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Potato virus Y (PVY) is one of the most important constraints to potato production worldwide. There is an increasing occurrence of recombinant PVY strains PVYNTN and PVYN-Wi and a decline in the incidence of the nonrecombinant PVYO. We hypothesized that this may be due to the ability of these recombinant strains to antagonize and/or outcompete PVYO in mixed infections. To determine this, we investigated interactions between PVYO and three recombinant PVY strains common in North America: PVYNTN, PVYN-Wi, and PVYN:O. Overall, our study showed that these interactions are tissue-dependent. Specifically, PVYNTN, the main causal agent of potato tuber necrotic ringspot disease (PTNRD), was found to be more adaptable than PVYO, especially in potato leaves due, at least in part, to the Ny gene that confers hypersensitive resistance (HR) to PVYO. Furthermore, PVYN-Wi was found to repress PVYO in potato tubers but act synergistically in potato leaves. The PVYO-induced foliage necrosis in cultivar ‘Ranger Russet’ was observed to be more severe in plants co-infected by PVYN-Wi and PVYN:O, respectively, resulting in plant death. Strikingly, this PVYO -induced necrosis was suppressed by PVYNTN in doubly infected plants. These interactions may, at least partially, explain the decreasing incidence of PVYO in United States potato production regions, especially given that many cultivars contain the Ny gene, which likely limits PVYO enabling PVYNTN and PVYN-Wi to outcompete. We also found that replication and cell-to-cell movement of these PVY strains in tubers at 4 °C was similar to levels at ambient temperature.

Fiber-based thermoelectric generators are a versatile development in the field of power generation that has numerous applications in waste heat recovery and wearable technology. They differ from conventional thermoelectric generators, due to their flexible nature, which allows them to conform to the shapes of irregular surfaces and efficiently convert thermal energy to electrical energy, however, they retain the merits of reliability and longevity of their conventional counterparts. Their flexibility comes from the substrate onto which the thermoelectric materials are coated, several materials have been used as substrates, and of these materials, some have been more suitable for use than others. This review aims to assess the properties of some of these materials, their shapes, as well as material treatment methods that if implemented would enhance substrate surface properties by up to 139%, as well as changes to the shape and structure of fibers which would significantly enhance the thermoelectric performance and the longevity of fiber-based thermoelectric generators.

In this study, the steady 2D flow of micropolar fluid via a vertical surface is taken into account. The magnetohydrodynamics applied normally to the flow direction at a vertical surface in the presence of temperature-dependent attributes. The effect of the chemical reaction under the generalized Fourier–Fick law is considered to investigate the heat transference rate at the vertical sheet. Under the flow assumptions, the boundary layer approximations were applied to the nonlinear differential equations and partial differential equations were obtained. The use of similarity modifications allows for a reduction in the number of partial differential equations. The resulting ordinary differential equations are then resolved numerically using a technique known as the homotopy analysis method. The results reveal that microparticle suspensions have a significant impact on the flowing domain when varied fluid characteristics are utilized. The effect of potential factors on flow, micro-rotation velocities, temperature, drag force factor, and heat transport rate is investigated. The obtained results show that the velocity profile and micropolar function increase for larger values of micropolar parameters. Drag force effects are also seen, and required outcomes are observed to be in outstanding accord with the available literature. Significant results of this work were toward the velocity function, which gets reduced with increasing magnetic field parameter values, but the velocity function enhances for higher values of β\beta and λ\lambda . On temperature distribution, it decreased for higher values of ϵ1{{\epsilon }}_{1} and temperature profile declines due to higher values of Pr\text{Pr}, γ2{\gamma }_{2} and γ1{\gamma }_{1} or both cases of δ>0\delta \gt 0 and δ

This research aims to comprehensively examine the clearness index (KT), total ozone column (TOC), and ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B radiation (UVB) over Lumbini, Nepal (27°28’ N, 83°16’ E, and 150 m above sea level) throughout the 11 years of solar cycle 24 (2008 to 2018). The Lumbini, a highly polluted region, is important in advancing the identification and analysis of TOC variations across regions with similar geographical and climatic attributes. Data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) of the EOS-AURA satellite of NASA were used to analyze the daily, monthly, seasonal, and annual trends in the clearness index (KT), ultraviolet A (UVA), ultraviolet B (UVB), and TOC from the Comprehensive Environmental Data Archive (CEDA). The study found that the yearly averages for KT, TOC, UVA, and UVB were 0.55 ± 0.13, 272 ± 14 DU, 12.61 ± 3.50 W/m2, and 0.32 ± 0.11 W/m2, respectively. These values provide insights into the long-term variations in atmospheric parameters at Lumbini. The study also applied the continuous wavelet transform (CWT) to analyze KT, TOC, UVA, and UVB temporal variations. The power density peak of 35,000 DU2 in the TOC was observed from the end of 2010 to the end of 2011, within 8.5 years, underscoring the significance of analyzing TOC dynamics over extended durations to understand atmospheric behavior comprehensively.

