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Abstract Evapotranspiration (ETo) is an important component of the hydrological cycle and reliable estimates of ETo are essential for assessing crop water requirements and irrigation management. Direct measurement of evapotranspiration is both costly and involves complex and intricate procedures. Hence, empirical models are commonly utilized to estimate ETo using accessible meteorological data. Given that empirical methods operate on various assumptions, it is essential to assess their performance to pinpoint the most suitable methods for ETo calculation based on the availability of input data and the specific climatic conditions of a region. This study aims to evaluate different empirical methods of ETo in the tropical highland Udhagamandalam region of Tamil Nadu, India, utilizing sixty years of meteorological data from 1960–2020. In this study, 8 temperature-based and 10 radiation-based empirical models are evaluated against ETo estimates derived from pan evaporation observation and the FAO Penman–Monteith method (FAO-PM), respectively. Statistical error metrics indicate that both temperature and radiation-based models perform better for the Udhagamandalam region. However, radiation-based models performed better than the temperature based models. This is possibly due to the high humidity of the study region throughout the year. The results suggest that simple temperature and radiation-based models using minimum meteorological information are adequate to estimate ETo and thus find potential application in agricultural water practices, hydrological processes, and irrigation management.

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are most prevalent among the elderly population. Mental illness and chronic disease conditions are of utmost significance when considering their implications on various aspects such as well-being, quality of life, cost of treatment, and longevity of the affected individuals. There is a paucity of data from India to assess the prevalence of NCDs and their relation to depression, anxiety, and stress among the elderly population. Aim: The present study aims to determine the prevalence of NCDs and their relationship with depression, anxiety, and stress (DASS) among the geriatric population that resides in senior citizen homes (Old age homes) in Chennai. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the elderly population in old age homes located in Chennai. The research was carried out through offline methods during the period of January 2023 to April 2023. A total of 311 participants were involved in this study who were aged 60 and older. DASS 21 was used to study depression, anxiety, and stress. Results: The overall prevalence of depression was 84.2%, anxiety was 49.2%, and stress was 55.9% among the study participants. The findings of the study show that there is a statistically significant association, the odds of diabetes were 2 times higher (OR- 2.082, 95% CI: 1.225-3.888), the presence of hypertension was nearly 4.1 times higher (OR- 4.116, 95% CI: 2.110-8.030) and the odds of the presence of visual impairment were nearly 1.8 times higher (OR-1.810, 95% CI: 0.976-3.357) in developing the symptoms of depression. Conclusion: Screening of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension, diabetes, etc. for DASS among the elderly population is recommended at regular intervals, as elderly people are considered to be the most vulnerable age group population, worldwide.

The main goal of this paper is to establish two results in fuzzy menger space by using property-(E.A), (E.A) like property and occasionally weakly compatible mappings. Furthermore these results are justified with proper examples.These are generalization of the theorem proved by Diwan and others.

Advances in health-related behaviors, technical breakthroughs, and the spread of healthy living activities have expanded personal health evaluation on a broad scale. In medical applications, networks, data, and communication systems are extensively utilized and further expanding. Real-time applications for remote health monitoring generate massive amounts of data in a short period. Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud systems, resulting in unprocessed and inadequate data for end-users. Since cloud technology is a dispersed intermediary layer between the edge network and the cloud infrastructure, the delay is significantly decreased, and reliable communications can be established using cloud computing on an IoT-enabled healthcare device. This study presents an Energy Efficient Healthcare Data Management Method (EE-HDMM), which enhances health monitoring using an IoT-assisted wearable sensor infrastructure. The difficulty of constrained sources and the energy consumption is minimized by proposing the optimum energy resource allocation method. Wearable sensor technology supported by cloud computing is the ideal and dependable platform for powerful life-critical systems that are unlikely to have communication delays. Compared to conventional techniques, the suggested EE-HDMM has a high precision rate of 97%, a sensitivity rate of 94%, and a system efficiency of 96%.

