Search

The majority of living domains consist of DNA as genetic material with the minor exception of viruses. The unique nature of every species determines by its unique pattern of genome or gene products. The genomic features become an evident example of evolutionary study also. Different types of repeat patterns are observed in genomes of living domains including human beings whose two third portion of the genome is repetitive. Among the varied type of repeat sequences Mirror Repeats (MR) play crucial roles at the genetic level in every species. The major focus of our research is on identification & to check the distribution of mirror repeat. For this, we employed a bioinformatics-based approach refer as FASTA PARALLEL COMPLEMENT BLAST (FPCB) to identify unique mirror repeat (MR) sequences in some selected viral genomes from three different categories (Animal, Plant & Human). The identified repeats vary in their length as well as found to be distributed throughout the selected viral genomes. The maximum no of MR were reported in the case of Dengue virus (229) & minimum is in the case of TMV (97). In the remaining selected viruses - HCV, HPV, HTLV-1, PVY, Rabies virus 178, 156, 175, 203 & 204 MR sequences were reported. These sequences can be utilized in many ways like in molecular diagnosis, drug delivery target as well as evolutionary study, etc. The present research also helps in the development of novel tools of bioinformatics to study mirror repeats and their functional perspective in the context of their occurrence in all domains.

Background: An asymmetric cryptanalysis is suggested in Affine and Fresnel transform using Hybrid Fresnel phase Mask (HFM), Hybrid Mask (HM) and Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) to deliver additional security to the scheme. The usage of Affine Transform (AT) provides randomness in the input plane which benefits in enlarging the key space and SVD gives the nonlinearity in the process. Objective: In the FrT domain, usage of hybrid masks and AT in an asymmetric cryptosystem with SVD is to make encoded procedure difficult. Methods: On the plain image we firstly apply affine transform and then convoluted it with HFM, in FrT domain with propagation distance Z1 and the obtained part is convoluted with HM in FrT with propagation distance Z2 and then lastly on the encoded image SVD is applied. Results: Validity of the suggested scheme has been confirmed by using MATLAB R2018a (9.4.0.813654). The capability of the recommended scheme has been tested by statistical simulations such as histogram, entropy and correlation coefficient. Noise attack analysis has also done so that the system becomes robust against attacks. Conclusion: Asymmetric cryptosystem is recommended using pixel scrambling technique i.e. affine transform which shuffles the pixels hence helps for security of the system. Usage of SVD in the algorithm is to make the system robust. Performance and strength analysis are carried out for scrutiny of the forte and feasibility of the algorithm.

Background: An asymmetric cryptosystem using Structured Phase Mask (SPM) and Random Phase Mask (RPM) in fractional Fourier transform (FrFT) using lower-Upper decomposition with partial pivoting is proposed to provide extra security to the system. The usage of structured phase mask offers additional parameter in encryption. In the encoded process the phase-truncation (PT) part is replaced by the LUDP that is by the decomposition part. Objective: Introducing an asymmetric cryptosystem with LUDP is to avert quick identification of encrypted image in the FrFT domain. Method: Input image is firstly convoluted with SPM, in FrFT and in LUDP then the obtained result is convoluted with RPM in inverse FrFT and in LUDP. Finally, the encoded image is attained. Results: The strength and legitimacy of the proposed scheme have been verified by using numerical analysis on MATLAB R2018a (9.4.0.813654). For checking the viability of the proposed scheme mathematical simulations have been carried out which determines the performance and better quality of an image based on key sensitivity, occlusion attack, noise attacks and histograms. Conclusion: A novel asymmetric cryptosystem is proposed using two phase masks one is SPM and another is RPM. LUDP is proposed in which the encoded procedure is different from the decoded procedure. Security is enhanced by increasing the number of keys and the scheme is also robust against attacks. Statistical simulations are also carried out for inspection the strength and viability of the algorithm.