The goal of this research is to consider the thermal impact on varied convection flow in hybrid nanofluids with heat generation over a two-dimensional heated flat around a stretchable sheet. The flow is considered steady and incompressible while the stretchable sheet is assumed an impermeable. Two distinctive nano-level particles are considered, namely copper (Cu) and silver (Ag) with ethylene glycol base fluid. The boundary layer was generated on a stretchable sheet surface by mixed convection flow in hybrid nanofluids. Ideally, the sink and source are thermal reservoirs of internal thermal capacities. This means you can extract or reject heat from them without changing their temperature. To make a study of thermodynamic systems like heat engines and refrigerator systems, the governing equations were solved numerically with Keller-box methodology depending on the implicit finite-difference technique. Research findings were worked with the parameters of mixed convection, Prandtl number, nanoparticle volume fraction, through various non-dimensional parameters, and heat generation. Especially for thermal generation enhancement, the fluidity and thermal dispersal get elevated. Even though the flowing behavior and the thermal dispersal of hybridity fluids with the combinations of Cu and Ag nanoparticles were similar, their values are distinct, which reflect in graphical displays. The hybrid nanofluidity gets improved with the volume variation of nanoparticles if the ϕ\phi value is 0.01≤ϕ≤0.050.01\le \phi \le 0.05 and if the flow profile value decreases ϕh{\phi }_{{\rm{h}}}, where 0.01≤ϕh≤0.050.01\le {\phi }_{{\rm{h}}}\le 0.05 as the dispersal of temperature enhances when the nanoparticle nanofluid constraint is improved.

The endomembrane system, functioning in secretion, performs many roles relating to eukaryotic cell physiological processes and the Golgi apparatus is the central organelle in this system. An essential associated Golgi component is the conserved oligomeric Golgi (COG) complex, maintaining correct Golgi structure and function during retrograde trafficking. In animals, naturally occurring cog mutants provide a window into understanding it’s function(s). Eliminating even one COG component impairs its function. In animals, COG mutations lead to severe cell biological and developmental defects and death while far less is understood in plants which is changing. The plant genetic model Arabidopsis thaliana COG complex functions in growth, cell expansion and other processes, involving direct interactions with other secretion system components including the exocyst, soluble N-Ethylmaleimide-Sensitive Factor Attachment Protein Receptor (SNARE), and the microtubule cytoskeleton. Recent experiments have identified a defense role for the COG complex in plants, the focus of this review.

Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common malignant brain tumor in children. Despite advancement in treatment modalities, recurrence remains common, even among those treated with a combination of neurosurgery, craniospinal irradiation, and chemotherapy. The diagnosis of recurrence is usually not difficult in these cases. However, it may pose a challenge in cases with unusual clinical presentation and imaging. Imaging findings on magnetic resonance imaging, with application of perfusion, in conjunction with positron emission tomography-computed tomography can help in clinching the diagnosis in such cases. MB subgroups show consistent patterns even in cases of recurrence, and sonic hedgehog group MB may present as local recurrence showing enhancement with no diffusion restriction, as demonstrated in this case.

Aim: The aim of the study was to analyse the pattern of mobile usage and its impact on behaviour among college students. Methods: A cross-sectional, semi-structured questionnaire based study was conducted among 275 students of various colleges of Tamil Nadu after obtaining IEC clearance. Quantitative data is expressed as mean ± standard deviation and compared by independent sample t test or ANOVA. Qualitative data is expressed in percentages. Results: Out of the 275 study participants, 140 were from medical college and 135 were from non- medical colleges. Around 42.8% participants were using mobile phones for 3-6 hours per day and 58% were using social media more frequently in a day. The estimated mean of the behavioural analysis score with the social media usage and mobile phone usage revealed that the mean score increased if the usage of social media or mobile increased (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The pattern of mobile phone use among the college students reported in this study appears to have some behavioural influence on them. This has to be recognized at an earlier stage and measures must be taken to reduce it.

BackgroundAlthough psychological interventions for stress relief, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), have been developed, they have not been widely used in treating depression. The use of mobile devices can increase the possibility of actual use by integrating interventions and reducing the difficulty and cost burden of treatment application. This study aims to determine whether “inMind,” an integrated mobile application for stress reduction, developed for the general population, decreases stress for patients with mild to moderate major depressive disorder during the pharmacological treatment period.MethodsThis study is a single-blind, multicenter, randomized, controlled crossover trial. The App, developed in Republic of Korea, provides integrated interventions for stress reduction for the general population through three modules based on mindfulness-based stress reduction, cognitive behavior therapy, and relaxation sounds that are known to be effective in stress reduction (“meditation,” “cognitive approach,” and “relaxation sounds,” respectively). Participants (n = 215) recruited via medical practitioner referral will be randomized to an App first group (fAPP) or a wait list crossover group (dAPP). The study will be conducted over 8 weeks; the fAPP group will use the App for the first 4 weeks and the dAPP group for the next 4 weeks. During all study periods, participants will receive their usual pharmacological treatment. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 is the primary outcome measure. The analysis will employ repeated measurements using a mixed-model approach.DiscussionThe App can potentially be an important addition to depression treatment because of its applicability and the comprehensive nature of the interventions that covers diverse stress-relieving models.Clinical trial registrationhttps://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05312203, identifier 2021GR0585.

