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In the present article, a production-inventory model is developed over a finite planning horizon where the demand varies linearly with time. The machine production rate is assumed to be finite and constant. Shortages in inventory are allowed and are completely backlogged. The associated constrained minimization problem is numerically solved. Sensitivity analysis is also presented for the given model.

We report the role of molybdenum (Mo) doping in ferrimagnetism of yttrium iron garnet Y3Fe5O12 (YIG). X-ray diffraction studies in conjunction with Rietveld refinement indicate that the Y3Fe5-5xMo5xO12 (MYIG) crystallizes in the crystal symmetry of inverse cubic spinel phase. Temperature and field dependent magnetization M(H,T) data designate the long range ferromagnetic ordering in MYIG. The calculated cubic anisotropy constant K1(T) and saturation magnetization Ms(T) by the 'law of approach' indicate that these parameters decrease with increasing temperature. The magnitude of Ms(T) is dependent on Mo-concentration and the Ms-T functional relationship obeys the Bloch's spin wave theory. Initially magnetic moment per Fe atom in the unit cell increases with Mo doping and henceforth it decreases slowly with further Mo doping. XRD and Raman spectroscopic molecular vibrational studies were employed to explain the variation of magnetic moment per Fe atom in MYIG. The occupancy parameter and magnetic moment calculated by Rietveld analysis reveal that Mo ions occupy the Fe position at the octahedral site with low doping and this site occupancy decreases with increase in Mo doping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phase mineralogy and leaching characteristics of some Indian coal fly ashes were studied to assess their safe disposal in abandoned coal mines. Since, fly ash contains a number of toxic trace elements, the leaching of fly ash was tested using strong acid/alkali solutionsand distilled water under different conditions (solid-liquid ratio,leaching time, pH) in the temperature range of 30-100 degrees C. It was found that the concentration of various metals in leachates dependson their chemical nature, association with mineral phases of ash andfollows the almost similar concentration profile to that of iron, especially in acidic medium. The distribution of toxic trace elements in fly ash and their leachability were found to depend on the amount of unburnt carbon and iron in fly ash. In alkaline medium, leaching ofiron and toxic trace elements (except As) from fly ash was very negligible. Hence, alkali treatment of coal By ash is desirable for its safe use in refilling of coal mines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The single-phase intermetallic compounds of refractory metal Nb doped Dy2Fe17−x Nb x were prepared by arc melting. The substitution of Nb in the Dy2Fe17 compound was found to have an important effect on their structure and magnetic properties. The Rietveld analysis of X-ray diffraction data shows that Dy2Fe17−x Nb x (x=0–1.5) solid solutions crystallize with the Th2Ni17 structure. The lattice parameters obtained from Rietveld refinement show that the unit cell volume of Dy2Fe17−x Nb x increases linearly with increasing Nb concentration up to x=1. The solubility of Nb was found to be limited to x~1. The substitutional Nb atoms occupied all four sites in the order 12j>12k>6g>4f of a Th2Ni17 structure. The Curie temperature (T c) was found to be Nb content dependent. The T c first increased and then decreased with increasing Nb content x, attaining a maximum value of 460K at around x=1, which is 78K higher than that of Dy2Fe17. The saturation magnetization decreased linearly with increasing Nb content from 69emu/g for x=0 to 38emu/g for x=1.5. 57Fe Mössbauer spectra show the presence of DyFe3 and NbFe2 phases at a higher Nb content x≥1. The hyperfine field values of 4f site first increased up to x=1 and then decreased at higher Nb content. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The tumor microenvironment (TME) is composed of various cellular components such as tumor cells, stromal cells including fibroblasts, adipocytes, mast cells, lymphatic vascular cells and infiltrating immune cells, macrophages, dendritic cells and lymphocytes. The intricate interplay between these cells influences tumor growth, metastasis and therapy failure. Significant advancements in breast cancer therapy have resulted in a substantial decrease in mortality. However, existing cancer treatments frequently result in toxicity and nonspecific side effects. Therefore, improving targeted drug delivery and increasing the efficacy of drugs is crucial for enhancing treatment outcome and reducing the burden of toxicity. In this review, we have provided an overview of how tumor and stroma-derived osteopontin (OPN) plays a key role in regulating the oncogenic potential of various cancers including breast. Next, we dissected the signaling network by which OPN regulates tumor progression through interaction with selective integrins and CD44 receptors. This review addresses the latest advancements in the roles of splice variants of OPN in cancer progression and OPN-mediated tumor-stromal interaction, EMT, CSC enhancement, immunomodulation, metastasis, chemoresistance and metabolic reprogramming, and further suggests that OPN might be a potential therapeutic target and prognostic biomarker for the evolving landscape of cancer management.