Chlorophenols have significant environmental concern owing to their toxicity, carcinogenicity and bioaccumulation potential, especially in the aquatic environment. Inefficient treatment of industrial effluents and discharge of partially treated wastewater further aggravates the environmental and health issues. Degradation of 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol using photochemical oxidation (TiO2) has come up as a potential treatment option. The present study used Degussa P-25 nano-TiO2 at varying doses for the optimisation of treatment. An optimised dose of 250mg/l TiO2could remove 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol completely wi thin 210 minutes of reaction period. Addition of H2O2 to further increase the rates of treatment did not yield any benefit. It was observed that UV365exposure may be replaced by solar light but the reaction rate was lower compared to UV. Finally, the comparison of operational cost of UV photocatalysis, photo catalysis with H2O2, and solar photocatalysis revealed the cost of US $ 0.27 per litre, 0.30 per litre, and 0.16 per litre, respectively, thus making solar photocatalysis the best option, but for lower volumes of wastewater. It was concluded that photocatalytic oxidation can be a sustainable treatment option for degradation of 2,4,6-TCP considering its benefits to environment and health.

An asymmetric double image encryption system has been suggested to safeguard the algorithm in Fresnel Transform (FrT) from intruders by using Hybrid Deterministic Phase Masks, Structured Phase Mask (SPM) and Orthogonal encoding technique. The original DRPE technique used random phase masks which is not very strong against many attacks. In comparison to novel Phase Truncated Fourier Transform based scheme, safety of encryption and decryption is elevated with applying the dissimilar types of masks in Fresnel domain which in turn enhances the robustness of DRPE scheme. SPM helps in increasing the key length and the deterministic phase masks (DM) helps to transport key components with condensed size, improved performance and inferior intricacy. The ciphered images are further encoded using Hadamard matrix that has orthogonal property. The orthogonal encoding system aids in refining the security of the DRPE lined operations. Further, the simulation result visibly validates that the DRPE using orthogonal encoding is much more protected. Numerical outcomes help in verifying that our scheme is susceptible to numerous attacks. Security potential of planned scheme is resolute by the computational examination and safety investigation using histograms and Occlusion.

Now a days the technology will enhanced to focusing on autonomous vehicle on different implementation. In all likelihood major of accidents occur due to the disturbance of driver. Sometime many cases the deficiency of proper vision accountable for road accident during heavy rain falls. The usual wiper system requires driver’s attention to switch on the wiper system during rainfall. Whereas in traffic condition, driver should not be unfocused by manual adjustment of switching the wiper system which may lead to accident. In this framework we proposed a weather recognized method to construction an automatic rain sensing wiper on the wind screen during rain so as to avoid frenzy of driver. In this project we used Arduino along with a rain sensor, an LCD 16x2 module, and a servo motor. the rainfalls is measured via water rain sensor is present in automatic wiper system to collect information via sensor the wiper will start rotating then dispatch to Arduino. our method exhibited good identification ability of raindrops and encouraging results for rainfall discernment . In order to keep away from condemning situation this automatic wiper system provides changeable wiping speed formed on precipitation intensity. The state of the art in this paper was not only money-making but also highly dispatch and more accurate and economically inexpensive which can be implemented in all low and middle intensity vehicles.

Macrophages are one of the first innate immune cells to reach the site of infection or injury. Diverse functions from the uptake of pathogen or antigen, its killing, and presentation, the release of pro- or anti-inflammatory cytokines, activation of adaptive immune cells, clearing off tissue debris, tissue repair, and maintenance of tissue homeostasis have been attributed to macrophages. Besides tissue-resident macrophages, the circulating macrophages are recruited to different tissues to get activated. These are highly plastic cells, showing a spectrum of phenotypes depending on the stimulus received from their immediate environment. The macrophage differentiation requires colony-stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1) or macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF), colony-stimulating factor-2 (CSF-2), or granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and different stimuli activate them to different phenotypes. The richness of tissue macrophages is precisely controlled via the CSF-1 and CSF-1R axis. In this review, we have given an overview of macrophage origin via hematopoiesis/myelopoiesis, different phenotypes associated with macrophages, their clinical significance, and how they are altered in various diseases. We have specifically focused on the function of CSF-1/CSF-1R signaling in deciding macrophage fate and the outcome of aberrant CSF-1R signaling in relation to macrophage phenotype in different diseases. We further extend the review to briefly discuss the possible strategies to manipulate CSF-1R and its signaling with the recent updates.