Glycine max root cells developing into syncytia through the parasitic activities of the pathogenic nematode Heterodera glycines underwent isolation by laser microdissection (LM). Microarray analyses have identified the expression of a G. max DOESN'T MAKE INFECTIONS3 (DMI3) homolog in syncytia undergoing parasitism but during a defense response. DMI3 encodes part of the common symbiosis pathway (CSP) involving DMI1, DMI2, and other CSP genes. The identified DMI gene expression, and symbiosis role, suggests the possible existence of commonalities between symbiosis and defense. G. max has 3 DMI1, 12 DMI2, and 2 DMI3 paralogs. LM-assisted gene expression experiments of isolated syncytia under further examination here show G. max DMI1-3, DMI2-7, and DMI3-2 expression occurring during the defense response in the H. glycines-resistant genotypes G.max[Peking/PI548402] and G.max[PI88788] indicating a broad and consistent level of expression of the genes. Transgenic overexpression (OE) of G. max DMI1-3, DMI2-7, and DMI3-2 impairs H. glycines parasitism. RNA interference (RNAi) of G. max DMI1-3, DMI2-7, and DMI3-2 increases H. glycines parasitism. The combined opposite outcomes reveal a defense function for these genes. Prior functional transgenic analyses of the 32-member G. max mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) gene family has determined that 9 of them act in the defense response to H. glycines parasitism, referred to as defense MAPKs. RNA-seq analyses of root RNA isolated from the 9 G. max defense MAPKs undergoing OE or RNAi reveal they alter the relative transcript abundances (RTAs) of specific DMI1, DMI2, and DMI3 paralogs. In contrast, transgenically-manipulated DMI1-3, DMI2-7, and DMI3-2 expression influences MAPK3-1 and MAPK3-2 RTAs under certain circumstances. The results show G. max homologs of the CSP, and defense pathway are linked, apparently involving co-regulated gene expression.

Abstract Background Low birthweight (LBW) and preterm birth (PB) remain the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in neonates worldwide. The aim of this study was to identify maternal demographic and antenatal factors associated with PB and LBW among low socio-economic communities. Methods Pregnant women (n = 1099) were recruited in the first trimester into the Mother and Child in the Environment (MACE) birth cohort in Durban, South Africa. Maternal factors such as demographic information, health status, residential area, occupational, personal and environmental smoking and biomass fuel use were obtained through standardised interviews, while clinical status was obtained in each trimester and antenatal information on HIV status and treatment, syphilis and conditions such as pregnancy induced hypertension, diabetes etc. was extracted from the antenatal assessments. Key outcomes of interest were preterm birth and low birthweight. The latter data was obtained from the clinical assessments performed by midwives at delivery. Logistic regression models identified factors associated with PB and LBW. Results Of the 760 live births, 16.4 and 13.5% were preterm and LBW, respectively. Mothers who delivered by caesarean section had an increased odds of having LBW babies (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 1.7; 95% CI: 1.1–2.7) and PB (AOR: 1.7, 95% CI: 1.1–2.7) versus normal vaginal deliveries. Mothers > 30 years (AOR: 1.8, 95% CI: 1.1–2.9) and current smokers (AOR: 2.7, 95% CI: 1.3–5.8) had an increased odds of having PB babies. Compared to younger mothers and non-smokers respectively. An effect of PB and LBW was seen among mothers with high BMI (25.0–29.9 kg/m2) (PB: AOR: 0.5, 95% CI: 0.3–0.9 and LBW: AOR: 0.5, 0.5, CI: 0.3–0.8), and obese BMI (> 30 kg/m2) (PB: AOR: 0.5, 95% CI: 0.3–0.9 and LBW: AOR: 0.4, CI: 0.2–0.7). Maternal HIV (PB AOR: 1.4 and LBW AOR: 1.2) and history of sexually transmitted infections (PB AOR: 2.7 and LBW AOR: 4.2) were not statistically significant. Conclusion Maternal age, cigarette smoking and caesarean delivery were associated with LBW and PB. Findings highlight the need of maternal health interventions to improve new-born health outcomes.

Abstract The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during cryopreservation of semen alters the sperm motion and mobility characteristics, resulting in poor or failure of conception rate after artificial insemination (AI). Melatonin an antioxidant is able to modulate the effect of ROS and prevents spermatozoa by reducing the oxidative stress during freezing process. Eight ejaculates from eight healthy HF bulls diluted with Tris egg yolk glycerol extender were divided into five equal aliquots. The Computer Assisted Semen Analyser (CASA) results showed no significant difference between the control—post‐ thaw samples and melatonin‐treated samples; however, the velocity of spermatozoa with regard to the VAP, VSL showed highest increase in the 0.25 mM MLT‐treated semen followed by 0.1 mM MLT treated semen except for VCL where velocity increased with increase in the concentration of melatonin. The vigour of spermatozoa regard to BCF, STR and LIN recorded highest increase in the 0.25 mM MLT treated semen followed by 0.1 mM MLT‐treated semen except for the ALH where vigour increased with increase in the concentration of melatonin. The electron micrography images illustrated that the addition of 0.1 mM melatonin protected the plasma membrane and acrosome region and maintained the ultrastructure integrity of the cryopreserved spermatozoa when compared to control group, whereas the electron micrography of spermatozoa treated with 0.2 and 0.25 mM melatonin illustrated highest damage to the plasma and acrosome membrane. Thus concluding that inclusion of melatonin to sperm extender can improve the post‐thaw quality of cryopreserved bull spermatozoa.

