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Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are promising materials for photocatalytic functions. In class of TMDs, MoS _2 is comprehensively explored as a co-catalyst due to the extraordinary activity for photocatalytic activity of organic dye degradation. But the catalytic activities of MoS _2 are generated through S ions on depiction edges. Also numerous of S ions existed on basal planes are catalytically inactive. The insertion of external metals in MoS _2 organism is extensive way for activation of basal planes surface to enhance concentration of catalytically active sites. For this purpose, nanoparticles of Nickel (Ni) doped MoS _2 are prepared by hydrothermal technique. Structural and morphological analysis are characterized by XRD and SEM, respectively. XRD results showed that Ni is completely doped into MoS _2 . SEM showed that pure MoS _2 has sheet like structure and Ni doped MoS _2 has mix disc and flower like structure. Band gap energy was observed in declining range of 2.30–1.76 eV. The photocatalytic activity of pure MoS _2 and Ni doped MoS _2 were evaluated by degrading MB and RhB dyes under UV light irradiation. MB dye degradation of MB was 71% for pure MoS _2 . For 1% to 5% Ni doping in MoS _2 , MB dye degradated from 85% to 96%. It means that MB dye degradation of MB was enhanced continuously by increasing the concentration of Ni doping. RhB dye degradation of RhB was 62% for pure MoS _2 . For 1% to 5% Ni doping in MoS _2 , the RhB dye degradated from 77% to 91%.

This study aims to explore a novel cross model for peristaltic flow, which has not been previously addressed. The focus is on investigating the peristaltic flow of an incompressible nanofluid within a vertically uniform channel. The current model has application in drug delivery, biomedical engineering, lab on chip etc. Utilizing peristaltic flow for drug delivery systems in symmetric channels offers precise control over fluid motion, non‐Newtonian fluids, such as polymer solutions used in drug formulations, exhibit complex flow behavior that can be manipulated through peristaltic pumping mechanisms. This application has the potential to revolutionize targeted drug delivery, enhancing therapeutic efficacy and minimizing side effects. Studying peristaltic flow in symmetric channels for non‐Newtonian fluids offers interdisciplinary insights and innovative applications. Understanding fluid rheology, channel geometry, and peristaltic pumping can lead to novel strategies for fluid control, with implications for healthcare, biotechnology, and materials science advancements. To simplify the complex system of nonlinear partial differential equations governing the flow, we consider long wavelengths and low Reynolds numbers. Subsequently, we employ Shooting methods to solve this system of equations, providing a comprehensive evaluation of the numerical results for key parameters such as velocity, temperature, concentration, and pressure gradient. The findings are presented through graphical representations of significant flow parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy).The authors retract the above paper due to: 1) conflict of interest among the authors; and 2) addition of coauthor Dr. Muhammad Younus without his knowledge or permission. The authors apologize for these two grave mistakes.

Semen production data of Holstein-Friesian and Jersey bulls collected over a period of three years was analyzed to examine seasonal effects on quantity and quality of semen. Purebred breeding bulls of Holstein-Friesian and Jersey breeds (n = 18 for each breed), maintained under naturally ventilated open-sided sheds, were used for semen collection. Meteorological information on ambient temperature, relative humidity and rainfall was used to divide the calendar year into two stressful summer seasons viz; dry summer (April - June) and wet summer (July–September) and a stress free season (October - March). The number of ejaculates per bull recorded during three seasons were not significantly different (P>0.05) in both breeds. Friesian bulls produced lower ejaculatory volume during dry summer season, whereas Jersey bulls produced higher (P0.05) but in Jersey bulls it was lower during wet summer than other seasons. Wet summer resulted in reduced number of semen doses frozen per bull in both breeds. The results of this study indicated that wet summer season deteriorated semen quality in terms of mass motility, individual motility and number of doses in both breeds, except individual motility in semen of Friesian bulls.

