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The formation of the army's image has acquired newfound significance in our time. Paradoxically, alongside the spread of humanist ideology, the number of violent conflicts worldwide is increasing. These stimulates the need for propaganda aimed at shaping the image of the army and enhancing the attractiveness of service. As one of the world's largest military forces, the US army has engaged in a diverse array of conflicts with over 750 military bases in approximately 80 countries (Kohli 2020). A diverse range of tools is employed to shape the image of the US army, including media, recruitment campaigns, social media, public events, etc. Among these tools, movies have their specific role. While traditionally intended for entertainment, movies have been used for over a century as a means to shape public opinion. This article delves into the main attributes of the US Army as a social institution, analyzing its four fundamental characteristics: the Militia Tradition, Mobilization Miracles, Man-Mindedness, Maritime Influence, the weapon and the enemy as distinctive attributes. Additionally, it features the seven core values of the US Army: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage. The article provides a detailed analysis of how various components of movie production tools communicate the attributes and core values of the US Army and contribute to shaping its image, examining a high-viewership movie “Interceptor” (2022). The goal of the study was to find out the image of the US Army that “Interceptor” projects and to identify the verbal and visual communicative means it uses for this purpose. The content analysis made it possible to distinguish verbal and visual elements of the movie, encompassing human voice, mise-en-scène, as well as film editing techniques, to identify and highlight the messages and ideas conveyed about the attributes of the US Army.

Plants are an important source of essential bioactive compounds that not only have a beneficial role in human health and nutrition but also act as drivers for shaping gut microbiome. However, the mechanism of their functional attributes is not fully understood despite their significance. One such important plant is Crocus sativus, also known as saffron, which possesses huge medicinal, nutritional, and industrial applications like food and cosmetics. The importance of this plant is grossly attributed to its incredible bioactive constituents such as crocins, crocetin, safranal, picrocrocin, and glycosides. These bioactive compounds possess a wide range of therapeutic activities against multiple human ailments. Since a huge number of studies have revealed negative unwanted side effects of modern-day drugs, the scientific communities at the global level are investigating a large number of medicinal plants to explore natural products as the best alternatives. Taken into consideration, the available research findings indicate that saffron has a huge scope to be further explored to establish alternative natural-product-based drugs for health benefits. In this review, we are providing an update on the role of bioactive compounds of saffron as therapeutic agents (human disorders and antimicrobial activity) and its nutritional values. We also highlighted the role of omics and metabolic engineering tools for increasing the content of key saffron bioactive molecules for its mass production. Finally, pre-clinical and clinical studies seem to be necessary to establish its therapeutic potential against human diseases.

Plants are vulnerable to many environmental constraints which include drought, salinity, extreme temperatures, heavy metals, etc., thereby posing damage to the development and yield of major crops. Of these stresses, drought represents a severe environmental threat to plant productivity in agriculture. Drought stress reduces the yield by affecting the key plant metabolic pathways. The capability of plants to switch on or off a series of genes result in alterations of the physiological and morphological attributes, thereby allowing plants to escape, tolerate or avoid drought stress. Different genes, transcription factors and signal transduction pathways are induced by drought stress. Advances in genome editing technologies have revolutionized the agriculture sector by using more accurate genome engineering techniques for targeted crop traits. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) technology is a robust and efficient approach for developing plant/crop varieties tolerant to different climatic changes. The use of new genome editing technologies like CRISPR facilitates the creation of plant species with improved drought tolerance. Thus this review aims to elucidate the basic plant responses to stress and the mechanisms for the adaptation and attainment of tolerance.

Nous avons mené une étude portée sur cinq cas d´hernie de la coupole diaphragmatique fœtale (HCD) sur deux ans au sein de notre unité de diagnostic anténatal afin de faire un rappel sur les repères généraux concernant cette pathologie et sa prise en charge toute en soulignant les actualités en matière d´évaluation prénatale du pronostic néonatale à l´aide du calcul du Lung over Head Ratio (LHR): échographie versus versus imagerie par résonance magnétique (IRM) dans les pays du tiers-monde. Le but de notre travail est de clarifier le devenir de ces nouveau-nés et d´assurer un accompagnement au couple d´un fœtus portant une hernie de la coupole diaphragmatique.