Inadequate resources and facilities with zero latency affect the efficiencies of task scheduling (TS) and resource allocation (RA) in the fog paradigm. Only the incoming tasks can be completed within the deadline if the resource availability in the cloud and fog is symmetrically matched with them. A container-based TS algorithm (CBTSA) determines the symmetry relationship of the task/workload with the fog node (FN) or the cloud to decide the scheduling workloads (whether in the fog or a cloud). Furthermore, by allocating and de-allocating resources, the RA algorithm reduces workload delays while increasing resource utilization. However, the unbounded cloud resources and the computational difficulty of finding resource usage have not been considered in CBTSA. Hence, this article proposes an enhanced CBTSA with intelligent RA (ECBTSA-IRA), which symmetrically balances energy efficiency, cost, and the performance-effectiveness of TS and RA. Initially, this algorithm determines whether the workloads are accepted for scheduling. An energy-cost–makespan-aware scheduling algorithm is proposed that uses a directed acyclic graph (DAG) to represent the dependency of tasks in the workload as a graph. Workloads are prioritized and selected for the node to process the prioritized workload. The selected node for processing the workload might be a FN or cloud and is decided by an optimum efficiency factor that trades off the schedule length, cost, and energy. Moreover, a Markov decision process (MDP) was adopted to allocate the best resources using the reinforcement learning scheme. Finally, the investigational findings reveal the efficacy of the presented algorithms compared to the existing CBTSA in terms of various performance metrics.

HIV cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) escape, where HIV is suppressed in blood but detectable in CSF, occurs when HIV persists in the CNS despite antiretroviral therapy (ART). To determine the virus producing cell type and whether lowered CSF ART levels are responsible for CSF escape, we collected blood and CSF from 156 neurosymptomatic participants from Durban, South Africa. We observed that 28% of participants with an undetectable HIV blood viral load showed CSF escape. We detected host cell surface markers on the HIV envelope to determine the cellular source of HIV in participants on the first line regimen of efavirenz, emtricitabine, and tenofovir. We confirmed CD26 as a marker which could differentiate between T cells and macrophages and microglia, and quantified CD26 levels on the virion surface, comparing the result to virus from in vitro infected T cells or macrophages. The measured CD26 level was consistent with the presence of T cell produced virus. We found no significant differences in ART concentrations between CSF escape and fully suppressed individuals in CSF or blood, and did not observe a clear association with drug resistance mutations in CSF virus which would allow HIV to replicate. Hence, CSF HIV in the face of ART may at least partly originate in CD4+ T cell populations.

Various epidemiological studies have reported on air pollution exposure-related lung function decline and respiratory health effects in children. Children have increased susceptibility to ambient air pollutants as physiological and structural changes of the lung are still occurring within the first five years of life after birth. This review examines applications in air pollution exposure assessment methods when evaluating lung function and respiratory health concentration–response effects in young children, while considering the effects of critical windows of exposure. We identified 13 studies that used various methods of exposure assessment in assessing respiratory health outcomes (presence of lower respiratory tract infections, respiratory symptoms, wheezing and asthma) in children under five. The methods applied included personal monitoring (n = 1), proximity-based methods (n = 3), inverse distance weighting (n = 2), geographic weighted regression (n = 1), dispersion modeling (n = 1), satellite-based methods (n = 2) and land use regression modeling (n = 5). These studies assessed exposure and outcomes at different “windows of susceptibility”: antenatally/specific trimesters (n = 8), infancy (n = 5) and early childhood (n = 6). In most studies, the reported measures of air pollutants were noted to be below the prescribed limits, though for some, a cause–effect association was observed. It was also noted that there was very little variation in estimates between time points or trimesters of exposure, likely attributed to limitations in the selected exposure assessment method. Moderate to high correlations between trimesters were reported for most studies.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relative utility and benefits of free-hand 2-dimensional intraoperative ultrasound (FUS) and navigated 3-dimensional intraoperative ultrasound (NUS) as ultrasound-guided biopsy (USGB) techniques for supratentorial lesions. Methods All patients who underwent USGB for suspected supratentorial tumours from January 2008 to December 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. The charts and electronic medical records of these patients were studied. Demographic, surgical, and pathological variables were collected and analyzed. The study group consisted of patients who underwent either FUS or NUS for biopsy. Results A total of 125 patients (112 adults and 13 children) underwent USGB during the study period (89 FUS and 36 NUS). NUS was used more often for deep-seated lesions (58% vs. 18% for FUS, P

Introduction: Medication adherence is a major determinant for the success of therapy among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. The research objectives of the present study were to assess the adherence to prescribed medications and its association with quality of life among COPD patients, to determine the major factors that influence the medication adherence and to assess patient’s knowledge on COPD and its relation to medication adherence. Methods: It was a hospital based cross-sectional study. Patient demographic characteristics, smoking and alcoholic status, severity grading of COPD, concomitant disease, affordability of patients to medication, patient knowledge on COPD (Knowledge Questionnaire), adherence to medication and inhaler, major factors influencing adherence, disease control and quality of life (COPD Assessment Test) were recorded. Results: Most of the patients were non-smokers and patients exposed to occupational air pollutants was high. Complete adherence to prescribed medication was found among 47% (MAS Score 6) of the participants and 81% of the participants were partially adherent (MAS score, range of 1-6). Highly adherent group was found to have high CAT score which was statistically significant. (P=0.020). Major factors for medication non-adherence were forgetfulness (82.5%) and symptomatic relief of illness (12.5%). There was no statistically significant association between individual knowledge questions and medication adherence except the question “COPD medicines prevent the disease from getting worse” (P=0.021). Conclusion: There was a statistically significant association between medication adherence and quality of life. Appropriate health education should be implemented for improving patient awareness and medication adherence.