Background: Understanding pathways to dual diagnosis (DD) care will help organize DD services and facilitate training and referral across healthcare sectors., Aim: The aim of our study was to characterize the stepwise healthcare and other contacts among patients with DD, compare the characteristics of the first contact persons with common mental disorder (CMD) versus severe mental illness (SMI), and estimate the likelihood of receiving appropriate DD treatment across levels of contacts., Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive study in eight Indian centers included newly enrolled patients with DD between April 2022 and February 2023. The research spans varied geographic regions, tapping into regional variations in disease burden, health practices, and demographics. The study categorized healthcare contacts by using the WHO Pathways Encounter Form., Results: The sample (n = 589) had a median age of 32 years, mostly males (96%). Alcohol was the most common substance; SMI (50.8%) and CMD were equally represented. Traditional healers were a common first contact choice (18.5%); however, integrated DD care dominated subsequent contacts. Assistance likelihood increased from the first to the second contact (23.1% to 62.1%) but declined in subsequent contacts, except for a significant rise in the fifth contact (97.4%). In the initial contact, patients with CMD sought help from public-general hospitals and private practitioners for SUD symptoms; individuals with SMI leaned on relatives and sought out traditional healers for psychiatric symptoms., Conclusion: Recognizing the cultural nuances, advocating for integrated care, and addressing systemic challenges pave the way to bridge the gap in DD treatment., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2024 Indian Journal of Psychiatry.)

Background: Substance use disorders (SUDs) are among the leading causes of morbidity in the population. In low- and medium-income countries like India, there is a wide treatment gap for SUD. A multicentric study on the care pathways for SUD in India can help to understand service provision, service utilization, and challenges to improve existing SUD care in India., Aim: We aimed to map pathways to care in SUD. We compared the clinical and demographic characteristics of patients who first consulted specialized services versus other medical services., Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of consecutive, consenting adults (18-65 years) with SUD registered to each of the nine participating addiction treatment services distributed across five Indian regions. We adapted the World Health Organization's pathway encounter form., Results: Of the 998 participants, 98% were males, 49.4% were rural, and 20% were indigenous population. Addiction services dominated initial (50%) and subsequent (60%) healthcare contacts. One in five contacted private for-profit healthcare. Primary care contact was rare (5/998). Diverse approaches included traditional healers (4-6%) and self-medication (2-8%). There was a 3-year delay in first contact; younger, educated individuals with opioid dependence preferred specialized services., Conclusion: There is a need to strengthen public healthcare infrastructure and delivery systems and integrate SUD treatment into public healthcare., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2024 Indian Journal of Psychiatry.)