In this study, an analytical method was developed and validated for the assessment of pesticide residues in commonly consumed vegetables and fruits. Fresh samples of apple, green peas, tomatoes, and cucumbers were processed and subjected to analysis using a modified QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, safe) extraction technique. Subsequently, quantification of pesticide residues was conducted utilizing gas chromatography (GC)-electron capture detector. Extraction and cleanup parameters were meticulously optimized, resulting in a modification of the original QuEChERS method. This modification aimed to reduce solvent consumption, making the study more environmentally friendly. The developed method was validated in terms of selectivity, specificity, linearity, precision, and accuracy by following the SANTE guidelines. Calibration curves showed good linearity (r > 0.99) within the test range. Precision was evaluated by intra- and inter-day experiments with an acceptable relative standard deviation (<20.0%). Recovery was assessed at the limit of quantification level and was observed to fall within the range of 70%-120%, with relative standard deviations below 5.45%. The validated method presented here can be applied to analyze pesticide residues in various other vegetables, fruits, and cereals. It is essential for ongoing monitoring of pesticide residues to ensure public safety., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

The present study on "acephate persistence on green pea" was conducted in SKUAST-Kashmir. The study aimed to determine the persistence, dissipation kinetics and waiting period of acephate on green pea. Acephate was sprayed at 75% soluble powder (SP) at 560 g a.i.ha -1 at the fruiting stage followed by another application at a 10 day interval. A rapid and accurate method (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe, QuEChERS) was used for extraction and the residue was determined by gas chromatography-electron capture detection on a CPSIL-8CB capillary column (0.25um film thickness, 0.25 mm i.d, 30 m length). At the fortification levels of 0.05, 0.1 and 0.5 mg kg -1 , the percentage recovery of acephate on green pea was found in the range of 71-107%. The initial deposit of green pea was estimated to be 0.37 mg kg -1 . At the indicated dose, the residue of acephate on green pea dissipated below the limit of quantification of 0.05 mg kg -1 after 10 days. Acephate degradation was quick in green pea, with a half-life of 4.07 days. For safe eating of green peas, a 10 day waiting period is recommended. The gas chromatography-electron capture detection technique was validated by following the SANTE standards., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

A modified quick, easy, cheap, efficient, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) method coupled to gas chromatography with electron capture detection was developed for the simultaneous determination of selected electronegative pesticides, namely, chlorpyrifos-methyl (1), chlorpyrifos (2), quinolphos (3), profenofos (4), myclobutanil (5), ethion (6), fenpropathrin (7), and cypermethrin (8), in vegetables with high water content. The selected compounds and some of their metabolites have even been found in human body fluids. In addition, some of them are known or suspected carcinogens according to the World Health Organization. Extraction and cleanup parameters were optimized; thus, the original QuEChERS method was modified to minimize solvent usage by making the study eco-friendly. The developed method was validated for selectivity, specificity, linearity, precision, and accuracy using SANTE guidelines. Calibration curves showed good linearity (r > 0.99) within the test range. Precision was evaluated by intra- and inter-day experiments with an acceptable range of less than 20.0% of relative standard deviation. Recovery was evaluated at limit of quantification and was found to be in the range of 70-120%, with relative standard deviations lower than 4.21%. The proposed method is applicable for detection and monitoring of selected pesticides in one run not only in fruits and vegetables with high water content but also in samples containing large quantities of pigments/dyes., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Herein, we report a novel, accurate and cost-effective validated analytical method for the quantification of losartan potassium and its active metabolite, EXP 3174, in rabbit plasma by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Valsartan was used as an internal standard. The method was validated as per International Conference on Harmonization guidelines. The analytes were extracted in rabbit plasma using liquid-liquid extraction technique and analyzed at 247 nm after separation through a reverse-phase C 18 column. The isocratic mobile phase used is a mixture of acetonitrile, water and glacial acetic acid in the ratio of 60:40:1 v/v/v maintained at pH 3.4. All calibration curves showed a good linear relationship (r > 0.995) within the test range. Precision was evaluated by intra- and interday tests with RSDs <1.91% and accuracy showed validated recoveries of 86.20-101.11%. Based on our results, the developed method features good quantification parameters and can serve as an effective quality control method for the standardization of drugs., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