In recent decades, data has proved indispensable to all facets of human existence. The development of several applications has resulted in the exponential expansion of data. This information can be encrypted and stored in secure areas. Cloud computing is the technology that can be used to store these massive data sets. The article suggests a Cloud-based Data Security System (C-DSS) that employs a five-tiered trust model for cloud-edge data-sharing architectures. The data owner can select an appropriate trust level and Cyber Threat Information (CTI) sanitization procedure before releasing CTI for analytic strategy. In addition, this cleansing method is conducted either by an end device or by the cloud service supplier, based on the organization's degree of confidence in latter. Research presents the trust architecture, cloud architecture, and installation methodology, all of which are intended to meet widest variety of needs for exchanging secret CTI information. The testing findings high degree of data security and an evident improvement in terms of cypher processing time and security services when compared to the encryption systems that are most often employed in cloud technology. In conclusion, research briefly outlines development and evaluation performed so far by pilot applications confirming the architecture.

Abstract This study evaluated the effects of water stress on rice yield over Punjab and Haryana across North India by integrating Weather Research Forecasting (WRF) and Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) models. Indian Remote Sensing Satellite datasets were used to define land use/land cover in WRF. The accuracy of simulated rainfall and temperature over Punjab and Haryana was evaluated against Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission and automated weather station data of Indian Space Research Organization, respectively. Data from WRF was used as weather input to DSSAT to simulate rice yield in Punjab and Haryana for 2009 and 2014. After simulated yield has been evaluated against district-level observed yield, the water balance components within the DSSAT model were used to analyze the impact of water stress on rice yield. The correlation (R2) between the crop water stress factor and the rice yield anomaly at the vegetative and reproductive stage was 0.64 and 0.52 for Haryana and 0.73 and 0.68 for Punjab, respectively. Severe water stress during the flowering to maturity stage inflicted devastating effects on yield. The study concludes that the regional climate simulations can be potentially used for early water stress prediction and its impact on rice yield.

Abstract Meteorological flash droughts (MFDs) are sub-seasonal-to-seasonal drought phenomena characterized by rapid onset/intensification. This study assesses the changes in trends and hotspot regions of MFDs for the present and five future CMIP6 SSP forcing scenarios (SSP-FS) at global-, continental- and regional-scales. Analysis with 12 GCMs indicates that globally, frequency, duration and severity of MFDs are projected to increase ~20–50%, 20–58%, and 26–62%, respectively, with the highest occurrence probability during the summer season. The MFD hotspot regions appeared prominent in arid and semi-arid zones. MFD exposure risk is projected to exceed ~1.5 folds in most continents, with the highest risk in the Indian sub-continent. Furthermore, in Europe and South America, which are currently less impacted by MFDs, a considerable increase in hotspot regions (~122–127%) is projected under the warmest SSP-FS. The LULC-classes and elevation range most vulnerable to MFDs, and regional potential hydrometeorological drivers that trigger the development of MFDs are identified.

The transcription factor ONECUT2 (OC2) is a master transcriptional regulator operating in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer that suppresses androgen receptor activity and promotes neural differentiation and tumor cell survival. OC2 mRNA possesses an unusually long (14,575 nt), evolutionarily conserved 3′ untranslated region (3′ UTR) with many microRNA binding sites, including up to 26 miR-9 sites. This is notable because miR-9 targets many of the same genes regulated by the OC2 protein. Paradoxically, OC2 expression is high in tissues with high miR-9 expression. The length and complex secondary structure of OC2 mRNA suggests that it is a potent master competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) capable of sequestering miRNAs. Here, we describe a novel role for OC2 3′ UTR in lethal prostate cancer consistent with a function as a ceRNA. A plausible ceRNA network in OC2-driven tumors was constructed computationally and then confirmed in prostate cancer cell lines. Genes regulated by OC2 3′ UTR exhibited high overlap (up to 45%) with genes driven by the overexpression of the OC2 protein in the absence of 3′ UTR, indicating a cooperative functional relationship between the OC2 protein and its 3′ UTR. These overlapping networks suggest an evolutionarily conserved mechanism to reinforce OC2 transcription by protection of OC2-regulated mRNAs from miRNA suppression. Both the protein and 3′ UTR showed increased polycomb-repressive complex activity. The expression of OC2 3′ UTR mRNA alone (without protein) dramatically increased the metastatic potential by in vitro assays. Additionally, OC2 3′ UTR increased the expression of Aldo-Keto reductase and UDP-glucuronyl transferase family genes responsible for altering the androgen synthesis pathway. ONECUT2 represents the first-described dual-modality transcript that operates as both a key transcription factor driving castration-resistant prostate cancer and a master ceRNA that promotes and protects the same transcriptional network.