The present study investigates the surface, structural, mechanical and optical properties of (0, 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%) palladium doped diamond like carbon (Pd;DLC) thin films prepared by using r. f. magnetron sputtering technique. The structural, mechanical, surface, and optical properties were measured by Energy Dispersive X-rays (EDX), Raman spectroscopy, Vickers Hardness Measurement (VHM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and Spectroscopy Ellipsometry, respectively. EDX results clearly indicated the presence of palladium metal into DLC matrix. Raman spectroscopy results reveal that all Raman spectra consist of two main peaks as D-band (1355.7 to 1359.3) and G-band (1558.9 to 1577.9). Additionally, ID/IG ratio increases monotonically from 0.391 to 0.504 with increasing palladium concentration. With increasing doping concentration, AFM shows a modest increase in roughness of Pd-DLC thin films. The decline in the hardness of Pd-DLC films from 9.38 Gpa for 1% to 8.90 Gpa for 5% were observed by using Vickers Hardness Measurement (VHM). Spectroscopy ellipsometry showed that Eg reduced from 2.11 to 1.68 eV by adding the palladium concentration in Pd-DLC film. The decrease in the optical bandgap energy over the wide range is due to enrichment of sp² contents than undoped film. The results reveal that incorporation of palladium produced prominent change in different properties of DLC film by increasing sp² content. At 5% doping 1.68 eV band gap is achieved which is very ideal for solar cells fabrication. Therefore, this film is very good for solar cells and LEDs fabrications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In the present article we consider the physical model of two-dimensional Casson hybrid nanofluids flow, which is magnetized and thermally radiative, laminar, incompressible inside the channel. Flow equations have been modelled for two dimensional axial and radial velocity components $$u$$ u along $$x{\text{-axis}}$$ x -axis and $$v$$ v along the $$y{\text{-axis}}$$ y -axis . There exists temperature $$\left({T}_{1}>{T}_{2}\right)$$ T 1 > T 2 which is constant for upper and lower walls. The Casson nanofluids model with nano type particles includes heat transfer effect between two stretched and shrinking walls of the channel was constructed. The continuity, momentum and energy equations are modelled in cartesian coordinates system. The finite element technique is used to evaluate numerical solutions for velocity, temperature, Skin friction and Nusselt number. It is evident that the hybrid Casson nanofluids exhibit opposite behaviors in the stretching and shrinking cases near the upper and lower walls of the channel. It is also observed that in the stretching case, increasing the values of the Casson parameter leads to a rise in both shear stress and heat transfer rate for both plates of the channel. However, the results contradict this trend in the shrinking case. Understanding the thermal characteristics of magnetized hybrid fluids can be applied to the design of advanced cooling systems in engineering applications, biomedical fluid dynamic, in energy system this study can be applied to improve the efficiency of energy systems where fluid flow and heat transfer play crucial roles. Further use of nanofluids suggests a connection to nanotechnology, and the study may have implications for the development of advanced nanomaterial-based heat transfer fluids.

The present study presents an analysis of Casson nanofluid flow in small expanding/contracting vessel with permeable walls. Further, we have presented the coupling of expanding/contracting parameter with low seepage Reynolds number. Similarity transformation is used to convert the governing partial differential equation into set of coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations which are solved numerically using R–K method after converting the system of boundary value problem into initial value problem with the help of a shooting technique numerically. The behavior of emerging parameters are presented graphically for velocity, temperature, and nanoparticles fraction. Most important effect of physical parameter skin friction, Nusselt and Sherwood number are presented in table form. It is found that, reduced Nusselt number is decreasing function of Prendtl number and reduce Sherwood number is the increasing Brownian motion parameter Nb and Thermophoresis parameter Nt.