This innovative study was carried out to determine the presence of the mineral oil Arbofine in apple and soil at four locations. Arbofine kills the vast majority of dormant insects and mites (mite and asphid eggs, scales and psyllids) on fruit trees (cherry, apple, plum and peach) and thus reduces the plant diseases in summer. In this study, the mineral oil was sprayed at recommended doses of 2.0 and 0.75%, and the doses were doubled to 4.0 and 1.5% in dormant and summer seasons, respectively. The soil samples were taken for observation during the dormant season, whereas both soil and apple samples were taken during the summer season after treatment for 0, 1, 3 and 5 days. The recovery study of all the 11 paraffinic constituents (n-pentane, n-hexane, n-heptane, n-octane, n-nonane, n-decane, n-undecane, n-dodecane, n-tridecane, n-tetradecane and n-pentadecane) in soil and apple samples which constitutes 60% of mineral oil in soil and apple was carried out at the fortification level of 1.0 μg/ml, which was found to be between 72.1% and 99.0%. No residue of all the 11 paraffinic compounds of Arbofine mineral oil was detected in soil and apple samples at day 0 after the recommended doses, and the recommended doses were doubled in both seasons at four locations. Therefore, mineral oil can be used on apples without any risk., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Globally growing demand for agricultural and farm foods has more or less become dependent on chemical pesticides to maintain the supply chain, which undoubtedly boosts agricultural production. However, pesticides not only impact the target pests but cause hazard to human health. Pesticides are ubiquitous and can be found in almost every component of the environment. They can therefore impair human and biota health when present over the threshold level. The present study assessed the concentration of commonly used pesticides for agricultural purposes but get mixed in different sources of water, as such fifteen sampling sites along the upper Jhelum basin of Kashmir valley were chosen. For the analysis, 60 water samples were obtained from different water sources. Gas chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) was used to determine pesticide residues in water samples. Pesticide residues from 10 of the 26 commonly used pesticides were detected in water samples. Difenoconazole had the highest concentration among the pesticides detected, with a mean concentration of 0.412 ± 0.424  μ g/L ranging from 0.0  μ g/L to 0.8196  μ g/L. The target hazards quotient (THQ) was used to quantify the possible noncarcinogenic health risks associated with drinking pesticide-contaminated water. Only chlorpyrifos and quinalphos were detected >1 in RWS3 (1.6571), RWS4 (1.0285), RWS14 (1.2571), and RWS15 (1.2000) sample sites, implying that the drinking water poses a health risk to humans. Hence, pesticide hazards should be mitigated and rigorous monitoring is needed to reduce pesticide residues in drinking water., Competing Interests: All authors declare no potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 M. Imran Ganaie et al.)

The present work describes the persistence, dissipation behaviour, half-life, risk assessment and novel gas chromatography method for the residue estimation of cypermethrin in green pea by spraying cypermethrin 10EC at 50 g a.i. ha -1 at fruiting stage followed by another application at a 10 day interval. The sample extraction and cleanup was followed bya modified quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method, and the residues of cypermethrin were determined using a validated gas chromatography method. The initial deposits were found to be 1.21 mg kg -1 following the application of insecticide at 50 g a.i. ha -1 . Cypermethrin residues declined to below the detection limit of 0.05 mg kg -1 after 15 days at the recommended dosage. The half-life of cypermethrin was 2.66 days at 50 g a.i. ha -1 . For risk assessment studies, the waiting period of 15 days is recommended as safe for consumption for the insecticide. The GC-ECD method was validated according to the SANTE guidelines by various analytical parameters including linearity, accuracy, detection and quantification limits. The developed method is simple, selective and repeatable, and can be used for the standardization of pesticides on fruits and vegetables., (© 2022 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Herein we report a novel, accurate and cost-effective gas chromatography method for the determination of average deposits of profenofos on green pea and cucumber following good agricultural practices. Additionally the risk assessment, dissipation and waiting period for profenofos were determined. The average initial deposits (2 h after spraying) of profenofos in/on green pea and cucumber were 3.41 and 3.62 mg kg -1 respectively following two applications at a 10 day interval of profenofos 50EC formulation. Profenofos residues on both of the substrates were below the detection limit of 0.05 mg kg -1 after 20 days at the recommended dosage. For risk assessment studies, the 20th day will be safe for consumers for consumption of green peas. The gas chromatography method was validated according to the SANTE guidelines using the various analytical parameters: linearity, accuracy, detection and quantification limits. The developed method is simple, selective and repeatable and can be extended for profenofos-based standardization of pesticide formulations for green pea/cucumber and their use as pesticides., (© 2022 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