Abstract Background Crude measures of exposure to indicate indoor air pollution have been associated with the increased risk for acquiring tuberculosis. Our study aimed to determine an association between childhood pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and exposure to indoor air pollution (IAP), based on crude exposure predictors and directly sampled and modelled pollutant concentrations. Methods In this case control study, children diagnosed with PTB were compared to children without PTB. Questionnaires about children’s health; and house characteristics and activities (including household air pollution) and secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure were administered to caregivers of participants. A subset of the participants’ homes was sampled for measurements of PM10 over a 24-h period (n = 105), and NO2 over a period of 2 to 3 weeks (n = 82). IAP concentrations of PM10 and NO2 were estimated in the remaining homes using predictive models. Logistic regression was used to look for association between IAP concentrations, crude measures of IAP, and PTB. Results Of the 234 participants, 107 were cases and 127 were controls. Pollutants concentrations (μg/m3) for were PM10 median: 48 (range: 6.6–241) and NO2 median: 16.7 (range: 4.5–55). Day-to-day variability within- household was large. In multivariate models adjusted for age, sex, socioeconomic status, TB contact and HIV status, the crude exposure measures of pollution viz. cooking fuel type (clean or dirty fuel) and SHS showed positive non-significant associations with PTB. Presence of dampness in the household was a significant risk factor for childhood TB acquisition with aOR of 2.4 (95% CI: 1.1–5.0). The crude exposure predictors of indoor air pollution are less influenced by day-to-day variability. No risk was observed between pollutant concentrations and PTB in children for PM10 and NO2. Conclusion Our study suggests increased risk of childhood tuberculosis disease when children are exposed to SHS, dirty cooking fuel, and dampness in their homes. Yet, HIV status, age and TB contact are the most important risk factors of childhood PTB in this population.

The defense regulon has been defined genetically in Arabidopsis thaliana to involve the syntaxin PENETRATION1 (PEN1), the secreted glucosidase (PEN2) and an ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter (PEN3). Experiments in Glycine max (soybean) have identified homologous genes being expressed in root cells undergoing defense processes to Heterodera glycines parasitism. These experiments have not examined proteins involved in cargo delivery to the infection site. A good candidate fulfilling this role would be myosin XI. In related studies, prior microscopic analyses have shown the accumulation of callose at these defense sites. Experiments presented here show that callose synthase expression impairs H. glycines parasitism. The experiments presented here have expanded on prior results demonstrating the central defense role of the plant vesicular trafficking apparatus and callose synthase to the defense process that G. max has toward H. glycines parasitism.

A congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) occurs when the abdominal contents protrude into the thoracic cavity through an opening in the diaphragm. The main pathology lies in the maldevelopment or defective fusion of the pleuroperitoneal membranes. Delayed diagnosis in later childhood as in the index case reported here can lead to life-threatening complications such as tension gastrothorax and gastric volvulus. Such life-threatening conditions should be managed emergently avoiding misdiagnoses and untoward harm to the patient. We report a pediatric case of an 8-year-old boy who presented with respiratory distress, chest pain, and non-bilious vomiting. He was initially diagnosed with tension pneumothorax, and the chest x-ray was interpreted as hydropneumothorax. A chest tube placement was planned but was withheld due to excessive vomiting. A nasogastric (NG) tube was placed, and a barium-filled radiograph showed an intrathoracic presence of the stomach. A diagnosis of a congenital diaphragmatic hernia with tension gastrothorax was made. The posterolateral (Bochdalek) diaphragmatic hernia was repaired successfully. This case report highlights the importance of including a late-presenting CDH in the differential diagnoses of pediatric patients who present with respiratory distress, chest pain, non-bilious vomiting, and radiological findings suggestive of tension pneumothorax.

To understand the spread of SARS-CoV2, in August and September 2020, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (India) conducted a serosurvey across its constituent laboratories and centers across India. Of 10,427 volunteers, 1058 (10.14%) tested positive for SARS-CoV2 anti-nucleocapsid (anti-NC) antibodies, 95% of which had surrogate neutralization activity. Three-fourth of these recalled no symptoms. Repeat serology tests at 3 (n = 607) and 6 (n = 175) months showed stable anti-NC antibodies but declining neutralization activity. Local seropositivity was higher in densely populated cities and was inversely correlated with a 30-day change in regional test positivity rates (TPRs). Regional seropositivity above 10% was associated with declining TPR. Personal factors associated with higher odds of seropositivity were high-exposure work (odds ratio, 95% confidence interval, p value: 2.23, 1.92–2.59,