The synthesis, characterization, and catalytic application of a new phosphine-free, well-defined, water-soluble, and air-stable Mn(II)-catalyst [Mn(L)(H 2 O) 2 Cl](Cl) ([ 1 ]Cl) featuring a 1,10-phenanthroline based tridentate pincer ligand, 2-(1 H -pyrazol-1-yl)-1,10-phenanthroline ( L ), in dehydrogenative functionalization of alcohols to various N -heterocycles such as quinazolin-4(3 H )-ones, quinolines, and quinoxalines are reported here. A wide array of multisubstituted quinazolin-4(3 H )-ones were prepared in water under air following two pathways via the dehydrogenative coupling of alcohols with 2-aminobenzamides and 2-aminobenzonitriles, respectively. 2-Aminobenzyl alcohol and ketones bearing active methylene group were used as coupling partners for synthesizing quinoline derivatives, and various quinoxaline derivatives were prepared by coupling vicinal diols and 1,2-diamines. In all cases, the reaction proceeded smoothly using our Mn(II)-catalyst [ 1 ]Cl in water under air, affording the desired N -heterocycles in satisfactory yields starting from cheap and readily accessible precursors. Gram-scale synthesis of the compounds indicates the industrial relevance of our synthetic strategy. Control experiments were performed to understand and unveil the plausible reaction mechanism.

An oxygen-dependent ligand-controlled chemoselective synthesis of vinyl nitriles and E -olefins by coupling a variety of alcohols and benzyl cyanides, catalyzed by a well-characterized, air-stable, easy-to-prepare Fe(II) catalyst ( 1a ) bearing a redox-active arylazo pincer ( L 1a ) is reported. The azo-moiety of the ligand backbone acts as an electron and hydrogen reservoir, enabling catalyst 1a to efficiently produce a broad spectrum of vinyl nitriles and E -olefins in moderate to good yields selectively under an oxygen and argon atmosphere, respectively.

Background: Research on glutamate (Glu) in schizophrenia has so far been inconclusive. Based on preclinical studies on Glu lactate interaction, researchers have now focused on brain lactate level as a sign of major pathology, including cognitive dysfunctions in the brain. Our study aimed to examine changes at resting and activated states in brain lactate and Glu-glutamine (Glx) at the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in schizophrenia., Methods: A hospital-based prospective study was conducted with twenty-two male cases of schizophrenia and matched healthy controls (HCs). Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and Stroop tasks were administered among patients. Brain lactate and Glx at ACC were measured at resting state and during the Stroop test with proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) both at baseline and at remission and once among HC., Result: Though MoCA scores improved significantly ( P < 0.001) at remission from baseline among cases, repeated-measures analysis of variance (RM-ANOVA) did not find a significant time effect for Glx ( P = 0.82) and lactate ( P = 0.30) among cases from baseline to remission. Glx and lactate changed differently from baseline to remission., Conclusion: Our study did not find significant differences in Glx and lactate between schizophrenia patients and HC. No significant time effect on Glx and lactate was observed from baseline to remission among schizophrenia cases. Different changes observed in Glx and lactate from baseline to remission require replication in future studies with larger sample size, longer follow-up period, and multivoxel MR assessment., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2024 Indian Journal of Psychiatry.)

Self-assembled hydrogels by virtue of their unique 3D network and tunability have extensively been explored for bio-medical applications like tissue engineering, delivery and release of therapeutic agents, etc. Herein, we demonstrate for the first-time nucleoside-based biocompatible hydrogels with a remarkable leishmanicidal effect against both Leishmania major promastigotes and amastigotes and no cytotoxic effect on the macrophage cell line. In this work, a series of biocompatible hydrogels have been synthesized by silver ion-driven self-assembly of natural nucleoside and nucleotide-like cytidine and 5'-GMP. The supramolecular metallogel obtained from the assembly of cytidine and boronic acid is capable of inducing apoptotic-like cell death of protozoan parasite by causing damage to the membrane as well as DNA. These hydrogels could find promising applications in combating cutaneous leishmaniasis by topical treatment.

