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BACKGROUND: To analyze the impact of online classes on eye health of children and young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An observational study with a written questionnaire and comprehensive ophthalmic evaluation at a tertiary eye care center in South India, during the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: Of the 496 patients, most were 5–10 years old, attending online classes 1–2 h/day with majority (84.7%) having

Okra [Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench] also known as bhindi or lady’s finger is an important vegetable crop in India, West Africa, South Africa, Brazil, USA and Turkey. It belongs to the family Malvaceae. Okra is mainly grown in tropics and subtropics of the world. The studies regarding the molecular marker development are very limited; still there is no SSR development from comprehensive transcriptome data in this crop. This study presents the first comprehensive transcriptome data, using RNA from different parts of okra such as root, stem, leaf, bud, flower, different stages of developing pod and from twenty days old plantlets of heat, drought and salt stressed. A total of 10,492 SSRs were identified in this study. Among these tri repeats (2112) were found to be predominant followed by di (1285), tetra (149), penta (24) and hexa. Thirty four SSRs were standardized for PCR and screened for 36 okra genotypes and accessions. Among these 18 SSR primers were found to be highly polymorphic with the PIC values more than 0.5. And the overall results of analysis showed that expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.000 to 0.971 with a mean of 0.593; the values for observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.000 to 0.794 with the mean of 0.254; the number of allele per locus ranged from 1 to 30 and the Polymorphic Information Content (PIC) ranged from 0.000 to 0.940 with the mean value of 0.5546. The genic SSR markers developed will help in germplasm characterization mapping, genetic diversity studies, molecular assisted breeding and also in gene discovery.

VANET provides communication between vehicles. VANET nodes are highly dynamic. Therefore, it is essential to increase the stability of the communication between nodes. The cluster head and cluster node provide stable communication between vehicles. Vehicle communications are being challenged by factors such as security, confidential communication, and severe delay. This work proposes an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based Sugeno fuzzy inference system to overcome these issues. The proposed secure trust-based cluster techniques are less complex, with lesser communication delays, lower overhead, and more efficient in accurately locating trusted nodes for communication. Vehicular Ad hoc Networks (VANET) should send data between vehicles and use traffic safety indicators using an Enhanced Cluster-based routing protocol. AI-TASFIS is Artificial Intelligence-based Trust Authentication Sugeno fuzzy inference system that uses ANFIS-based Sugeno Fuzzy inference systems to calculate the node weights for choosing trusted cluster head and cluster member that reduces malicious attacks like Black Hole Attacks, Wormhole attacks, and Timing Attacks while transferring data packets. Simulation results show that the proposed Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based Sugeno fuzzy inference system provides network security, reduces end-to-end delay, and increases packet delivery ratio and throughput.

Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate CD4 cell counts, lipid profile, and oral manifestations in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients and their correlation with seronegative controls. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional, hospital-based study, there were three groups of subjects: group A consisting of 500 healthy patients (controls), group B composed of 500 HIV-infected patients, and group C comprised of 500 AIDS patients based on their CD4 cell counts. CD4 cell counts were assessed using the CyFlow counter. Lipid profile was evaluated with the Erba EM 360 analyzer. Results: The results were statistically significant for CD4 cell counts (P

