Search

Spores are the biological structures formed out of sporulation from vegetative cells in adverse conditions. Being tolerant to many extreme environment and conditions, they escape and survives critical processing steps in the food industry that poses food and health safety problems, as is evident from the increase in reports of food-borne outbreaks due to spore-formers. Electromagnetic radiation (EM) is used for rapid decontamination and sterilization purposes in the food industry. Many studies have reported a greater reduction in spore population upon irradiation with EM rays due to its impact on genomic material and other components of spores that destabilises overall structure and brings clonogenic death. However, there is scattered literature regarding the mechanism of its inactivation and resistance against such damage. This review attempts to concisely evaluate the potential of electromagnetic radiations in spore inactivation and details its mechanism through a collective study of scientific results and reports. It also briefs about the process of sporulation, the structure of spores and the role of its components in the resistance of spores to damage. Many studies, which demonstrated that combining various EM treatments might be an effective way for inactivation of spores, were discussed in detail.

Background: Intentional self-harm presents a significant challenge within the mental health system, yet misconceptions persist regarding its nature, particularly the view that nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) serves as a mere call for attention and represents impulsive behavior. This study aimed to explore the process and experiences of self-harm among young adults in India to address this stigmatization. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight participants aged 21–24 years, encompassing diverse psychiatric diagnoses and a history of NSSI. These interviews aimed to delve into the nuanced experiences and perspectives surrounding self-harm in this demographic. Results: Thematic analysis of the interviews unveiled six overarching themes: distal risk factors, proximal risk factors, methods and conditions to self-harm, during the act, after the act, and considerations to be taken while planning intervention. These themes shed light on various factors influencing self-harm behaviors and the context in which they occur. Conclusion: The findings underscore the necessity of incorporating individuals’ unique processes of self-harm into intervention planning to effectively support those at risk of self-harm. By understanding the complex interplay of factors involved, mental health professionals can develop targeted and comprehensive interventions to address NSSI effectively.

ABSTRACT: Roasting is the most common processing method that enhances color, and texture. In this study, infrared roasting of peanuts was done using an infrared rotary dryer. Roasting was operated at 90% infrared power (630 W) with different rotating speed (1 and 2 r/min). The effect of roasting was studied at different moisture levels (7.66%, 11.49%, and 13.72% db). From the study, the color parameter, L* value, was found to be significantly different (P < 0.05), and it decreased with the decrease in rotating speed, and the ∆E value varies from 2.32 to 10.56. Results also showed that the antioxidant activity decreased with the reduction in rotating speed as lesser revolutions took longer roasting time, and the values decreased from 84.34% to 71.74%. Minimal changes in total phenolic content were found and varied from 3.62 to 2.10 mg/g GAE, an appropriate limit for good-quality roasted peanuts. The hardness of roasted peanuts ranged from 12.25 to 39.43 N. Moisture content 13.72%, and 1 r/min is the best possible treatment for infrared peanut roasting, significantly enhancing the quality of peanuts. This study concluded that high-power short-time infrared roasting could give good-quality roasted peanuts with optimum bioactive compounds.

We investigated temperature (T) and excitation density dependent ultrafast near-infrared (NIR) transient reflectivity dynamics in the charge density wave (CDW) phases of bulk layered 1T-VSe2 using NIR and visible excitations. The data reveal fingerprints of conventional non-adiabatic CDW collective dynamics with rather fast electronic order parameter dynamics showing sub-picosecond suppression and recovery. The slower T-dependent 100-ps dynamics indicates rather isotropic heat transport dominated by the lattice degrees of freedom.