Foamed materials are honeycomb-shaped structures bearing porous networks which exhibit considerable compressive strengths, and excellent efficiency for oil-water separation. The presence of spilled oils and solvents in wastewater intensifies with accumulation over the time later creating toxicity to the environment. The ever growing industrial demands precede contamination of water sources which later make it difficult in its eradication. The scientific community has spearheaded the research towards materials exhibiting high oil/-solvent absorption capacity, compression strength, and recycling ability for the effective removal of accumulated spilt oils and solvents from wastewater. Recently, foamed materials have gained wide focus for oil/-solvent recovery due to high absorption capacity rendered by 3D porous structure present in the foams. Carbon-based lightweight (density = 0.2–0.8 g/cm3) foam exhibiting compressive strength of 20 MPa, porosity of 93%, and hydrophobicity (water contact angle = 149o), has been reported for oil-water separation application. In this sense, present review provides an in-depth study on various foams capable of removing the spilt oil/solvents from wastewater and their mechanism, toxic effects on the environment, and the factors affecting oil/solvent absorption performance of the foams, for the effective oil/solvent recovery.

The Glycine max xyloglucan endotransglycosylase/hydrolase (EC 2.4.1.207), GmXTH43, has been identified through RNA sequencing of RNA isolated through laser microdissection of Heterodera glycines-parasitized root cells (syncytia) undergoing the process of defense. Experiments reveal that genetically increasing XTH43 transcript abundance in the H. glycines-susceptible genotype G. max[Williams 82/PI 518671] decreases parasitism. Experiments presented here show decreasing XTH43 transcript abundance through RNA interference (RNAi) in the H. glycines-resistant G. max[Peking/PI 548402] increases susceptibility, but it is unclear what role XTH43 performs. The experiments presented here show XTH43 overexpression decreases the relative length of xyloglucan (XyG) chains, however, there is an increase in the amount of those shorter chains. In contrast, XTH43 RNAi increases XyG chain length. The experiments show that XTH43 has the capability to function, when increased in its expression, to limit XyG chain extension. This outcome would likely impair the ability of the cell wall to expand. Consequently, XTH43 could provide an enzymatically-driven capability to the cell that would allow it to limit the ability of parasitic nematodes like H. glycines to develop a feeding structure that, otherwise, would facilitate parasitism. The experiments presented here provide experimentally-based proof that XTHs can function in ways that could be viewed as being able to limit the expansion of the cell wall.

Abstract The major impact in the clinical field is the harm posed by cancer. One most common type of cancer occurs in the skin. Though the conventionally existing modalities are successful in some cases, there is a need for new sensible methods to detect tumors at their initial stage. In accordance to these reasons and in addition to the incapability of the drugs to cross cellular barriers in skin the conventional administration methods are often compromised. To eradicate these problems the research work aims to develop the electrical analogue of skin involving layers like dermis, subcutaneous tissues, bones and muscular layers. The mathematical model has been developed to determine the electrical network of skin. The response of different skin layers are analyzed through simulation studies. It is observed that the cells present in each layer absorbs some amount of drug and let out the remaining to the neighboring layers. Further to minimize the diffusion rate of the drug a conventional controller has been incorporated and the results are analyzed by the contrast of the absorption and diffusion capacities for different layers of skin.

Conditions influencing Bacillus cereus growth and cereulide production, such as temperature and pH, were evaluated at varying incubation periods. The growth and cereulide production at different temperatures and pH values ranging from 10 to 40 ºC and 5.0 to 8.5, respectively showed that the temperature from 20 to 30 ºC and at pH from 6.0 to 7.0 gave the optimum growth and cereulide production by B. cereus SA105. pH below 6.0 resulted in reduced growth and cereulide production. Cereulide production increased along with the incubation period, and maximum cereulide titre (ng/mL) of 1219.1±8.90 was obtained after 6 days of incubation at 30 ºC and pH 6.5 under static conditions. There was no quantifiable toxin at incubation temperatures of 10 and 40 ºC by B. cereus SA105. This work further reveals that B. cereus growth and cereulide production was significantly affected by temperature and pH in relation to the incubation period. Furthermore, the findings of this study will serve as a means for reducing the diversity of emetic toxin-producing B. cereus population in food and food products, thus preventing food poisoning.

A Glycine max (soybean) hemicellulose modifying gene, xyloglucan endotransglycoslase/hydrolase (XTH43), has been identified as being expressed within a nurse cell known as a syncytium developing within the soybean root undergoing the process of defense to infection by the parasitic nematode, Heterodera glycines. The highly effective nature of XTH43 overexpression in suppressing H. glycines parasitism in soybean has led to experiments examining whether the heterologous expression of XTH43 in Gossypium hirsutum (upland cotton) could impair the parasitism of Meloidogyne incognita, that form a different type of nurse cell called a giant cell that is enclosed within a swollen root structure called a gall. The heterologous transgenic expression of XTH43 in cotton resulted in an 18% decrease in the number of galls, 70% decrease in egg masses, 64% decrease in egg production and a 97% decrease in second stage juvenile (J2) production as compared to transgenic controls. The heterologous XTH43 expression does not significantly affect root mass. The results demonstrate XTH43 expression functions effectively in impairing the development of M. incognita at numerous life cycle stages occurring within the cotton root. The experiments reveal that there are highly conserved aspects of the defense response of G. max that can function effectively in G. hirsutum to impair M. incognita having a different method of parasitism.