In recent years, investigation on the non-display applications of liquid crystals has increased considerably. One of the emerging applications is whispering gallery mode (WGM) lasing. Here, we report experimental studies on the morphology and WGM lasing in nematic (N), smectic-A (SmA) and smectic-C (SmC) microdroplets dispersed in a highly transparent and low refractive index perfluopolymer. The mesomorphic microdroplets, obtained by varying the temperature, exhibit radial director configuration. The SmA microdroplets are found to be highly stable and robust against mechanical stress compared to the N and SmC microdroplets. We study lasing properties such as intensity, threshold pump energy and linewidth, and show that overall the SmA microdroplets are superior to the N and SmC microdroplets. The experimental results are discussed based on the orientation of the dye molecules, director fluctuations and tilting at the interface.

Background: The increasing and extensive use of pesticides worldwide has resulted in a significant loss of non-target populations particularly humans by direct or indirect exposures. Also, various methods have been used for the estimation of pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables from recent past which are either tedious, time consuming or expensive. Therefore, the present study was performed to determine the pesticide residues from apple by simple and novel validated gas chromatography., Results: A novel, accurate, ecofriendly and cost-effective gas chromatography method was developed for simultaneous quantification of eight pesticides, namely chlorpyrifos-methyl (1), chlorpyrifos (2), quinolphos (3), profenofos (4), myclobutnil (5), ethion (6), fenpropathrin (7) and cypermethrin (8). The developed method was validated as per the SANTE guidelines. All calibration curves showed a good linear relationship (r > 0.99) within the test range. Precision was evaluated by intra- and inter-day tests with relative standard deviations (RSDs) < 2.0%, recovery in between 70% and 120% with RSDs < 2.00%., Conclusion: The results demonstrate that the concentration of pesticides 1 to 8 were found below the detectable limit. Method validation parameters like linearity, precision, accuracy, specificity, robustness, detection and quantification limits were found within the acceptable range. The proposed method makes it possible to determine simultaneously pesticides 1-8 in one run which can be extended for residue-based standardization of pesticides from apple and other fruits and vegetables. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.)

Chemical investigation was carried out to examine the risk assessment, dissipation behavior, persistence, and half-life period of quinalphos in/on green pea fruit by spraying quinalphos at fruiting stage followed by another application after 10-day interval. The samples were extracted by using the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method, and the residues of quinalphos were analyzed by gas chromatography with electron capture detector. Herein, we report a novel, accurate, and cost-effective gas chromatography method for the determination of average deposits of quinalphos in/on green pea. The initial deposits and half-life of quinalphos were found to be 1.20 mg/kg and 2.77 days, respectively, following the application of insecticide. Residues of quinalphos reached below detection limit of 0.05 mg/kg after 10 days at recommended dosage. For risk assessment studies, the tenth day will be safe for consumers for consumption of green pea. The developed method is simple, selective, and repeatable, and it can be extended for quinalphos-based standardization of herbal formulations containing green pea and its use in pesticide industries., (© 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Residue investigation was carried out to scrutinize the persistence, dissipation behavior, half-life, and risk assessment of ethion on green pea fruit by spraying ethion at the fruiting stage followed by another application at 10 day intervals. The samples were extracted by using a quick, easy, low-cost, effective, rugged, and safe method, and the residues of ethion were analyzed by gas chromatography with electron capture detection. Here we report a novel, accurate, and cost-effective gas chromatography method for the determination of average deposits of ethion on green pea. The initial deposits were found to be 4.65 mg/kg following the application of insecticide. Residues of ethion reached below the detection limit of 0.10 mg/kg after 25 days at recommended dosage. The half-life of ethion was found to be 4.62 days. For risk assessment studies, the 25th day will be safe for consumers for the consumption of green peas. The developed method is simple, sensitive, selective, and repeatable and can be extended for ethion-based standardization of herbal formulations containing green pea and its use in pesticide industries., (© 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