Compelling evidence, from multiple levels of schooling, suggests that teachers' knowledge and beliefs about knowledge, knowing, and learning ("i.e.," epistemologies) play a strong role in shaping their approaches to teaching and learning. Given the importance of epistemologies in science teaching, we as researchers must pay careful attention to how we model them in our work. That is, we must work to explicitly and cogently develop theoretical models of epistemology that account for the learning phenomena we observe in classrooms and other settings. Here, we use interpretation of instructor interview data to explore the constraints and affordances of two models of epistemology common in chemistry and science education scholarship: epistemological beliefs and epistemological "resources." Epistemological beliefs are typically assumed to be stable across time and place and to lie somewhere on a continuum from "instructor-centered" (worse) to "student-centered" (better). By contrast, a resources model of epistemology contends that one's view on knowledge and knowing is compiled in-the-moment from small-grain units of cognition called resources. Thus, one's epistemology may change one moment to the next. Further, the resources model explicitly rejects the notion that there is one "best" epistemology, instead positing that different epistemologies are useful in different contexts. Using both epistemological models to infer instructors' epistemologies from dialogue about their approaches to teaching and learning, we demonstrate that how one models epistemology impacts the kind of analyses possible as well as reasonable implications for supporting instructor learning. Adoption of a beliefs model enables claims about which instructors have "better" or "worse" beliefs and suggests the value of interventions aimed at shifting toward "better" beliefs. By contrast, modeling epistemology as "in situ" activation of resources enables us to explain observed instability in instructors' views on knowing and learning, surface and describe potentially productive epistemological resources, and consider instructor learning as refining valuable intuition rather than "fixing" "wrong beliefs".

Abstract About 1 billion people worldwide suffer from hunger, so exploring new food sources is very tempting for achieving zero hunger in the world. Edible insects (EIs) may be one of the ways to solve human protein deficiency. Currently, more than 200 species of EIs are consumed by over 2.5 billion people, especially in tropical regions, as part of their regular diets. However, there is still a large rejection in various parts of the world. In this review, we systematically summarize the factors behind the rejection of EIs as well as ways to improve the acceptability of EIs as alternative protein, essential vitamins, and mineral sources. The main goal of this research is to spread the knowledge of the benefits of eating EIs, consumer perception of insects, and enhance its acceptability as an alternative food. Sensory attributes, health‐related concerns, and sustainability issues are identified as the key factors affecting consumer acceptability of EIs. Conventional processing methods, such as blanching, drying, roasting, and fermentation, have been used in treating EIs to improve the quality and safety of EIs. Nine strategies were proposed to enhance the acceptability of insects as food, such as promoting food safety, encouraging product development, addressing cultural norms, enhancing the culinary experience, collaborating with restaurants, and increasing public awareness through education. The information in this work will shed more light on the consumption of EIs and pave the way for more research in this area.

Anxiety symptoms when coexisting with tuberculosis (TB), can have deleterious effects on treatment continuation that could contribute to the development of treatment resistance in TB. It is essential to understand the prevalence of anxiety in TB to develop clinical recommendations for its management. The primary objective of our review was to estimate the pooled prevalence of anxiety in TB patients along with the estimation of stress and quality of life in such patients. The relevant literature search on observational studies published in the English language till the year 2020 was carried out. A total of 8086 participants from 29 studies were included, of which 24 were cross-sectional studies and the remaining were case–control, and cohort studies. The estimated pooled prevalence of anxiety, comorbid depression, stress, and poor quality of life in TB patients was 32.54% [24.95, 41.18], 32.87% [25.79, 40.82], 52.68% [48.60, 56.72], and 79.51% [45.67, 94.72] respectively. When comparing the prevalence of anxiety across World Health Organization (WHO) regions, there was a statistically significant difference, with the African Region (AFR) having the highest prevalence i.e. 37.87% [29.59, 46.92], and the Western Pacific Region (WPR) having the lowest prevalence i.e. 15.83 % [12.72, 19.53]. The higher prevalence of anxiety in TB in the AFR and South-East Asian Region (SEAR) suggests a strong correlation with the developing status of these regions which calls for efforts to identify and treat the risk factors common to both anxiety and TB.

Stem cells are the constructing blocks of the organism; they are the cells from which all different cells with uniquefeatures develop. Stem cells have a seemingly limitless capacity to create all kinds of cells. Review research was carried out by utilizing the search engines Scopus and PubMed indexed journals, in conjunction with the ICMR committee stem cell standard procedures and USFDA guidelines. The present research indicate that the US adheres to more guidelines compared to Indian guidelines. While a considerable amount of research on stem cells is prohibited or restricted in India. The systematic review is to examine and contrast the policies governing stem cell research in India and the United States with a view to determining the future role of the Institutional Committee for Stem Cell Research.

