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Introduction: Diffuse Brain Injury (DBI) has been shown to be the major form of the primary brain traumatic injury. Apolipoprotein E (APOE) is considered to be associated in the prognosis of DBI. Aim: To analyse change in cognitive outcome of moderate degree DBI patients and its association with APOE gene polymorphism. Materials and Methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted at the Department of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Kamineni Hospitals, LB Nagar, Hyderabad, Telangana, India, from March 2018 to May 2019, in which 23 patients who had moderate DBI were included. Patients were genotyped for APOE polymorphism and intellectual function was assessed when the patient was being discharged using Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) score and was repeated after three months. Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test was used to determine the change in MMSE score taken at the time of discharge and after three months in follow-up. Results: Of the total 23 patients, 19 (82.60) were males and 4 (17.40%) were females where the average age of subjects included was 41.59±17.64 years. E2/E3 APOE genotype was present in 16 (69.56%) subjects. The improvement of MMSE score at the end of three months following discharge showed that best recovery was in subjects with E2/E3, genotype with mean of 4.9±2.1, followed by E2/E2 i.e., 3.5±2.6. In order to evaluate the changes in MMSE score at the time of discharge and after three months due to the presence of APOE genotype E2/E3 a Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test was performed which revealed statistically significant positive change in MMSE score after three months, z=-3.512, p=0.00044, with a large effect size (r=0.620). Conclusion: This preliminary study indicated that APOE E2/ E3 individuals showed a better recovery after traumatic brain injuries based on MMSE scores. However, extended studies are needed to establish this which may also give more weightage for genotyping APOE as a prognostic marker

Introduction: Road traffic accidents have been responsible for the high incidence of head injuries. In a study from India, it was reported that there were 150 Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) cases per 1,00,000 population, out of which 20 succumbed to death. In the repair process of TBI many chemicals play a role, of which, Tumour Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF-a) is important as TNF-a was shown to possess both neurotoxic and neuroprotective activity. Aim: To evaluate the serum levels of TNF-a and its functional polymorphism in TBI patients and assessing the outcome. Materials and Methods: The prospective cohort observational study was conducted in the Department of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Kamineni Hospitals, Hyderabad, Telangana, India, from June 2008 to May 2012. It included 126 patients of both sexes with severe and moderate head injuries based on Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores. A 3 mL of plain/Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) blood sample was drawn from individuals immediately after admission, which was used for serum TNF-a assessment and DNA isolation for TNF-a genotype analysis. The TNF-a levels were measured by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) using KRISHGEN Biosystems (Catalog No. KB 100-HTNF a) kit. Outcome assessment was done based on Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS). Statistical analysis was accomplished by Open Epi version 3.01 software. Odd’s Ratio (OR) were used to calculate risk of good/bad outcome with 95% confidence interval and results with a p40 pg/L were 32.50% (41/126). The most common genotype found in the TBI patients was TT with a frequency of 60.3% (76/126), followed by CT with a frequency of 16.6% (21/126) and CC with a frequency of 23% (29/126). When genotype and TNF-a serum levels were studied together, it was seen that low TNF-a level (11-40 pg/mL) was associated with C allele and CC genotype, while those with TT genotype had high TNF-a level (>40 pg/mL) when compared with other genotypes (CC, CT) and this was found to be statistically significant with an OR=3.4064, (95% CI= 1.8426 to 6.2975), p=0.0001. Higher percentage of death and disability was seen in patients with TT genotype while CC genotype showed good recovery at six months with OR=3.6441 (95% CI=1.911 to 6.946), p=0.0001. This suggests that T allele of TNF-a C850T polymorphism has a 3.6 fold higher risk of bad outcome in patients with TBI. Conclusion: The C allele and CC genotype of rs1799724 polymorphism was associated with positive outcome at three to six months. Thus, evaluating TNF-a levels and evaluating the genotype of rs1799724 polymorphism at admission, can be taken as prognostic marker. It can also be used as a target for therapeutic intervention.

