture Gyps indicus is, Critically Endangered with few known breeding sites in peninsular India. We present a previously undocumented Long-billed Vulture breeding site in Bejjur Reserve Forest, Adilabad District, northern Telangana.

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease (KFD) is a rare, self-limiting disease of unknown aetiology presenting with cervical lymphadenopathy, fever, vomiting, weight loss, night sweats and chills. Familial occurrence of KFD is reported very rarely in literature. We report two cases from the same family presenting with KFD. The two non-twin sisters presented with symptoms of fever, cervical lymphadenopathy, weight loss, nausea, vomiting, night sweats and chills 6 months apart. The elder sibling with KFD also manifested mononeuritis multiplex. Laboratory evaluation revealed raised erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein levels and leucopenia. Anti-nuclear antibody and anti-double stranded deoxyribonucleic acid antibody were negative. Histopathological findings were suggestive of Kikuchi -Fujimoto’s disease. The patients responded well to oral corticosteroid treatment.

Anal canal malignancy is one of the dreadful conditions. Most of the anal canal malignancies are squamous cell carcinomas for which the treatment is well established and the prognosis is usually favourable. Small cell carcinoma of anal canal is a very rare condition and poorly understood, which can present as haemorrhoids in its early stages and has an aggressive course. We present a case of small cell carcinoma of anal canal who underwent Abdomino Perineal Resection (APR) and chemotherapy. He developed liver metastasis during the course of chemotherapy and succumbed to the condition 4 months later.

Vibrios are naturally present in marine ecosystems and are commonly allied with live seafood. Vibrio species frequently cause foodborne infections, with Vibrio parahaemolyticus recently becoming a significant contributor to foodborne illness outbreaks. In response, aniline and 68 of its aniline derivatives were studied due to their antibacterial effects targeting V. parahaemolyticus and Vibrio harveyi. Among these, 4-amino-3-chloro-5-nitrobenzotrifluoride (ACNBF) and 2-iodo-4-trifluoromethylaniline (ITFMA) demonstrated both antibacterial and antibiofilm properties. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) for ACNBF and ITFMA were 100 µg/mL and 50 µg/mL, respectively, against planktonic cells. The active compounds effectively suppressed biofilm formation in a manner dependent on the dosage. Additionally, these trifluoro-anilines significantly reduced virulence factors such as motility, protease activity, hemolysis, and indole production. Both trifluoro-anilines caused noticeable destruction to the membrane of bacterial cells and, at 100 µg/mL, exhibited bactericidal activity against V. parahaemolyticus within 30 min. Toxicity assays using the Caenorhabditis elegans and seed germination models showed that the compounds displayed mild toxicity. As a result, ACNBF and ITFMA inhibited the growth of both planktonic cells and biofilm formation. Furthermore, these active compounds effectively prevented the formation of biofilm on the surfaces of shrimp and squid models, highlighting their potential use in controlling seafood contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drug-resistant parasitic nematodes pose a grave threat to plants, animals, and humans. An innovative paradigm for treating parasitic nematodes is emphasized in this opinion. This approach relies on repurposing methuosis (a death characterized by accumulation of large vacuoles) inducing anticancer drugs as anthelmintics. We review drugs/chemicals that have shown to kill nematodes or cancerous cells by inducing multiple vacuoles that eventually coalesce and rupture. This perspective additionally offers a succinct summary on Structure–Activity Relationship (SAR) of methuosis-inducing small molecules. This strategy holds promise for the development of broad-spectrum anthelmintics, shedding light on shared molecular mechanisms between cancer and nematodes in response to these inducers, thereby potentially transforming both therapeutic domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objectives: To assess and compare the results of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography and ultrasonography in the diagnosis of various kinds of choledochal cysts. To investigate the efficacy of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography and ultrasonography as the primary diagnostic methods for patients who exhibit Choledochal Cyst clinical characteristics. To evaluate the limitations of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography and ultrasonography in the diagnosis of various forms of choledochal cysts. Method: The study was a hospital-based cross-sectional study that included thirty patients who were referred for Ultrasonography and Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography to the Department of Radiodiagnosis, Nilratan Sircar Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, India, with a clinical suspicion of Choledochal Cysts lesions and unintentionally discovered Choledochal Cysts lesions on patient's Ultrasonography and Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography done for other reasons during study period between January 2019 to June 2020. Result: The association between the cyst type in various radiological scans was not statistically significant (p=0.9455). Fusiform cysts were present in 29 (96.7%) individuals who underwent USG scanning, while saccular cysts were found in 1 (3.%) patients. The relationship between the CBD cyst's shape and the various radiological scans was not statistically significant (p=0.3132). In both MRCP and USG scans, all CBD cysts were fusiform. Shape of the CBD cyst did not significantly differ between USG and MRCP scanning (p=1.0000). During MRCP scanning, 29 patients (96.7%) exhibited fusiform cysts, while one patient (3.3 %) had saccular cysts. Conclusion: Ultrasonography and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography were performed on various choledochal cyst types. The mean CBD cyst size was not statistically different between the two radiologies (p=0.3606). IHBR Cyst Shape and Radiological Scans Did Not Correlate (p=0.9610). The CBD cyst's form did not correlate with radiological scans (p=0.3132). All USG and MRCP CBD cysts were fusiform. USG and MRCP scans yielded similar CBD cyst shapes (p=1.0000). Both radiologies had similar IHBR cyst mean sizes (p=0.4501). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]