Glycine max has 32 mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs), nine of them exhibiting defense functions (defense MAPKs) to the plant parasitic nematode Heterodera glycines. RNA seq analyses of transgenic G. max lines overexpressing (OE) each defense MAPK has led to the identification of 309 genes that are increased in their relative transcript abundance by all 9 defense MAPKs. Here, 71 of those genes are shown to also have measurable amounts of transcript in H. glycines-induced nurse cells (syncytia) produced in the root that are undergoing a defense response. The 71 genes have been grouped into 7 types, based on their expression profile. Among the 71 genes are 8 putatively-secreted proteins that include a galactose mutarotase-like protein, pollen Ole e 1 allergen and extensin protein, endomembrane protein 70 protein, O-glycosyl hydrolase 17 protein, glycosyl hydrolase 32 protein, FASCICLIN-like arabinogalactan protein 17 precursor, secreted peroxidase and a pathogenesis-related thaumatin protein. Functional transgenic analyses of all 8 of these candidate defense genes that employ their overexpression and RNA interference (RNAi) demonstrate they have a role in defense. Overexpression experiments that increase the relative transcript abundance of the candidate defense gene reduces the ability that the plant parasitic nematode Heterodera glycines has in completing its life cycle while, in contrast, RNAi of these genes leads to an increase in parasitism. The results provide a genomic analysis of the importance of MAPK signaling in relation to the secretion apparatus during the defense process defense in the G. max-H. glycines pathosystem and identify additional targets for future studies.

In this study, Lactobacillus plantarum strain DHCU70 isolated from dahi, a fermented milk product and L. plantarum strain DKP1 isolated from kinema, a fermented soybean food of India, respectively were evaluated for their bacteriocin production and probiotic properties. Both strains of L. plantarum (DHCU70 and DKP1) were found to have potent antimicrobial activity against Kocuria rhizophila ATCC 9341. Bacteriocin produced by L. plantarum strains DHCU70 and DKP1 did not exhibit inhibition of cell wall, DNA and fatty acids biosynthesis mechanisms as evaluated by whole cell reporter assays. We characterized the bacteriocin encoding genes in L. plantarum strains DHCU70 and DKP1 by whole genome sequence which consisted of a single and circular chromosome with genome size of 3.38 Mb (GC content of 44.3%) and 3.39 Mb, respectively and a GC content of 44.3%. L. plantarum DHCU70 has 3252 number of protein encoding genes comprising 89 number of RNA genes (69tRNA, 16rRNA, 4nc RNA) whereas L. plantarum DKP1 has total of 3277 number of protein encoding genes with 89 number. of RNA genes (69tRNA, 16S rRNA, 4nc RNA). Analysis revealed the presence of 20.5 kb long and 23 numbers of plantaricin encoding locus (pln locus) for production of antimicrobial compound. BAGEL analysis has shown that the pln locus of both the strains of L. plantarum showed maximum sequence similarity with plantaricin NC8 of L. plantarum NC8, originally isolated from grass silage. Annotated whole genome sequence of both strains DHCU70 and DKP1 was analyzed for the presence of probiotic marker genes. The probiotic properties of these strains of were also evaluated in vitro. Due to the presence of genes responsible for antimicrobial activity and probiotic properties, both strains of L. plantarum may be considered as a suitable probiotic candidate in food industry.

Probiotic bacteria have the ability to alter immune response conferring treatment to inflammatory diseases. In the current study, probiotic Lactobacillus strains were subjected to adhesion to epithelial Caco-2 cells. Subsequently, gene expression of pro-and anti-inflammatory genes were studied under three stimulation conditions (which includes LPS-challenge, stress induction and pathogens invasion). Herein, immunomodulatory activity of native Lactobacillus strains (n = 3) were compared to L. rhamnosus GG. The studied strains had down-regulated the gene expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (CKs) (like TNF-α, IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-8) and up-regulated the anti-inflammatory CKs like TGFβ1, IL-4, and IL-10. Gene expression of TLR2 has also been noted. Strain-specific interactions were noticed during the different probiotic treatment. Further, phylogenetic dendrogram of mucin adhesion domain suggested the interaction of Lactobacillus and Listeria species, explaining competitive colonization and exclusion mechanism in an ecological niche. Overall, isolate L. paraplantarum MTCC 9483 has effectively modulated induced conditions by its anti-inflammatory activity.