Present study employes a picosecond laser (532 nm) for selective P1 laser scribing on the indium tin oxide (ITO) layer and subsequent fine‐tuning of P1 scribing conditions with machine learning (ML) techniques. Initially, the scribing is performed by varying different laser parameters and further evaluate them via an optical microscope and two probe resistivity measurements. The corresponding scribing width and sheet resistance data are used as input databases for ML analysis. The classification and regression tree (CART)‐based ML analysis revealed that median pulse energy 5.7 μJ, APL > 35%, LSO > 46%, and processing speed ≥1250 mm s−1 gives ≥16 μm of scribing width. Further, the decision tree (DT) analysis showed that pulse energy of ≥8.1 μJ, and LSO ≥ 37% are required for electrically isolated lines. The feature importance score suggests that laser fluence and pulse energy determined the scribing width, whereas electrical isolation strongly depends on LSO and processing speed. Finally, the ML achieved conditions experimentally validated and reassessed via scanning electron microscope, and atomic force microscopy aligns well with optical microscope measurements.

In current work, the effect of freezing (F), ultrasound (U), and freeze- ultrasound (FU) pretreatment on infrared combined with hot air impingement drying kinetics, cell ultrastructure, enzyme activity, and physicochemical properties of strawberry slices were explored. Results showed that FU pretreatment enhanced cell membrane permeability via forming micropores, altered water status by transforming bound water into free water and thus promoted moisture diffusivity and decreased drying time by 50% compared to the control group. FU pretreatment also extensively decreased pectin methylesterase enzyme activity and maintained quality. The contents of total phenols, anthocyanins, vitamin C, antioxidant activity, and a* value of dried strawberries pretreated by FU were extensively increased compared to the control group. U and FU pretreatments were beneficial for retaining aromatic components and organic sulfides according to e-nose analyses. The findings indicate that FU is a promising pretreatment technique as it enhances drying process and quality of strawberry slices.

Herein we have described the Pd-catalyzed sonochemistry driven by [BMIM]-IL as re-useable solvent to synthesize various carbazole scaffolds from 2,2′-dibromodiphenyl. Diverse primary amines were utilised as coupling partners in the presence of [PAIM][NTf2], which exhibits an impactful promoter in the IL medium, thereby avoiding the need for hazardous VOC's. The recyclability of ionic liquids highlights the green approach of the reaction. Further, the synthesized carbazole scaffolds were assessed for antimicrobial activity. Compounds 3e and 3g are found to be highly active. The most probable binding sites for these scaffolds were screened through a computer-simulated docking method with targeted protein.

Air is an important medium for all living beings and is essential for the well-being of all. Monitoring of air is important to know the quality of air. The air quality monitoring was carried out in Kolhapur City under the National Air Monitoring Program. The present study involves the assessment of PM10 as described in the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The source apportionment study related to particulate matter was carried out in Kolhapur City. The study also determined the average PM10 concentration in the city as it will be useful for preparing an action plan to reduce PM10 concentration. PM10 concentration was calculated as per the standard method adopted by CPCB. Sampling was carried out for 8 hours in three shifts twice a week at each sampling site for three consecutive years. Mahadwar Road (MR) and Dabholkar Corner (DC) were selected per the surrounding residential area, population density, and traffic conjunction. The third site Shivaji University (SUK), was selected as a control site. The results indicated that the PM10 level has risen above the prescribed standards of NAAQS. The reason for the rise in PM10 may be due to fossil fuel burning, construction activity, vehicles, and unpaved roads. The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) technique is used to check the equality of the mean concentration of PM10 at these three locations and found a significant difference between mean concentrations of PM10, suggesting increased particulate matter.

Abstract The interaction of electrons with the lattice in metals can lead to reduction of their kinetic energy to the point where they may form heavy, dressed quasiparticles—polarons. Unfortunately, polaronic lattice distortions are difficult to distinguish from more conventional charge- and spin-ordering phenomena at low temperatures. Here we present a study of local symmetry breaking of the lattice structure on the picosecond timescale in the prototype layered dichalcogenide Mott insulator 1T-TaS2 using X-ray pair-distribution function measurements. We clearly identify symmetry-breaking polaronic lattice distortions at temperatures well above the ordered phases, and record the evolution of broken symmetry states from 915 K to 15 K. The data imply that charge ordering is driven by polaron crystallization into a Wigner crystal-like state, rather than Fermi surface nesting or conventional electron-phonon coupling. At intermediate temperatures the local lattice distortions are found to be consistent with a quantum spin liquid state.