The global problem of ecological safety and public health necessitates, the development of new sustainable ideas for pollution remediation. In recent development, metal-organic frameworks (MOF) are the emerging technology with remarkable potential, which have been employed in environmental remediation. MOFs are networks that are created by the coordination of metals or polyanions with ligands and contain organic components that can be customized. The interesting features of MOFs are a large surface area, tuneable porosity, functional diversity, and high predictability of pollutant adsorption, catalysis, and degradation. It is a solid material that occupies a unique position in the war against environmental pollutants. One of the main benefits of MOFs is that they exhibit selective adsorption of a wide range of pollutants, including heavy metals, organics, greenhouse gases, water and soil. Only particles with the right combination of pore size and chemical composition will achieve this selectivity, derived from the high level of specificity. Besides, they possess high catalytic ability for the removal of pollutants by means of different methods such as photocatalysis, Fenton-like reactions, and oxidative degradation. By generating mobile active sites within the framework of MOFs, we can not only ensure high affinity for pollutants but also effective transformation of toxic chemicals into less harmful or even inert end products. However, the long-term stability of MOFs is becoming more important as eco-friendly parts are replaced with those that can be used repeatedly, and systems based on MOFs that can remove pollutants in more than one way are fabricated. MOFs can reduce waste production, energy consumption as compared to the other removal process. With its endless capacities, MOF technology brings a solution to the environmental cleansing problem, working as a flexible problem solver from one field to another. The investigation of MOF synthesis and principles will allow researchers to fully understand the potential of MOFs in environmental problem solving, making the world a better place for all of us., Competing Interests: All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Antimicrobial resistance poses challenges to humans and animals, especially to the poultry sector in control of fowl typhoid with antibiotics, leading to increased mortality and food insecurity. Therefore, it is essential to develop more effective medications as alternatives to antibiotics. Currently, zinc oxide and copper oxide nanoparticles are of such significant interest due to their antibacterial properties. This study aimed to evaluate antimicrobial activity of zinc oxide and copper oxide nanoparticles against fowl typhoid in broilers. Ninety broiler chicks were raised under suitable management conditions. On day 10 of age, chicks were divided into six groups: control negative, control positive, T 1 , T 2 , T 3 , and T 4 . On day 19 of age, chicks in all groups except control negative were infected with Salmonella gallinarum (0.2 mL, 10 8 CFU/mL). After appearance of clinical signs, the treatments (Florfenicol; 50 mg/L drinking water [T 1 ], and zinc oxide + copper oxide nanoparticles; 25 + 10 mg/kg/d [T 2 ], 37.5 + 15 mg/kg/d [T 3 ], and 50 + 20 mg/kg/d [T 4 ]) were administered to chicks. Chicks were sacrificed on 26th and 30th day of age, and samples of blood and tissue were obtained. Hematological analysis with gross and histopathological examination of spleen, thymus and bursa of Fabricius was performed. Results revealed that there was no visible congestion in spleen and thymus of T 3 and T 4 at 11th day post infection. Antibody level against new castle's disease and lymphoproliferative response showed no significant difference in all groups. However, phagocytic response in nanoparticles treated groups exhibited a notable ( p < 0.01) distinction compared to control positive. Notably, T 3 demonstrated the highest level of phagocytic activity. Hematological parameters, including lymphocytes, heterophils, eosinophils, and heterophils/lymphocytes ratio in groups T 2 , T 3 , and T 4 , indicated significant ( p < 0.01) difference compared to control positive. However, lymphocytes, heterophils, and heterophils/lymphocytes ratio in groups T 2 , T 3 , and T 4 showed no significant difference when compared to T 1 . Nanoparticle treated groups showed decreased ( p < 0.01) congestion of spleen and thymus as compared to control positive. Overall, zinc oxide and copper oxide nanoparticles have potential to serve as an alternative to florfenicol in treatment of fowl typhoid., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported., (© Copyright 2024 Korean Society of Animal Science and Technology.)