In order to tackle the worldwide problems of water pollution and shortage, this work explores the green synthesis of nanocomposite membranes for sustainable water filtering. Graphene oxide, cellulose nanocrystals, and silver nanoparticles were used as nanofillers in the fabrication of nanocomposite membranes, which were made using renewable polymer matrix (PES, PVDF, PAN). By including different polymer matrices and nanofillers, the composition analysis demonstrated the adaptability of nanocomposite membrane manufacturing, enabling the customization of membrane characteristics. Improved membrane shape and structural integrity were shown to result from the homogeneous dispersion of nanofillers inside the polymer matrix, according to characterization tests. Nanocomposite membranes demonstrated high flux rates and rejection rates for different pollutants, confirming their excellent performance in filtration experiments. The membranes' improved fouling resistance also increased their service life and decreased the frequency of maintenance needs. Supporting the eco-friendliness of nanocomposite membrane production, an environmental impact evaluation found that it used less energy and generated less trash than traditional techniques. All things considered, nanocomposite membranes have shown great promise as long- term water treatment solutions due to their superior performance, durability, and environmental friendliness, as well as their effective production and characterisation. More study is needed to perfect membrane characteristics and solve the remaining problems that prevent their broad use in water treatment systems.

This research examines the properties of advanced nanomaterials such as graphene, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for use in sustainable energy applications. An examination of material composition shows that graphene has a carbon content of 95%, carbon nanotubes have 90% carbon, and MOFs have a carbon content of 70% combined with 20% nitrogen. Structural analysis reveals the shape and pore structure of the nanomaterials. Graphene and carbon nanotubes have a high level of crystallinity and a restricted range of pore sizes, while MOFs have a lower level of crystallinity and a larger range of pore sizes. The electrochemical performance test confirms that the produced nanomaterials are suitable for energy storage applications. Graphene and carbon nanotubes have specific capacities of 300 mAh/g and 350 mAh/g, respectively, while MOFs have a specific capacity of 250 mAh/g. An environmental impact study has shown that there are differences in energy consumption, waste production, and CO2 emissions when it comes to synthesizing nanomaterials. Among these, graphene synthesis has been shown to have the least negative influence on the environment. This study enhances the comprehension of nanomaterial characteristics and their possible uses in sustainable energy technologies, offering valuable knowledge for the development and improvement of energy storage devices based on nanomaterials.

Background and Aims: The surgically retrieved sperms either from PESA, TESA and microTESA are considered to contribute satisfactory outcome in ICSI cycles in male factor infertility especially in Azospermia. Although the different sources of sperm for ICSI don’t affect the fertilisation rates in ICSI cycles, but the sperm obtained from fresh PESA may become game changer with higher implantation rates, resulting in better clinical pregnancy and live birth outcomes. Method: This comparative study was based at single reproductive center and evaluated 344 PESA-ICSI patients with high-risk male factors from July 2021 to Dec 2022 henceforth were compared with ejaculated-ICSI. The following high-risk male infertility patients were included - 1. No blastocyst formation in two stimulation cycles with ejaculated sperm, 2. If >2 IVF failure (with/o > 4 blastocyst transfer), 3. Severe OAT/azoospermia, 4. Sperm morphology 25%) even after 6 week of lifestyle n antioxidant therapy and 5. Miscellaneous factor like morbid obesity BMI>40, age >45 with/o history of chronic smoking and alcoholic. The embryo quality was assessed from good blastocyst rate and pregnancy outcome was recorded as implantation and clinical pregnancy rate. Results: As per the inclusion criteria 344 high-risk infertile male (21%) underwent PESA-ICSI and compared with 1346 ejaculated-ICSI patients. The average no of M2 oocytes were takes for ICSI purpose is similar in both group (9.2 and 9.4 per oocyte retrieval). The blastocyst rate in PESA-ICSI group was 51% as compare 48% in ejaculated-ICSI but there was outstanding good-blastocyst rate (34% compared to 24%, P