Abstract We present here a series of 4,6-diarylpyrimidin-2-amine derivatives (5a-j) with tunable optical properties both in the solid and solution states. Our plug-and-play fluorophore design demonstrates that the aryl groups at the 4th and 6th positions of the 2-aminopyrimidine core enable distinct optical characteristics for each derivative. The fluorophore design concept was validated using theoretical and spectroscopic methods. The designed compounds were synthesised in moderate to good yields, and their structures were confirmed via IR, NMR, HRMS, and single-crystal XRD analyses. Optical studies revealed that varying the aryl substituents significantly impacts absorption, emission, and bandgap values in both phases. The absolute quantum yields (ϕF) of the synthesised derivatives ranged from 8.11 to 71.00% in DMF and 5.86–29.43% in thin films, with fluorescence lifetimes (τ) between 0.8 and 1.5 ns in DMF and 0.63–3.16 ns in films, respectively. CIE (Commission Internationale de l’Éclairage) diagrams indicate blue-green emission for 5a-j in the visible spectrum. The electrochemical analysis confirmed that the HOMO/LUMO (Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital/Lowest Unoccupied Molecular Orbital) energy levels can be modulated by altering the substituent rings. These results highlight the dual-state emission properties of 2-aminopyrimidine fluorophores, demonstrating their potential for a wide range of optoelectronic and advanced applications.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, highly conserved non-coding RNA molecules involved in the regulation of gene expression in eukaryotes. Gene expression involves post-transcriptional gene regulation by miRNAs. miRNAs are formed from precursor RNA molecules that fold into a stem loop secondary structure. The mature miRNA is one end of the precursor miRNA, defined by the cut from ‘Drosha’ on either the 5’ or 3’ arm. In this study, we have used a bioinformatics approach to identify miRNAs in 3,361 contigs obtained from partial genome sequence data of Abelmoschus esculentus (okra) sequenced by NGS technology. Using C-mii and psRNA Target tools, we identified two miRNAs and their target RNAs for which a regulatory miRNA binding has been verified. Their targets consisted of transcription factors involved in growth and development, gene regulation and metabolism. Phylogenetic analysis of the newly identified miRNA family has been done to compare their level of conservation with respect to the other members of the plant kingdom.

The advancements in telematics and communication technology for automobiles have contributed to the development of Vehicular ad Hoc Networks (VANETs). These networks serve as the foundation for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). Communication across various VANET entities is challenging due to the open communication environment and the highly dynamic nature of VANETs. One of the major challenges in VANETs is ensuring stable and secure transmission. To address these factors, several studies have been conducted. The article discusses a clustering algorithm for VANETs that leverages SCVAN-DPSO to create stable clusters and provide secure communication for mitigating malicious nodes. Additionally, Hyperelliptic Curve Cryptography (HECC) with signcryption in blockchain is proposed. This algorithm is designed to identify and mitigate malicious nodes, ensuring robust and secure communication within the network. To verify vehicles in VANETs, this study also suggests a safe and reliable key management method that generates and stores cryptographic keys using blockchain’s distributed ledger technology. By doing so, the risk of rogue nodes is reduced, and a safe, stable connection between vehicles is guaranteed. This work has been implemented using NS 3.34 simulation with the SUMO real-time traffic mobility simulator, and its performance has been evaluated. The proposed algorithm SCVAN-BKM provides a 99.6 % packet delivery ratio for 20 nodes, 0.4 % packet loss, end-to-end delay of 32.65 ms, throughput of 9.522 Mbps, and a cluster lifetime of 105 s. As the number of nodes increases in the communication zone, stable communication is maintained due to the clustering algorithm used in the proposed approach, as cluster formation supports stability in the high-mobility nature of vehicles, while secure communication is ensured using blockchain technology. The findings demonstrate that our approach is more effective and yields better outcomes than existing systems.

Pomegranate genotypes have been characterized mainly on the basis of morphological traits; but, these traits are affected to a large extent by environmental and cultivation conditions, resulting in their ambiguous discrimination. Molecular markers are more suited for accurate discrimination of genotypes and cultivars. Sequence-Related Amplified Polymorphism (SRAP) markers were used in the present study to analyze polymorphism among the important pomegranate genotypes grown in India. The total number of bands generated by 30 SRAP primers for 12 genotypes was 1448, with an average of 48.3 bands per primer. Polymorphism varied from 2.7 to 73.9, with an average of 40.95%. Similarity-value based on Jaccard's Coefficient ranged from 0.63 (between cvs. Naina and Amlidana) to 0.95 (between cvs. Kabul Yellow and Jalore Seedless). UPGMA (un-weighted pair group method with arithmetic mean) analysis was performed and a dendrogram was constructed using Jaccard's similarity matrix. The 12 genotypes used grouped into 5 clusters. SRAP markers were found suitable for determining variability among the pomegranate genotypes studied.