Launaea fragilis (Asso) Pau is a Cholistan desert medicinal plant. Launaea species are used as traditional remedies against various inflammatory conditions. The current research was designed to evaluate the anti-nociceptive, anti-inflammatory, and anti-arthritic potential of ethanolic extract of L. fragilis (Et-LF). The plant extract was prepared by triple maceration. GC-MS screening explored the presence of various bioactive phytoconstituents including n-tetracosanol-1, 1-heptacosanol, and n-hexadecanoic acid. DPPH assay demonstrated the antioxidant potential of Et-LF. Safety profile data indicated that Et-LF was safe up to the oral dose of 5000 mg/kg in female rats. Anti-nociceptive activity of Et-LF was assessed in hot plate method and acetic acid-induced writhing model and the results suggested that Et-LF had significant analgesic effects in both animal models. Carrageenan, histamine, and serotonin-induced edema models were used to estimate the anti-inflammatory effects of Et-LF and were found to prevent paw edema development dose dependently. The anti-arthritic effect of Et-LF was estimated in CFA-induced arthritic rat model. Treatment with Et-LF 125, 250, 500 and flurbiprofen (FP) 10 mg/kg/day significantly attenuated the paw edema, reversed the reduced body weight, and restored the altered hematological parameters in arthritic rats. Gene expression studies revealed the significant downregulation of IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, NF‑κB, and COX-2, and upregulation of IL-4 and IL-10 in arthritic rats treated with various doses of plant extract. Histological evaluation of ankle joints showed that Et-LF mitigated pannus formation, infiltration of inflammatory cells, and fibrous connective tissue formation in the diseased rats. Thereof, it may be concluded that the recent study demonstrated the anti-nociceptive, anti-inflammatory, and anti-arthritic effects ascribed to the signifying presence of phytoconstituents in L. fragilis., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

This paper demonstrates, a numerical method to solve the one and two dimensional Burgers' equation involving time fractional Atangana-Baleanu Caputo ( ABC ) derivative with a non-singular kernel. The numerical stratagem consists of a quadrature rule for time fractional ( ABC ) derivative along with Haar wavelet (HW) approximations of one and two dimensional problems. The key feature of the scheme is to reduce fractional problems to the set of linear equations via collocation procedure. Solving the system gives the approximate solution of the given problem. To verify the effectiveness of the developed method five numerical examples are considered. Besides this, the obtained simulations are compared with some published work and identified that proposed technique is better. Moreover, computationally the convergence rate in spatiotemporal directions is presented which shows order two convergence. The stability of the proposed scheme is also described via Lax-Richtmyer criterion. From simulations it is obvious that the scheme is quite useful for the time fractional problems., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Author(s).)

The widespread and indiscriminate use of broad-spectrum antibiotics leads to microbial resistance, which causes major problems in the treatment of infectious diseases. However, advances in nanotechnology using mushrooms have opened up new domains for the synthesis and use of nanoparticles against multidrug-resistant pathogens. Mushooms have recently attracted attention and are exploited for food and medicinal purposes. The current study focuses on the molecular identification, characterization of biologically synthesized silver nanoparticles by X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-Vis spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and antibacterial analysis of extract and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) synthesis from Ganoderma resinaceum against multidrug resistant microbes. Accurate identification of mushrooms is key in utilizing them for the benefit of humans. However, morphological identification of mushrooms is time consuming, tedious and may be prone to error. Molecular techniques are quick and reliable tools that are useful in mushroom taxonomy. Blast results showed that G. resinaceum (GU451247) obtained from Pakistan was 97 % same to the recognized G. resinaceum (GU451247) obtained from China as well as G. resinaceum (GU451247) obtained from India. The antimicrobial potential of mushroom composite and AgNPs showed high efficacy against pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus (ZOI 23 mm) K. pneumonia (ZOI 20 mm), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ZOI 24 mm) and E. fecalis and A. baumannii (ZOI 10 mm), and multidrug resistant (MDR) A. baumannii (ZOI 24 mm). XRD evaluation revealed the crystalline composition of synthesized NPs with diameter of 45 nm. UV-Vis spectroscopy obsorption peaked of 589 nm confirmed the presence of AgNPs. SEM results showed the cubic morphology of AgNPs. The FTIR analysis of NPs obtained from G. resinaceum containing C=O as well as (O=C-H) stretching revealed presence of hydrogen, carbonyl and amide groups. The synthesized extract and AgNPs showed promising minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) at 2 mg concentration against the MDR strains. AgNPs are observed to be efficient as they need less quantities to prevent bacterial growth. In the view of challenges for developing antimicrobial NPs of variable shape and size by various other methods, tuning nanoparticles synthesized via mushrooms can be a wonderful approach to resolve existing hurdles., (© 2023 Wiley‐VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.)