Abstract In recent decades, human-induced climate change has caused a worldwide increase in the frequency/intensity/duration of extreme events, resulting in enormous disruptions to life and property. Hence, a comprehensive understanding of global-scale spatiotemporal trends and variability of extreme events at different intensity levels (e.g., moderate/severe/extreme) and durations (e.g., short-term/long-term) of normal, dry and wet conditions is essential in predicting/forecasting/mitigating future extreme events. This article analyses these aspects using estimates of a non-stationary standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index corresponding to different accumulation periods for 0.5° resolution CRU grids at globe-scale. Results are analyzed with respect to changes in land-use/landcover and geographic/location indicators (latitude, longitude, elevation) at different time scales (decadal/annual/seasonal/monthly) for each continent. The analysis showed an (i) increasing trend in the frequency/count of both dry and wet conditions and variability of dry conditions, and (ii) contrasting (decreasing) trend in the variability of wet conditions, possibly due to climate change-induced variations in atmospheric circulations. Globally, the highest variability in the wet and dry conditions is found during the Northern hemisphere's winter season. The decadal-scale analysis showed that change in variability in dry and wet conditions has been predominant since the 1930s and 1950s, respectively and is found to be increasing in recent decades.

This current study investigates the effect of blending bio-lubricant with commercial lubricant on physico-chemical and tribological properties. The synthesis of TMP and PE ester are optimized to obtain 100% long chain tetra-esters and extreme care was taken during preparation of bio-lubricant to lessen deterioration of physio-chemical properties by blending with commercial oil. SM grade commercial petrol engine oil was blended with Tri-methylolpropane (TMP) ester, Penta-erythritol (PE) ester derived from Calophyllum-inophyllum in 10, 15, 20 and 25% v/v. The tests for anti-wear, anti-friction and extreme pressure properties are conducted on the sample oils on a four-ball wear tester. The friction coefficient and wear of bio-lubricant – commercial oil blends have decreased significantly up to 20% blending percentage. In the extreme pressure test, there is a substantial improvement in the weld load and marked improvement in the load wear index signifying the better load-bearing capacity of commercial oil – bio-lubricant blends. A synergy between bio-lubricant and additives in the commercial oil was found from a metallographic examination of worn balls after the EP test. The optimum volume percent of blend was found to be 15% PE blend and 10% TMP blend for optimum overall performance.

In this manuscript, we provide some new results for the existence of fixed points for a certain contractive condition of Geraghty type in the setting of partially ordered $G$-metric space. Also, we provide an example to illustrate the usability of results. Our results generalize or extend many well known results in the literature.

Jaradat has proven some fixed point results using JS-G-contraction on $G-$metric spaces. Choudhury et al. were derived coupled fixed point theorems for the $G-$metric spaces. The purpose of this paper is to prove some coupled fixed point theorems of JS-G-contraction on G-metric spaces. Moreover, some example is presented to illustrate the validity of our results.

In this work, the analysis of the long-term environmental radiation monitoring data collected within the Department of Atomic Energy site, Kalpakkam using gamma monitors such as GammaTRACERS (GTs) from 2013 to 2018 and Autonomous Gamma Dose Loggers (AGDLs) located in the site boundary at distances from 1.25 to 2.5 km from 2016 to 2018 are presented with respect to dose variation in different locations/wind sectors/seasons. The average background dose rates are in the range of 140–220 nGy/h except at a location (GT2) where a dose rate of 400 ± 20 nGy/h is found. It is observed that the detectors generally measure the normal background doses and at times slightly higher doses (above background) due to exposure to 41Ar plume during normal operations from Madras Atomic Power Stations. The monitors were categorized into four groups: Group 1 to Group 4. Dose rates higher than normal were observed in Group 1 detectors during winter and North-east monsoon seasons and in Group 3 and Group 4 detectors during summer and South-west monsoon seasons and during January to March months in Group 2 detectors. The gamma dose rates during 41Ar plume transit vary in the range of 600–900 nGy/h. The cumulative annual effective doses at the site boundary, analyzed from 2016 to 2018, due to normal operational releases varied from 11 μSv to 114 μSv in different sectors which is significantly lower compared to annual dose limit (1000 μSv) for public.