A novel asymmetric double image encryption technique is introduced to protect the algorithm from the interlopers by using hybrid chaotic structured phase masks in Arnold and Fresnel transforms. Mostly random phase masks are used routinely in many algorithms which are not strong against many attacks. So, taking in consideration replacing of random phase masks with the new hybrid chaotic structured phase masks takes place in the algorithm. With the assistance of Fresnel zone plates, radial Hilbert mask and logistic map functions, the chaotic structured phase mask is accumulated and hybrid chaotic structured phase mask provides extra security to system. Arnold transform helps in pixel shuffling, and with the pixel reorganization, it also helps in image reaping and bordering. The propagation distance of the Fresnel transform and the constraints of the Arnold transform serve as keys for encryption and decryption. To check the sturdiness of hybrid chaotic structured phase mask, simulations have been done which are carried out by the support of MATLAB R2018a (9.4.0.813654).

Driver drowsiness is the leading cause of traffic accidents; thus, drowsiness detection plays an important role in preventing them. By developing an automatic solution for alerting drivers of drowsiness before an accident occurs, the number of traffic accidents could be reduced. As a result, this study suggests a method for detecting drowsiness in real time. Image processing and machine learning are two aspects of the suggested approach. The purpose of the image processing step is to recognize the driver's face and then extract the image of the driver's eyes. This phase employs the Haar face detection method, which takes video as an input and outputs the discovered face. Next, haar is utilized to extract the detective's eye image, which will be used as an input for the machine learning phase. The role of machine learning, in this case, is to classify whether the driver's eyes are closed or open using a support vector machine. If the classification results show that the driver's eye is closed for a predetermined amount of time, the driver's eyes will be regarded closed, and an alarm will be activated to inform the driver. On available benchmark data, the proposed methodology has been tested. The results show that the hybridized image processing approaches with machine learning techniques are accurate and resilient. As a result, it can be concluded that the presented methodology is a viable solution method for detecting driver tiredness in the real world. Keywords- Drowsiness detection: Face detection; Eye detection; Yawn detection; Eye aspect ratio; Haar cascade algorithm.

Shift workers are faced with sleep deficits and circadian disruption, a risk factor for hypertension. We recorded daily rhythms of body temperature and blood pressure (BP) of 28 healthy healthcare workers using thermometers and ambulatory BP monitors, respectively. Participants worked in in regular day (D) shift, regular night (N) shift or rotational shift (RS, i.e., RD/RN during day/night shift) work routines. Different shift regimes had variable effects on sleep quality and duration, thus affecting the waveform of daily BP/temperature rhythms. Therefore, this study aimed to assess circadian misalignment of BP/temperature rhythms under shift-work regimes. In D, 8-h night sleep and robust bimodal rhythmic patterns in SBP, DBP and temperature were observed. Among shift workers, N exhibited bifurcated sleep with long work-hour naps commensurate to the daily peak and dip in BP/temperature. The amplitude of the daily rhythm of BP and temperature was dampened in RS. Overall, cardiovascular rhythm disruption was greater in SBP than in DBP. RS exhibited higher temperatures throughout day-night shifts. Sleep bifurcation, although it immediately recompenses sleep deficits, may be associated with altered circadian waveforms of physiological rhythms, rendering long-term health consequences.