Forest plantations, particularly those cultivating eucalyptus, are crucial for the wood and paper industries. However, growers often encounter challenges, such as high plant mortality, after transplantation, primarily due to water deficits. While semi-mechanized systems combining machinery and manual labor are commonly used, they incur substantial operational costs. Fully mechanized automatic irrigation systems offer a cost-effective alternative that is gaining traction in adoption. This project aimed to develop an automatic system for eucalyptus plant detection to facilitate effective irrigation management. Two real-time eucalyptus plant detection models were built and trained using acquired field images and YOLOv8 and YOLOv5 neural networks. Evaluation metrics, such as precision, recall, mAP-50, and mAP50-95, were used to compare model performance and select the best option for localized irrigation automation. The YOLOv8 model had a mean detection precision of 0.958 and a mean recall of 0.935, with an mAP-50 of 0.974 and an mAP50-95 of 0.836. Conversely, the YOLOv5 model had a mean detection precision of 0.951 and a mean recall of 0.944, with an mAP-50 of 0.972 and an mAP50-95 of 0.791. Both models could serve as support tools for the real-time automation of localized irrigation for young eucalyptus plants, contributing to the optimization of irrigation processes in forest plantations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical water splitting is a promising approach towards a sustainable and renewable energy source. However, the demand for high anodic potential and sluggish kinetics of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) restrict the efficiency and feasibility of the water-splitting process. In this quest, transition metal oxides and alloys are considered potential candidates owing to their natural occurrence and high redox potential for OER. However, many associated challenges in their use are still there to be addressed. Here, we designed a new class of bismuth-doped iron oxide on exfoliated graphene oxide by optimizing the metal loading on the conductive support to facilitate the flow of charge during catalysis. The catalytic ability of the synthesized Bi-doped nanocomposites was evaluated in activating the OER under extreme alkaline conditions (1 MKOH). On screening different combinations, 20Bi–Fe2O3@GO was identified as the most efficient and sustainable electrocatalyst even under harsh operating conditions, with an onset potential of 1.48 V and a Tafel slope of 65 mV/dec. The current study offers a new class of Bi-doped electrocatalysts, where the precise doping of Bi and the optimized loading of metal was found the key to achieving low onset potential and high current density to initiate OER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postharvest food loss and waste offset worldwide agricultural productivity and food security. Insufficient drying and storage are the prominent drivers of food loss and waste in underdeveloped countries. Mechanical grain drying systems have distinct benefits over sun drying but are inaccessible to underserved communities due to high capital costs and energy demand. This study evaluated the techno-economic and financial performance of a half-ton-capacity BAU-STR dryer. The moisture extraction rate, drying rate, drying efficiency, and energy consumption were used as technical performance indicators. In contrast, the net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), benefit–cost ratio (BCR), and payback period were considered economic performance indicators. The technical performance analysis results revealed that the moisture content of rice was reduced from 19.5% to 13.5 ± 0.15% in 4.0 h with an average drying rate of 1.5%/h and a drying efficiency of 75.1%. The financial performance analysis resulted in a drying cost, NPV, IRR, BCR, and PBP of USD 0.96 per 100 kg of grain, USD 3018, 135%, 3.0, and 0.73 yr., respectively, when the annual use was 240 h. If the yearly use of the dryer increased from 240 to 720 h, a higher NPV, IRR, and BCR, as well as a lower payback period and drying cost, could be achieved. Adopting a BAU-STR dryer for drying grain (rice and corn) among underserved communities could play a key role in postharvest food loss and waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sprouts are ready-to-eat and are recognized worldwide as functional components of the human diet. Recent advances in innovative agricultural techniques could enable an increase in the production of healthy food. The use of light-emitting diode (LED) in indoor agricultural production could alter the biological feedback loop, increasing the functional benefits of plant foods such as wheat and lentil sprouts and promoting the bioavailability of nutrients. The effects of white (W), red (R), and blue (B) light were investigated on the growth parameters and nutritional value of wheat and lentil sprouts. In the laboratory, seeds were sown under three different LED treatments: white, red, and blue light, while normal incandescent light served as a control. Percentage seed germination improved by 18.34% and 12.67% for wheat and 18.34% and 12.67% for lentil sprouts under LED treatments R and B, respectively. An increase in total soluble protein and sugar by 33.4% and 9.23% in wheat and by 31.5% and 5.87% in lentils was observed under the R LED treatment. Vitamin C concentrations in wheat and lentils were significantly increased by R LED compared to all other treatments. Other parameters, including potassium and sodium concentrations, were significantly increased under red and blue light compared to the control; white light, on the other hand, significantly decreased all these parameters. According to the experimental data, red and blue LED light could be beneficial in the production of functional wheat and lentil sprouts with high nutrient concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We determine the significant relation of HDL cholesterol and total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol between CETP I405V genotypes and activity of CETP. CETP is an essential for transfer of cholesterol ester to the liver from peripheral tissues which facilitating its transfer to TG rich VLDL. Reduction activity of CETP I405V may associate with genotypes of CETP I405V. This study is undertaken to assess the presence and impact of CETP I405V genotype in our population. Materials and Methods: In this study 100 acute myocardial infarction patients and 100 normal age & sex matched healthy individuals were included. Serum Lipid profile was estimated by using universal standard methods whereas CETP I405V genotype was studied by ARMS PCR. Result: There is presence of CETP 405Val genotype both in patient as well as in control group. Results show that HDL cholesterol (p<0.0001) and ratio of total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol are significantly (p<0.0043) associated with Val/Val genotype. In addition to that the CETP I405V genotype is associated with inhibition of CETP activity with higher HDL-C level and decreased total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio. Conclusion: Our results show that the CETP I405V genotypes are very much significantly determinant of HDL cholesterol in patients with CHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]