This paper aims to prove two general fixed point theorems in multiplicative metric space (MMS) by using reciprocally continuous mappings and conditionally sequential absorbing mappings. Further our outcomes are validated by discussing two appropriate examples.

The present investigation dwells the experimental investigation for the assessment of emission, vibration, and noise parameters of single-cylinder, DI diesel engine functioning through the blends of conventional diesel and Niger seed oil methyl ester (NSOME) at different engine operating loads namely 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% at a constant speed. The carbon monoxide (CO), unburnt hydrocarbons (UHC), and smoke opacity emissions have come down significantly for all the blends of NSOME namely B10, B20, and B40 while the NOx increased marginally. Besides, the vibration and noise extremity of the engine was lowered while operating with biodiesel blends as compared to conventional diesel. B20 has specified a significant reduction in emission, vibration, and noise too at all the loads range from minimum to maximum. At maximum load condition the CO, UHC, smoke opacity, root mean square (RMS) velocity, and RMS noise of B20 have reduced by 93.9%, 37.87%, 5.54%, 45.78%, and 26.15% respectively even as the NOx was increased by 12.76% compared to standard.

This study is projected to regard as characteristics related to the viability of the preparation of methyl ester from Mesua ferrea oil through transesterification using Trisodium phosphate (Na3PO4) and Tripotassium phosphate (K3PO4). Na3PO4 and K3PO4 have high catalytic properties intended for the reaction of transesterification and cost-effective compared to other catalysts. The transesterification process was undergone at diverse operating constraints such as methanol to oil molar ratio (4:1 to 12:1), catalyst concentration (0.75 to 1.75%), and reaction temperature (55-70oC). The duration of transesterification was fixed at 60 min. The maximum yield was obtained at a molar ratio of 8:1 and a catalyst concentration of 1.25% at a reaction temperature of 65oC for the duration of one hour. The yield of Mesua ferrea oil methyl ester (MFOME) with K3PO4 catalyst has specified more compared to Na3PO4. Further, the MFOME was analyzed for physic-chemical properties and all the properties were found to be matched with ASTM standards. Particularly, the superior cetane number was achieved with MFOME. The biodiesel yield of RSM predicted values using both catalysts were well correlated with experimental results.

Introduction: Otosclerosis usually manifests as a progressive conductive or mixed hearing loss occurring clinically to varying degrees in 0.5% - 1% of the general population. Stapedectomy /stapedotomy is the current treatment of choice for conductive component of Otosclerosis. Materials and Methods: Sixty patients attending the department of ENT of a Medical College Hospital in Bangalore between October 2012 and October 2017 were included in the study. Results: The incidence of otosclerosis is highest in the 3rd and 4th decade. Bilateral symptoms were present in 25% and 75% had unilateral symptoms, right side being more common in our study. Tinnitus and vertigo with deafness are seen in 60% and 25 % of the patients respectively. Ninety percent of the patients presented with moderate to moderately severe hearing loss. Twenty four (40%) out of 60 audiograms studied showed Carhart's notch. Postoperativeclosure of a-b gap to within 10dB could be achieved in 65% cases. The p value calculated comparing pre and post op results is

Beamspace multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) with beam selection offers an attractive solution to reduce the number of radio-frequency chains in a high-dimensional millimeter-wave MIMO system. Considering a multi-user MIMO system in which an access point, having an N element antenna array, communicates with K users (K

The objective of this paper is to generate two results in probabilistic 2-metric space by using the concepts of conditionally sequential absorbing mappings and pseudo reciprocally continuous mappings. These results stand as generalizations of the theorem proved by V. K. Gupta, Arihant Jain and Rajesh Kumar. Further these two outcomes are justified by supporting examples.