It is difficult to select low-cost filler materials. Specifically, carbon-based filling materials are a matter of concern, and developing a carbon-filled polymer composite with enhanced properties is necessary. In this study, the authors developed a polymer composite using virgin polypropylene (PP) as a matrix and affordable micrographite (µG) as a filler. The developed composite has many potential applications in the automotive, aerospace, and electronic industries. To prepare the test specimens, the composite was prepared using a twin-screw extruder containing 3, 6, 9, 12, or 15 wt.% µG powder (BET surface area ≈ 29 m2/g; particle size > 50 µm) followed by injection molding. Different mechanical properties like the tensile, flexural, and impact strengths were determined. The prepared composites were further characterized by means of XRD, TGA, DSC, FTIR, DMA, FESEM, and PLM tests. The results were analyzed and compared with those for PP. Improved tensile (up to ≈ 34 MPa) and flexural (up to ≈ 40 MPa) strength was observed with an increase in the µG content. However, the impact strength continuously decreased (maximum ≈ 32 J/m for PP) with fractures. These findings underscore that graphite plays a significant role in controlling the deformation behavior and ultimate strength of composites. An XRD analysis revealed that adding graphite restructured the crystalline arrangement of PP and altered the composite’s crystallographic properties. Nonetheless, no induction effect (β-phase formation) was observed. A moderate enhancement in the thermal stability was observed owing to a small increase in the melt (Tm), onset (Tonset), and residual (TR) temperatures. A microstructural analysis showed that the micrographite powder strongly prevented spherulite growth and modified the graphite powder’s rate of dispersion and agglomeration in a polymer matrix. The results show that graphite could be a viable low-cost alternative carbon-based filler material in polypropylene matrices.

Background: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is one of the known causes of anovulatory fertility in the world. Previous research has linked oxidative stress could contribute to PCOS, and vanillic acid has shown antioxidant potential. Hence, the present study evaluated the effect of vanillic acid on letrozole-induced polycystic ovarian syndrome in female rats. Materials and methods: PCOS was induced in Wistar female rats with letrozole (1 mg/kg, orally) in carboxymethoxycellulose (1 % w/v), administered for 21 days. After induction, the standard group received clomiphene citrate (1 mg/kg, orally) while other treatment groups were administered with vanillic acid at doses 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg, orally for 15 days, and without treatment was considered a negative control group. Different parameters studied were body weight, ovary weight, blood glucose, lipid profile, hormonal levels [luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and testosterone], markers for oxidative stress (superoxide dismutase, reduced glutathione, catalase, and malonaldehyde), and histopathology of the ovary. Statistical analysis was done for the results and p

Candida albicans biofilms are a complex multilayer community of cells that are resistant to almost all classes of antifungal drugs. The bottommost layers of biofilms experience nutrient limitation where C. albicans cells are required to respire. We previously reported that a protein Ndu1 is essential for Candida mitochondrial respiration; loss of NDU1 causes inability of C. albicans to grow on alternative carbon sources and triggers early biofilm detachment. Here, we screened a repurposed library of FDA-approved small molecule inhibitors to identify those that prevent NDU1-associated functions. We identified an antihelminthic drug, Niclosamide (NCL), which not only prevented growth on acetate, C. albicans hyphenation and early biofilm growth, but also completely disengaged fully grown biofilms of drug-resistant C. albicans and Candida auris from their growth surface. To overcome the suboptimal solubility and permeability of NCL that is well known to affect its in vivo efficacy, we developed NCL-encapsulated Eudragit EPO (an FDA-approved polymer) nanoparticles (NCL-EPO-NPs) with high niclosamide loading, which also provided long-term stability. The developed NCL-EPO-NPs completely penetrated mature biofilms and attained anti-biofilm activity at low microgram concentrations. NCL-EPO-NPs induced ROS activity in C. albicans and drastically reduced oxygen consumption rate in the fungus, similar to that seen in an NDU1 mutant. NCL-EPO-NPs also significantly abrogated mucocutaneous candidiasis by fluconazole-resistant strains of C. albicans, in mice models of oropharyngeal and vulvovaginal candidiasis. To our knowledge, this is the first study that targets biofilm detachment as a target to get rid of drug-resistant Candida biofilms and uses NPs of an FDA-approved nontoxic drug to improve biofilm penetrability and microbial killing.