We experimentally study the effect of temperature and electric field on the quality (Q) factor and free spectral range (FSR) of whispering-gallery-mode optical resonance of dye-doped nematic liquid crystal microdroplets. Both the Q factor and the FSR are highly sensitive to the temperature and electric field and are tunable. The Q factor decreases, whereas the FSR increases substantially, with increasing temperature and electric field. The variation of the Q factor and FSR is understood based on the change in the effective refractive index and the dynamic size of the microdroplets.

We report magnetic field tuning of the structure and Whispering Gallery Mode lasing from ferromagnetic nematic liquid crystal micro-droplets. Microlasers were prepared by dispersing a nematic liquid crystal, containing magnetic nanoparticles and fluorescent dye, in a glycerol-lecithin matrix. The droplets exhibit radial director structure, which shows elastic distortion at a very low external magnetic field. The fluorescent dye doped ferromagnetic nematic droplets show Whispering Gallery Mode lasing, which is tunable by the external magnetic field. The tuning of the WGM lasing modes is linear in magnetic field with a wavelength-shift of the order of 1 nm/100 mT. Depending on the lasing geometry, the WGMs are red- or blue-shifted.

Soil quality assessment provides a tool for evaluating the sustainability of soils under different crop cafeterias. Our objective was to develop the soil quality index for evaluating the soil quality indicators under different cropping systems in northwest Himalaya-India. Composite soil samples were taken from the study area from different cropping systems which include T1 (forest soil control), T2 (rice-oilseed, lower belts), T3 (rice-oilseed, higher belts), T4 (rice-oats), T5 (rice-fallow), T6 (maize-oats), T7 (maize-peas), T8 (apple), T9 (apple-beans), and T10 (apple-maize). Physical, chemical, and biological soil indicators were determined, and it was found that soil enzyme activities involved in nutrient cycling were significantly higher in forest soils, which were reflected in higher levels of available pool of nutrients. Carbon stocks were found significantly higher in forest soil which was translated in improved soil physical condition. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to reduce multidimensionality of data followed by scoring by homothetic transformation of the selected indicators. Pearson's interclass correlation was performed to avoid redundancy, and highly correlated variables were not retained. Inclusion of legumes in the apple orchard floor recorded highest soil quality rating across the treatments. Cereal-based cropping systems were found in lower soil quality rating; however, the incorporation of peas in the system improved soil health.

The present studies were carried out to observe the dissipation pattern of chlorpyrifos on apple in Kashmir Valley. Persistence of chlorpyrifos in apple was studied following two applications rates of chlorpyrifos (Dursban 20 EC) at 200 g a.i. ha(-1) (single dose T 1) and 400 g a.i. ha(-1) (double dose T 2). The average initial deposit of chlorpyrifos was found to be 1.61 and 1.98 μg g(-1) for T 1 and T 2 application rates respectively on apple. The residues dissipated to 0.09 and 0.06 μg g(-1) after 15- and 30-day post treatment with half-life periods of 3.34 and 5.47 days in T 1 and T 2 application rates, respectively. The residues of chlorpyrifos dissipated to below limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.04 μg g(-1) after 30 day at T 1 application rate. A waiting period of 6 days must be observed for chlorpyrifos on apple at recommended application rate for the safety of consumers. Theoretical maximum residue contribution (TMRC) values were found to be far less than maximum permissible intake (MPI) at 0 day in both the dosages suggesting chlorpyrifos on apple in Kashmir is unlikely to cause health risks.