During Aspergillus fumigatus mediated lung inflammation, NLRP3 inflammasome is rapidly activated that aggravates IL-1β production contributing to lung inflammation. Previously, we have shown the protective role of SYK-1 inhibition in inhibiting inflammasome activation during lung inflammation. In the current manuscript, we explored the protective role of direct caspase-1 inhibition during β-glucan-induced lung inflammation. We have mimicked the lung inflammation by administering intranasal β-glucan in mice model. YVAD was used for caspase-1 inhibition. We have shown that caspase-1 inhibition by YVAD did not alter inflammasome independent inflammatory cytokines, while it significantly reduced inflammasome activation and IL-1β secretion. Caspase-1 inhibited bone marrow derived dendritic cells (BMDCs), co-cultured with T cells showed decreased T-cell proliferation and direct them to secrete high TGF-β and IL-10 compared to the T cells co-cultured with β-glucan primed dendritic cells. Caspase-1 inhibition in BMDCs also induced IL-22 secretion from CD4+T cells. Caspase-1 inhibition in intranasal β-glucan administered mice showed decreased tissue damage, immune cell infiltration and IgA secretion compared to control mice. Further, splenocytes challenged with β-glucan show high IL-10 secretion and increased FOXp3 and Ahr indicating an increase in regulatory T cells on caspase-1 inhibition. Caspase-1 inhibition can thus be an attractive target to prevent inflammation mediated tissue damage during Aspergillus fumigatus mouse model and can be explored as an attractive therapeutic strategy.HIGHLIGHTSCaspase-1 inhibition protects lung damage from inflammation during β-glucan exposureCaspase-1 inhibition in dendritic cells decreases IL-1β production resulting in decreased pathogenic Th17Caspase-1 inhibition promotes regulatory T cells thereby inhibiting lung inflammation Caspase-1 inhibition protects lung damage from inflammation during β-glucan exposure Caspase-1 inhibition in dendritic cells decreases IL-1β production resulting in decreased pathogenic Th17 Caspase-1 inhibition promotes regulatory T cells thereby inhibiting lung inflammation

To escalate the image encryption a new method has been devised which includes double random phase encoding (DRPE) using rear phase masking and random decomposition (RD) technique stranded on fractional Fourier transform. Here, asymmetric cryptographic system is developed in fractional Fourier transform (FrFT) mode using two random phase masks (RPM) and a rear mounted phase mask. In the projected scheme a colored image is decomposed into R, G and B channels. The amplitude of each channel is normalized, phase encoded and modulated using RPM. The modulated R, G and B channels of the colored image are individually transformed using FrFT to produce corresponding encrypted image. The proposed scheme is authorized on grayscale image also. The norm behind the development of the suggested scheme has been elaborated by carrying out cryptanalysis on system based on the RD. The method helps in escalations of the protection of double random phase encoding by cumulating the key length and the parameter amount, so that it vigorously can be used against various attacks. The forte of the suggested cryptographic system was verified using simulations with MATLAB 7.9.0 (R2008a). The efficiency of the suggested scheme includes the analysis using singular value decomposition (SVD), histogram and correlation coefficient.

COVID-19 pandemic is still going on. This has led to many secondary infections like opportunistic fungal infections . Its likely that oral lesions in patients with COVID-19 is more likely induced by co-infections, immunity impairment, and adverse reactions instead of direct SARS-CoV-2 infection. Mucormycosis is one such secondary infection caused by fungi belonging to the order Mucorales. Rhinocerebral mucormycosis is one form of mucormycosis, which targets the maxillary antrum and the surrounding tissues and cause necrotizing ulceration of the palate with exposure of underlying bone. The treatment given in mucormycosis cases include restoration of metabolic or immunologic competency, intravenous amphotericin B, and surgical debridement. Surgical debridement results in difficulty in speech, deglutition, mastication, and respiration. Both physical and psychologic needs of the patient are best served if an immediate surgical obturator is provided. Definitive prosthodontic treatment should be considered only when healing is complete.

Spirometry is a lung function test used to diagnose and monitor lung diseases like asthma, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, etc. Spirometry measures forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV1), and their ratio to determine lung health. Spirometry is very time-consuming, strenuous, and requires proper training. Alternate methods based on voice for diagnosis and monitoring of lung health are promising because they are faster, easy to do, and require minimal training. Non-speech sounds, namely, cough and wheeze, have been used to predict spirometry variables, but the role of speech sounds that occur in natural speaking for a similar task has not been explored. In this work, the spirometry variable, FVC has been predicted from sustained phonations of vowel sounds using a convolutional dense neural network (CDNN). Mel-spectrogram has been used as a feature. An experiment conducted using 160 subjects indicates, /i/ is the best sound and /u:/ is worst for the prediction task with an average Mean Absolute Error of 0.67l(±. 07l) and 0.70l(± 0.13l) among all sustained phonations of vowels sounds considered in this work.