This paper aims to demonstrate a numerical strategy via finite difference formulations for time fractional reaction-diffusion models which are ubiquitous in chemical and biological phenomena. The time-fractional derivative is considered in the Caputo sense for both linear and nonlinear problems. First, the Caputo derivative is replaced with a quadrature formula, then an implicit method is used for the remaining part. In the linear case, the proposed strategy reduces the time fractional models into linear simultaneous equations. In nonlinear cases, Quasilinearization is utilized to tackle the nonlinear parts. With this strategy, solutions of the fractional system transform into linear algebraic systems which are easy to solve. Next, the Von Neumann method is implemented to examine the stability of the scheme which discloses that the scheme is unconditionally stable. Further, the applicability of the presented scheme is tested with different linear and nonlinear models which include the one dimensional Schnakenberg and Gray-Scott models, and one and two dimensional Brusselator models. To analyze the accuracy of the present technique two norms namely, L ∞ and L 2 , and relative error are addressed. Moreover, the obtained outcomes are shown tabulated and graphically which identifies that the scheme properly works for the time fractional reaction-diffusion systems., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

A facile two-step hydrothermal method was successfully used to prepare a photocatalyst Bi 2 WO 6 /WS 2 heterojunction for methyl blue (MB) photodegradation. Fabricated photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Band gap measurements were carried out by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). Results indicated that the prepared heterostructure photocatalyst has increased visible light absorption. Photocatalytic performance was evaluated under sunlight irradiation for methylene blue (MB) degradation as a model dye. Variations in pH (4-10), amount of catalyst (0.025-0.1 g/L), and initial MB concentrations (5-20 ppm) were carried out, whereas all prepared catalysts were used to conduct the tests with a visible spectrophotometer. Degradation activity improved with the pH increase; the optimum pH was approximately 8. Catalyst concentration is directly related to degradation efficiency and reached 93.56% with 0.075 g of the catalyst. Among tested catalysts, 0.01 Bi 2 WO 6 /WS 2 has exhibited the highest activity and a degradation efficiency of 99.0% in 40 min (min) for MB. MB photodegradation follows pseudo-first-order kinetics, and obtained values of k app were 0.0482 min -1 , 0.0337 min -1 , 0.0205 min -1, and 0.0087 min -1 for initial concentrations of 5 ppm, 10 ppm, 15 ppm, and 20 ppm, respectively. The catalyst was reused for six cycles with a negligible decrease in the degradation activity. Heterostructure 0.01 Bi 2 WO 6 /WS 2 has exhibited a photocurrent density of 16 μA cm -2 , significantly higher than 2.0 and 4.5 μA cm -2 for the pristine WS 2 and Bi 2 WO 6 , respectively. The findings from these investigations may serve as a crucial stepping stone towards the remediation of polluted water facilitated by implementing such highly efficient photocatalysts., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The use of natural products isolated from mushrooms against infection, cancer diseases and other oxidative-stress-related diseases is one of the cornerstones of modern medicine. Therefore, we tried to establish a combination of medicinal mushrooms and nanotechnology possibly with the field of medicine for the development of antibacterial agents against these MDR strains. The aim of the research was to understand the molecular identification, characterization and antibacterial action of Calvatia gigantea and Mycena leaiana . The identification of fruiting body species via morpho-anatomical and molecular methods was necessary to analyze the genetic variability and phylogenetic relationships of mushrooms. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Calvatia from Hunza, Pakistan, exhibited 98% resemblance to the previously discovered Langermannia gigantean (DQ112623) and L. gigantean (LN714562) from northern Europe, and Mycena (Pakistan) showed a 97% similarity to M. leaiana (MF686520) and M. leaiana (MW448623) from the USA. UV-vis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used for AgNPs' characterization. The UV-vis absorption peak of 500-600 nm indicates the AgNPs' presence. XRD results determined Calvatia gigantea AgNPs were nanocrystals and Mycena leaiana seems to be amorphous. In addition, SEM results showed the cubic morphology of C. gigantea with a diameter of 65 nm, and the FTIR spectra of fruiting body revealed the presence of functional groups-carboxyl, nitro, and hydroxyl-in AgNPs, which catalyzed the reduction of Ag+ to Ag0. Further antibacterial activity of mushrooms against MDR strains was determined via agar well diffusion assay, and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) was estimated by qualitative experimentation using the broth dilution method. All experiments were conducted in triplicate. The results showed that the mushroom AgNPs, along with their synergy and nano-composites (with the exception of Ethyl-acetate), were shown to have zones of inhibition from 4 mm to 29 mm against multidrug-resistant pathogens such as Acinetobacter baumannii , Staphylococcus aureus , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Klebsiella pneumonia , Proteus mirabilis , Enterobacter cloacae and Escherichia coli . The mushroom composites were active against most of the tested microorganisms whilst the lowest MIC value (10-40 mg/mL) was recorded against MDR strains. Hence, the present study suggested the possibility of employing compounds present in mushrooms for the development of new antibacterial agents, as well as efflux pump inhibitors.

Excessive use and release of antibiotics into the soil environment in the developing world have resulted in altered soil processes affecting terrestrial organisms and posing a serious threat to crop growth and productivity. The present study investigated the influence of exogenously applied oxytetracycline (OXY) and levofloxacin (LEV) on plant physiological responses, key enzymes involved in nitrogen metabolism (e.g., nitrate reductase, glutamine synthetase), nitrogen contents and oxidative stress response of mung bean (Vigna radiata). Plants were irrigated weekly with antibiotics containing water for exposing the plants to different concentrations i.e., 1, 10, 20, 50, and 100 mg L -1 . Results showed a significant decrease in nitrate reductase activity in both antibiotic treatments and their mixtures and increased antioxidant enzymatic activities in plants. At lower concentrations of antibiotics (≤20 mg L -1 ), 53.9 % to 78.4 % increase in nitrogen content was observed in levofloxacin and mixtures compared to the control, resulting in an increase in the overall plant biomass. Higher antibiotic (≥50 mg L -1 ) concentration showed 58 % decrease in plant biomass content and an overall decrease in plant nitrogen content upon exposure to the mixtures. This was further complemented by 22 % to 42 % increase in glutamine synthetase activity observed in the plants treated with levofloxacin and mixtures. The application of low doses of antibiotics throughout the experiments resulted in lower toxicity symptoms in the plants. However, significantly higher malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations at higher doses (20 mg L -1 and above) than the control showed that plants' tolerance against oxidative stress was conceded with increasing antibiotic concentrations. The toxicity trend was: levofloxacin > mixture > oxytetracycline., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial or personal interests that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Apis mellifera is an important bee pollinating native and crop plants but its recent population decline has been linked to the use of pesticides, including fungicides that have been commonly classified as safe for bees. However, many pesticides, in addition to direct mortality cause sublethal effects, including damage to target selective honey bee organs. The midgut is the organ responsible for the digestion and absorption of nutrients and the detoxification of ingested substances, such as pesticides. This study evaluated the histopathological and cytotoxic changes in the midgut of A. mellifera workers caused by the pesticide azoxystrobin. The limit-test was performed, and a 100 µg a.i./bee dose was administered orally and midgut analyzed with light and transmission electron microscopies after 24 h and 48 h of pesticide exposure. The midgut of the control bees has a single layer of digestive cells, with spherical nuclei, nests of regenerative cells, and the lumen coated with the peritrophic matrix. The bees fed on azoxystrobin showed morphological changes, including intense cytoplasm vacuolization and cell fragments released into the gut lumen. The protein detection test showed greater staining intensity in the nests of regenerative cells after 24 h of exposure to azoxystrobin. The occurrence of damage to the midgut