Plant viruses cause yield losses to crops of agronomic and economic significance and are a challenge to the achievement of global food security. Although conventional plant breeding has played an important role in managing plant viral diseases, it will unlikely meet the challenges posed by the frequent emergence of novel and more virulent viral species or viral strains. Hence there is an urgent need to seek alternative strategies of virus control that can be more readily deployed to contain viral diseases. The discovery in the late 1980s that viral genes can be introduced into plants to engineer resistance to the cognate virus provided a new avenue for virus disease control. Subsequent advances in genomics and biotechnology have led to the refinement and expansion of genetic engineering (GE) strategies in crop improvement. Importantly, many of the drawbacks of conventional breeding, such as long lead times, inability or difficulty to cross fertilize, loss of desirable plant traits, are overcome by GE. Unfortunately, public skepticism towards genetically modified (GM) crops and other factors have dampened the early promise of GE efforts. These concerns are principally about the possible negative effects of transgenes to humans and animals, as well as to the environment. However, with regards to engineering for virus resistance, these risks are overstated given that most virus resistance engineering strategies involve transfer of viral genes or genomic segments to plants. These viral genomes are found in infected plant cells and have not been associated with any adverse effects in humans or animals. Thus, integrating antiviral genes of virus origin into plant genomes is hardly unnatural as suggested by GM crop skeptics. Moreover, advances in deep sequencing have resulted in the sequencing of large numbers of plant genomes and the revelation of widespread endogenization of viral genomes into plant genomes. This has raised the possibility that viral genome endogenization is part of an antiviral defense mechanism deployed by the plant during its evolutionary past. Thus, GM crops engineered for viral resistance would likely be acceptable to the public if regulatory policies were product-based (the North America regulatory model), as opposed to process-based. This review discusses some of the benefits to be gained from adopting GE for virus resistance, as well as the challenges that must be overcome to leverage this technology. Furthermore, regulatory policies impacting virus-resistant GM crops and some success cases of virus-resistant GM crops approved so far for cultivation are discussed.

Theobjectiveofthisstudyistodeterminethecharacteristicsofhydromagneticflowoveraslendering stretching sheet in slip flow regime. Steady, two dimensional, nonlinear, hydromagnetic laminar flow of an incompressible, viscous and electrically conducting fluid over a stretching sheet with variable thickness in the presence of variable magnetic field and slip flow regime is considered. Governing equations of the problem are converted into ordinary differential equations utilizing similarity transformations. The resulting non-linear differential equations are solved numerically by utilizing Nachtsheim-swigert shooting iterative scheme for satisfaction of asymptotic boundary conditions along with fourth order Runge-Kutta integration method. Numerical computations are carried out for various values of the physical parameters and their effects over the velocity and temperature are analyzed. Numerical values of dimensionless skin friction coefficient and non-dimensional rate of heat transfer are also obtained.

Malignant mixed Mullerian tumor of the uterus, also called carcinosarcoma, is a very rare and aggressive type of malignancy with epithelial and mesenchymal components. Therefore, it is considered a metaplastic carcinoma. Predominantly these carcinomas are found in postmenopausal women presenting with uterine bleeding and uterine enlargement. We represent a case of a 60-year-old female with complaints of pain in the abdomen and bleeding per vaginum. Hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy was performed and a diagnosis of malignant mixed Mullerian tumor of the uterus was made.

Malignant soft-tissue tumors which were designated as malignant fibrous histiocytoma are regrouped by the WHO (in 2002) under the new entity termed as “undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma.”1 It accounts for less than 5% of all adult soft-tissue sarcomas. Here, we report the lesion in a 70-year-old man who presented with high-grade undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma in the lower extremity.

To communicate efficiently with a prospective user, auditory interfaces are employed in mobile communication devices. Diverse sounds in different volumes are used to alert the user in various devices such as mobile phones, modern laptops and domestic appliances. These alert noises behave erroneously in dynamic noise environments, leading to major annoyances to the user. In noisy environments, as sounds can be played quietly, this leads to the improper masked rendering of the necessary information. To overcome these issues, a multi-model sensing technique is developed as a smartphone application to achieve automatic volume control in a smart phone. Based on the ambient environment, the volume is automatically controlled such that it is maintained at an appropriate level for the user. By identifying the average noise level of the ambient environment from dynamic microphone and together with the activity recognition data obtained from the inertial sensors, the automatic volume control is achieved. Experiments are conducted with five different mobile devices at various noise-level environments and different user activity states. Results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed application for active volume control in dynamic environments.

Background: Substance abuse and dependency are most common during adolescence. Adolescents are in a transitional phase, confusion can sometimes make them susceptible to taking up unfavourable habits. Attitude shaping by parents and knowledge of harmfulness of substance abuse can indirectly motivate the user to give up the habit. Substance abuse control programmes, focusing on youth, are essential, to reduce the burden of related diseases. Objectives: It was aimed to assess the level of knowledge of adolescents regarding substance abuse, to find the effectiveness of role play on knowledge regarding substance abuse among adolescents, to find out the association of knowledge scores of adolescents regarding substance abuse with selected socio demographic variables. Material and Methods: A quasi experimental, one group pre-test post-test design with evaluative approach was adopted for this study. The study was conducted at Krishna Charitable Trust’s English Medium School and Junior College, Karad, Maharashtra, India. Simple random sampling with lottery method was used for selecting the 60 subjects from VIIIth, IXth and Xth class. On the 1st day a structured knowledge questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge on substance abuse and role play was conducted followed by post test on the 7thday. Data was analyzed by using descriptive and inferential statistics. Result: The mean and standard deviation of the knowledge scores of the subjects in pre test was 11.51 + 3.55 which increased in post test after role play to 17.5 + 2.89. The paired ‘t’ test value were 15.363 (p < 0.0001) showing a significant increase in knowledge regarding substance abuse. There was an association between type of family and general information on substance abuse, education of father with commonly abused substances and the total score on substance abuse, education of mother with commonly abused substances and prevention and management of substance abuse and number of children in the family was associated with general information on substance abuse after role play. Conclusion: The study showed that the role play on substance abuse was effective in improving the knowledge of adolescents and thus helps them to understand the harmful effects of substance abuse and to take necessary methods to control it.