The contamination of water bodies by toxic industrial effluents is a serious threat to environment and the exposed organisms. The treatment of carcinogenic azo dyes in wastewater of grossly polluting textile industry is a major challenge considering the persistent nature of chemical dyes against biological treatment. The present study explores efficacy of advanced oxidation processes—photocatalysis and photo-Fenton, towards degradation of Remazol Red dye in the textile industry effluent. It was observed that both processes can completely remove the colour and approximately 85% mineralization of the dye within reaction time of 60 min and 8 min, respectively. The economic analysis placed photo-Fenton as a cost-effective method with treatment cost of approx. 0.0090 US $/litre of wastewater containing Remazol Red dye. Although, Photocatalysis was relatively slow, it is substantially effective in removal/degradation of colour from textile effluent against the biological treatment. The study concludes that photo-Fenton and Photocatalysis are cost-effective and substantial treatment options for removal of toxicity arising from coloured textile effluents.

The rice root system is primarily composed of shoot-borne adventitious/crown roots (ARs/CRs) that develop from the coleoptile base, and therefore, it is an excellent model system for studying shoot-to-root trans-differentiation process. We reveal global changes in protein and metabolite abundance and protein phosphorylation in response to an auxin stimulus during CR development. The liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analyses of developing crown root primordia (CRP) and emerged CRs identified 334 proteins and 12 amino acids, respectively, that were differentially regulated upon auxin treatment. Gene ontology enrichment analysis of global proteome data uncovered the biological processes associated with chromatin conformational change, gene expression and cell cycle that were regulated by auxin signaling. Spatial gene expression pattern analysis of differentially abundant proteins disclosed their stage-specific dynamic expression pattern during CRP development. Further, our tempo-spatial gene expression and functional analyses revealed that auxin creates a regulatory module during CRP development and activates ethylene biosynthesis exclusively during CRP initiation. Further, the phosphoproteome analysis identified 8,220 phosphosites, which could be mapped to 1,594 phosphoproteins and of which 66 phosphosites were differentially phosphorylated upon auxin treatment. Importantly, we observed differential phosphorylation of the cyclin-dependent kinase G-2 (OsCDKG;2) and cell wall proteins, in response to auxin signaling, suggesting that auxin-dependent phosphorylation may be required for cell cycle activation and cell wall synthesis during root organogenesis. Thus, our study provides evidence for the translational and post-translational regulation during CR development downstream of the auxin signaling pathway.

As an extensively well-known chronic disease, diabetes is an illness that harms the body’s capability to process blood glucose. The proper treatment of diabetes could help a person live a long and normal life in general. It is necessary to detect the disease at an early stage. We focus our work on the performance of a machine-learning (ML) algorithm to identify the presence of diabetes on the PIMA Indian diabetes dataset (PIDD) which referenced from the University of California, Irvine (UCI) ML repository. Using ML, we know about the classification and prediction techniques. Further, diabetes became an attention seeker in the field of research due to the presence of imbalanced and missing data. Although many factors affect the performance of the algorithm, This research paper worked on the prediction technique for diabetes classification with outliers and missing values in data with class imbalance. Using an adaptive synthetic sampling method (ADASYN) and reduced the impact of class imbalance on the performance of the prediction model. Then, this algorithm improved the generalization using a feature selection technique and multilayer perceptron classifiers to make predictions and evaluations. Experimental results shows that this experiment obtained a better accuracy of 84% with a neural network model in comparison with the previous model.

Background: Enterococcus faecalis has attracted much attention in recent times due to its increased virulence in hospital-acquired infections. Cardamom which is an exotic spice in food items can be proposed for its antimicrobial potential. In the present study, alanine racemase (AlaR) of the bacteria was considered as inhibitors’ target due to its crucial role in cell wall synthesis. Methods: GC-MS analysis of Cardamom extract was performed and the identified phytochemicals were docked against AlaR using AutoDock 4.0. Top score ligands were further subjected to Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion (ADME) analysis. Results & Conclusion: Molecular docking studies reveal that among 85 phytoligands, ricinoleic acid, bombykol, 1,8- cineole, heptanoic acid, and linalool showed significant interaction to the enzyme with an energy of -7.81, -7.57, -7.03, -7.02 and -7 kcal/mol, respectively, as compared to its substrate (ΔG Alanine: -5.03 kcal/mol). Among all the five lead compounds, 1,8- cineole, heptanoic acid, and linalool exhibited high bioactivity score on druglikeliness. This enabled us to conclude that the compounds 1,8- cineole, heptanoic acid and linalool would be useful antibacterial agents against E. faecalis infections.