Bipolar disorder's core feature is the pathological disturbances in mood, often accompanied by disrupted thinking and behavior. Its complex and heterogeneous etiology implies that a range of inherited and environmental factors are involved. This heterogeneity and poorly understood neurobiology pose significant challenges to existing drug development paradigms, resulting in scarce treatment options, especially for bipolar depression. Therefore, novel approaches are needed to discover new treatment options. In this review, we first highlight the main molecular mechanisms known to be associated with bipolar depression-mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation and oxidative stress. We then examine the available literature for the effects of trimetazidine in said alterations. Trimetazidine was identified without a priori hypothesis using a gene-expression signature for the effects of a combination of drugs used to treat bipolar disorder and screening a library of off-patent drugs in cultured human neuronal-like cells. Trimetazidine is used to treat angina pectoris for its cytoprotective and metabolic effects (improved glucose utilization for energy production). The preclinical and clinical literature strongly support trimetazidine's potential to treat bipolar depression, having anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties while normalizing mitochondrial function only when it is compromised. Further, trimetazidine's demonstrated safety and tolerability provide a strong rationale for clinical trials to test its efficacy to treat bipolar depression that could fast-track its repurposing to address such an unmet need as bipolar depression., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objectives: According to the national mental health survey, substance use disorders (SUDs) are prevalent in 22.4% of the population above 18 years, whereas the same is 26% among the tribal population. The treatment gap is also high in substance-addictive disorders. Our study aimed to compare the severity of substance use, pathways to psychiatric care, and treatment-seeking behavior among the tribal and non-tribal populations., Materials and Methods: The study was conducted at a tertiary psychiatric teaching institute in India. It was a cross-sectional comparative study. Patients fulfilling the International Classification of Disease 10 diagnostic criteria of mental and behavioral disorders due to substance use, with active dependence, were taken without comorbidity. Forty patients in tribal and non-tribal groups were recruited with consecutive sampling. The samples were assessed with a semi-structured interview schedule, addiction severity index, attitudes toward help-seeking, and pathways-to-care., Results: Excessive substance use median was for 7.00 (± 5.00) years in tribal and 6.00 (± 4.00) years in non-tribal; in tribal, substance intake was younger than non-tribal ( P = 0.167), and general health-care system more distance than the non-tribal (P < 0.001). Around 65% of the persons with SUD never consulted their general practitioner and primary health-care facilities. Alcohol severity was higher in the tribal population than in the non-tribal population. The cannabis and opioid severity was high in the non-tribal population. Help-seeking behavior was deficient in both groups., Conclusion: Most of the substance abuse tribal and non-tribal populations reach healthcare very late and do not consider it as a health issue initially. The major reason for the delayed pathway is a lack of awareness about mental health care facilities and stigma in both populations. The stigma is high in non-tribal communities compared to the tribal community. There is a need to improve the identification and treatment of alcohol morbidity in primary care., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (© 2023 Published by Scientific Scholar on behalf of Journal of Neurosciences in Rural Practice.)

Herein, we report a Zn(II)-catalyzed solvent-free sustainable synthesis of tri- and tetra-substituted pyridines using alcohols as the primary feedstock and NH 4 OAc as the nitrogen source. Using a well-defined air-stable Zn(II)-catalyst, 1a , featuring a redox-active tridentate azo-aromatic pincer, 2-((4-chlorophenyl)diazenyl)-1,10-phenanthroline ( L a ), a wide variety of unsymmetrical 2,4,6-substituted pyridines were prepared by three-component coupling of primary and secondary alcohols with NH 4 OAc. Catalyst 1a is equally compatible with the four-component coupling. Unsymmetrical 2,4,6-substituted pyridines were also prepared via a four-component coupling of a primary alcohol with two different secondary alcohols and NH 4 OAc. A series of tetra-substituted pyridines were prepared up to 67% yield by coupling primary and secondary alcohols with 1-phenylpropan-1-one or 1,2-diphenylethan-1-one and NH 4 OAc. The 1a -catalyzed reactions also proceeded efficiently upon replacing the secondary alcohols with the corresponding ketones, producing the desired tri- and tetra-substituted pyridines in higher yields in a shorter reaction time. A few control experiments were performed to unveil the mechanistic aspects, which indicates that the active participation of the aryl-azo ligand during catalysis enables the Zn(II)-complex to act as an efficient catalyst for the present multicomponent reactions. Aerial oxygen acts as an oxidant during the Zn(II)-catalyzed dehydrogenation of alcohols, producing H 2 O and H 2 O 2 as byproducts.

Competing Interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.