in A. mellifera exposed to azoxystrobin indicates that although this fungicide has been classified as low toxicity for bees, it has sublethal effects in the midgut, and effects in other organs should be investigated., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Herein we report the development of highly efficient heterojunctions by combining n-type g-C 3 N 4 and MOFs as bi-functional photoelectrocatalysts towards the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). g-C 3 N 4 @MIL-125(Ti) and g-C 3 N 4 @UiO-66 have been synthesized via in situ incorporation of pre-synthesized g-C 3 N 4 nanoparticles into MIL-125(Ti) and UiO-66. Bare MIL-125(Ti) and UiO-66 are also prepared for comparison. All the synthesized samples have been characterized by Powder X-ray Diffraction analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopic analysis, Scanning Electron Microscopic analysis, Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry and UV-Vis Spectroscopic analysis. Cyclic voltammetry and linear sweep voltammetry studies have been carried out for all samples which indicates that under visible light exposure the g-C 3 N 4 @MIL-125(Ti)/NF heterojunction achieved a current density of 10 mA cm -2 at just 86 and 173 mV overpotential for the HER and OER, respectively. Moreover, all the synthesized samples display significant stability and generate a constant current density up to 1000 cyles during water electrolysis performed at a constant applied potential 1.5 V., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interests to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Blood-brain barrier (BBB) remains a significant obstacle to drug therapy for brain diseases. Focused ultrasound (FUS) combined with microbubbles (MBs) can locally and transiently open the BBB, providing a potential strategy for drug delivery across the BBB into the brain. Nowadays, taking advantage of this technology, many therapeutic agents, such as antibodies, growth factors, and nanomedicine formulations, are intensively investigated across the BBB into specific brain regions for the treatment of various brain diseases. Several preliminary clinical trials also have demonstrated its safety and good tolerance in patients. This review gives an overview of the basic mechanisms, ultrasound contrast agents, evaluation or monitoring methods, and medical applications of FUS-mediated BBB opening in glioblastoma, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Obesity is highly polygenic disease where several genetic variants have been reportedly associated with obesity in different ethnicities of the world. In the current study, we identified the obesity risk or protective association and BMI raising effect of the minor allele of adiponectin, C1Q and collagen domain containing (ADIPOQ), cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CEPT), FTO alpha-ketoglutarate dependent dioxygenase (FTO), leptin (LEP), and leptin receptor (LEPR) genes in a large cohort stratified into four BMI-based body weight categories i.e., normal weight, lean, over-weight, and obese. Based on selected candidate genetic markers, the genotyping of all study subjects was performed by PCR assays, and genotypes and allele frequencies were calculated. The minor allele frequencies (MAFs) of all genetic markers were computed for total and BMI-based body weight categories and compared with MAFs of global and South Asian (SAS) populations. Genetic associations of variants with obesity risk were calculated and BMI raising effect per copy of the minor allele were estimated. The genetic variants with higher MAFs in obese BMI group were; rs2241766 (G = 0.43), rs17817449 (G = 0.54), rs9939609 (A = 0.51), rs1421085 (C = 0.53), rs1558902 (A = 0.63), and rs1137101 (G = 0.64) respectively. All these variants were significantly associated with obesity (OR = 1.03-4.42) and showed a high BMI raising effect (β = 0.239-0.31 Kg/m2) per copy of the risk allele. In contrast, the MAFs of three variants were higher in lean-normal BMI groups; rs3764261 A = 0.38, rs9941349 T = 0.43, and rs7799039 G = 0.40-0.43). These variants showed obesity protective associations (OR = 0.68-0.76), and a BMI lowering effect per copy of the protective allele (β = -0.103-0.155 Kg/m2). The rs3764261 variant also showed significant and positive association with lean body mass (OR = 2.38, CI = 1.30-4.34). Overall, we report six genetic variants of ADIPOQ, FTO and LEPR genes as obesity-risk markers and a CETP gene variant as lean mass/obesity protective marker in studied Pakistani cohort., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.