A novel asymmetric cryptosystem grounded on hybrid chaotic structured phase mask and hybrid mask using gyrator transform is proposed in this paper. Asymmetric cryptosystem primes to different keys for encryption and decryption of an image. To improve the security of the scheme, we introduce hybrid chaotic structured phase mask (HCSPM) instead of random phase mask (RPM). CSPM is a combination of structured phase mask (SPM) and logistic map in the algorithm, and usage of it leads to extra security for the scheme. SPM is made by using Fresnel zone plates and radial Hilbert transform. The different parameters used in the algorithm provide extra key space and benefits to fortify the system. The proposed scheme is vigorous against numerous attacks.

Non-speech sounds (cough, wheeze) are typically known to perform better than speech sounds for asthmatic and healthy subject classification. In this work, we use sustained phonations of speech sounds, namely, /α:/, /i:/, /u:/, /eI/, /o℧/, /s/, and /z/ from 47 asthmatic and 48 healthy controls. We consider INTERSPEECH 2013 Computational Paralinguistics Challenge baseline (ISCB) acoustic features for the classification task as they provide a rich set of characteristics of the speech sounds. Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC) are used as the baseline features. The classification accuracy using ISCB improves over MFCC for all voiced speech sounds with the highest classification accuracy of 75.4% (18.28% better than baseline) for /o℧/. The exhale achieves the highest classification accuracy of 77.8% (4.2% better than baseline). Comparable accuracies using speech sound /o℧/ and non-speech exhale indicate the benefit of the rich acoustic features from ISCB. An analysis of 21 ISCB features groups using forward feature group selection shows that loudness and MFCC groups contribute the most in the case of /o℧/, with interquartile range between 2nd and 3rd quartile of loudness feature being the best discriminator feature.

A recent outbreak of the novel coronavirus, COVID‐19, in the city of Wuhan, Hubei province, China and its ensuing worldwide spread have resulted in lakhs of infections and thousands of deaths. As of now, there are no registered therapies for treating the contagious COVID‐19 infections, henceforth drug repositioning may provide a fast way out. In the present study, a total of thirty-five compounds including commonly used anti-viral drugs were screened against chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLpro) using SwissDock. Interaction between amino acid of targeted protein and ligands was visualized by UCSF Chimera. Docking studies revealed that the phytochemicals such as cordifolin, anisofolin A, apigenin 7-glucoside, luteolin, laballenic acid, quercetin, luteolin-4-glucoside exhibited significant binding energy with the enzyme viz. - 8.77, -8.72, -8.36, -8.35, -8.13, -8.04 and -7.87 Kcal/Mol respectively. Therefore, new lead compounds can be used for drug development against SARS‐CoV‐2 infections.

Background: According to Global Burden of Skin Disease study data, 2013, Acne affects nearly 85% of adolescents and young adults in the age group 12-25 years.1 traditionally it was considered to be a transitory disease of teenagers and young adults; however recent study reports indicate it to be a disease affecting all age groups in adults. Aims: To study the clinical profile of adult acne, grade the severity using global acne grading system (GAGS) and to determine the proportion of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) in women with adult acne. Material and Methods: Patients with acne in the age group of 25-60 years were included in the study. A detailed examination of clinical profile of acne was done along with grading of severity of acne using GAGS. Also, documentation of hyperandrogenism using Ferriman Gallwey score for hirsutism and diagnosis of PCOS using Rotterdam criteria was done in all female patients of acne. Results: A total of 105 patients were included in the study. Among these, 82.9% were women and 17.1% were men. The mean age of the patients was 28.04±3.60 years. Persistent acne was observed in 85.7%, while late onset in 14.3%. Most common site of involvement was cheek (98%), followed by chin (76%), and forehead (64.7%). Mild grade acne was observed in 93.3% patients. Hyperpigmentation was seen in 78.1% while scarring was observed in 52.4% patients. A total of 8% female patients had PCOS according to Rotterdam criteria. Conclusion: We found a predominance of females and persistent acne. Although the prevalence of PCOS was low in adult female acne patients, they were affected by more severe grades of acne and risk of hyperpigmentation and scarring was higher as compared to non-PCOS patients.