The aim of this paper is to establish a common fixed point theorem on Banach space using occasionally weakly compatible (OWC) mappings.

Background: Military population, by virtue of peculiarities of service conditions, such as congregation in living barracks or during exercises present a vulnerability to spread of contagious diseases. Institution of control measures during outbreaks becomes a challenge in Field areas due to operational commitments. The present paper highlights an outbreak investigation conducted in field and some lessons learnt. Methods: This investigation was conducted among troops who had arrived at a new location and soon after took part in training and area familiarisation and among whom chicken pox occurred. Constant troop movement resulted in challenges to institute control measures, which had to be tailored to suit the situation. Aggressive intervention measures such as segregation, contact tracing and strict surveillance resulted in control of the outbreak. Results: A non-immunised military population reported its first two cases during travel in military special train to the battalion′s new location. Subsequently cases kept occurring over two months and the constant movement of troops propagated the outbreak, resulting in total of twenty cases. Timely prevention measures successfully broke its runaway nature and controlled the outbreak. Conclusion: Early identification of cases and aggressive intervention measures were successful in effective control of outbreak.

Context: Lymphangiogenesis correlates with poor prognosis in Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC) breast. D2-40 antibody, a specific marker for lymphatic endothelium, differentiates lymphatic from vascular endothelium. Therefore, the aims of this study were to estimate lymphangiogenesis using D2-40 antibody and correlate with lymphatic invasion (LI) and axillary lymph node (LN) status and compare lymphatic mean vessel density (LMVD) with Tumor (T) and Node (N) stages and grade of tumor. Methods and Material: The study was conducted on fifty consecutive cases of IDC breast who underwent modified radical mastectomy (MRM) from Jan 2009 to March 2011. Hematoxylin-eosin sections and Immunohistochemistry (IHC) slides were studied along with their LN status. LMVD was counted after D2-40 immunostaining (100x magnification) in three hot spots in peritumoral areas and averaged. LI as opposed to vascular invasion (BVI), and LN status for all cases were assessed. Statistical Analysis: Statistical analysis was done using SPSS software (version 14.0 for Windows). Pearson's correlations, χ2 tests and Mann-Whitney U test were used. Results: Lymphangiogenesis varied from 0 to 58 with mean LMVD of 11. Of 50 cases, five showed no lymphatic vessels in peritumoral areas; of these five, three had positive LNs. 21/50 cases had LI. No statistical significant association was seen between lymphangiogenesis and LI. 34/50 cases had positive LNs. Mean LMVD was higher in patients with N2/N3 stage as compared to N0/N1 stage and was statistically significant (P = 0.013). Conclusions: D2-40 is specific marker for lymphatic endothelium. LI and lymphangiogenesis, as opposed to BVI, are better prognostic indicators in IDC breast.

The present study numerically investigates the blade tip leakage flow (TLF) over a gas turbine blade cascade at low speed (Mex = 0.1) and transonic (Mex = 0.92) blade exit Mach numbers, with and without shroud motion. Various blade tip flow phenomena like flow separation and reattachment, flow choking, shock-boundary layer interaction (SBLI), and tip leakage vortex (TLV) are studied, and their influence on the heat transfer coefficient (HTC) distributions over the blade tip and near tip blade suction surface is investigated. The study has found some new zones of heat transfer due to the interaction of horseshoe vortices (HSV) with the blade tip. In addition to the primary TLV, a secondary TLV is formed, which increases near tip blade suction surface heat transfer. The flow transitions to supersonic speed in the aft portion of the blade tip for the transonic case resulting in complex heat transfer distribution due to SBLI, compared to near-uniform distribution for the low speed case. This supersonic flow results in a smaller flow separation zone near the aft portion of the pressure side tip edge for the transonic case compared to the low speed case. The qualitative nature of HTC near the leading edge of the blade tip resembles for low speed and transonic cases. However, near the trailing edge of the blade tip, the qualitative nature of HTC for the transonic case shows a substantial difference due to supersonic flow compared to the low speed case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]