Context: Hair graying is one of the signs of human aging and is caused by a progressive loss of pigmentation from growing hair shafts. Studies have shown a correlation of early hair graying with osteopenia, indicating that premature graying could serve as an early marker of osteopenia. Aim: To compare the degree of osteopenia in individuals with premature graying of hair (PGH) compared to ordinary individuals. Settings and Design: We conducted an observational, case–control study among 132 healthy individuals between 18 and 30 years of age. Subjects and Methods: Detailed history and examination of PGH was taken. Bone mineral density (BMD) was assessed using Furuno CM-200 ultrasound bone densitometer. Statistical Analysis: SPSS 21 software was used, and the data were summarized in the form of mean ± standard deviation for quantitative values and percentages for qualitative values. Chi–square test, Student's t-test, analysis of variance, and other appropriate tests were applied for comparison, and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: PGH was present in 82 (62.1%) cases, whereas osteopenia was present in 56 (42.4%) cases. The mean age of onset of graying of hair among the cases was 20.62 ± 3.74 years. A higher age group of 25–30 years (P = 0.016) and family history of PGH (P < 0.001) were significant risk factors for PGH. The mean BMD of the case group was 0.76 ± 1.00 and the control group was 0.68 ± 1.11, but the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.649). Conclusion: The study concluded that there is no significant association between osteopenia and PGH.

The sole aim of the present article is to develop an ionic liquid (IL)-doped solid polymer electrolyte for an electrochemical double-layer capacitor (EDLC). A solution cast technique was adopted to develop a solid polymer electrolyte of poly (vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) as host polymer and low-viscosity IL (1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium thiocyanate) as dopant. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurement showed a six orders of magnitude enhancement in conductivity ( σ) by IL doping. A linear sweep voltammetric investigation of the electrolyte films exhibited a good electrochemical stability window of 3.6 V. Polarized optical microscopy of the synthesized films revealed a reduction in crystallinity by IL doping. Infrared spectroscopy further affirms the composite nature of the film. The maximum conductivity value of 2.65 mS/cm is obtained for 80% of the ionic-doped system. Using maximum conductivity film and porous carbon-based electrodes, we have developed EDLCs that show a specific capacitance value of 2.36 F/g.

An antibiotic producing novel Planctomycete strain, designated JC280T, was isolated from the surface of the plant Hydrilla verticillata collected from an alkaline lake (Buffalo lake), University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India. The morphological and chemotaxonomic properties of strain JC280T were in agreement with the characteristics of the genus Planctopirus. The cell shape was spherical to ovoid and some were tear drop shaped. The cells were Gram-stain-negative divided by budding presenting stalks and rosette formation and were non-sporulating. Crateriform structures with a sub-polar flagellum were observed. Characteristic polyamines were putrescine and spermidine. Diagnostic polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, an unidentified phospholipid (PL1), unidentified glycolipids (GL1-2), an unidentified aminophospholipid (APL), and an unidentified lipid (L3). Major (>10%) fatty acids were C16:0, C17:1ω8c, C18:1ω9c, and summed feature-3. Major (88%) respiratory quinone was MK-6 with minor amount (12%) of MK-7. Strain JC280T showed 99.7% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with Planctopirus limnophila DSM 3776T. To resolve their full taxonomic position, the genome sequence was obtained and compared with the available P. limnophila DSM 3776T genome. The genome sequence of strain JC280T was 5,750,243 bp in size with a total of 4490 protein-coding genes, 66 RNA genes, and 2 CRISPR repeats. Based on whole-genome statistics, ANI value, in silico DDH, diversity of secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters, distinct physiological, biochemical and chemotaxonomic differences, strain JC280T represents a new species in the genus Planctopirus, for which the name Planctopirus hydrillae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is JC280T (=KCTC 42880T = LMG 29153T).