Introduction: Left ventricular dysfunction in an independent predictor of mortality in Chagas disease. Global longitudinal strain (GLS) is an emerging echocardiographic modality with possible incremental value in early detection of cardiac involvement. Objective: Compare left ventricular function with multiple echocardiographic parameters between patients with the indeterminate and chronic forms of Chagas and perform a literature review. Methods: In this observational study, 11 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of Chagas disease were evaluated. Individuals were distributed as follows: 5 with the indeterminate and 6 with the chronic forms. Conventional echocardiographic evaluation was followed by GLS measurement. Results: The mean left ventricle ejection fraction LVEF was 33 ± 2.88 and the mean GLS of the left ventricle was - 10.76 ± 2.20 in the chronic form as compared to 57.80 ± 6.49 and - 17.34 ± 3.82, respectively in the indeterminate group. Contractility was reduced in segments of the inferior, inferoseptal and anteroseptal walls in both groups. Conclusion: Analysis of longitudinal strain in the indeterminate form has potential incremental value to the conventional analysis of ejection fraction when compared to patients with chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy, especially with individual segmental analysis but the impact and clinical significance of these techniques is still unknown.

Introduction: The disease caused by Coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) was initially described in December 2019. Severe acute respiratory syndrome type 2 (Sars-Cov-2) is responsible for an important multisystem inflammatory spectrum. Cardiovascular conditions have been reported with an estimated frequency of 8-28%. In this context, transthoracic echocardiography associated with the analysis of the two-dimensional Global Longitudinal Strain (GLS) of the left ventricle derived from Speckle Tracking emerges as a promising modality. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the applicability of GLS and segmental deformity assessment in detecting subclinical myocardial dysfunction in patients that recovered from COVID-19 infection. Methods: The observational study involved 18 patients (mean age 52 years) with recent evidence of COVID-19 infection that underwent detailed echocardiographic evaluation with GLS, and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) according to segmental assessment results. The degree of correlation between the methods was analyzed and a systematic literature review was also conducted. Results: The mean left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 57.50 ± 9.98%. Only 16.6% of patients had reduced LVEF. The average GLS was – 18.70 ± 3.54% and in 44% of cases only one myocardial segment was affected, particularly the inferolateral basal. CMR revealed inflammatory cardiomyopathy. Discussion: Subclinical myocardial involvement is associated with major adverse cardiac events. Literature review supports the use of GLS for detecting early cardiac involvement. Conclusion: Speckle-tracking echocardiography has been shown to have clinical utility in a variety of settings and to offer superior prognostic value with a potential to enhance subclinical detection of myocardial changes in patients after COVID-19 infection.

Conservation history of D614 residue is valuable in predicting the consequences of D614G mutation in the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein (SGP). We report here that the D614 belonged to an extraordinarily conserved, densely hydrophobic eleven amino acid peptide-motif vavlyqdvnct (11-aa), in the Sarbecovirus group and the variant carrying vavlyqdvnct had appeared in Chinese samples and became predominant in several geographical hotspots in late March, 2020. Interestingly a 2009 annotation of SARS-CoV contained the same mutation.

Recent years have seen a massive increase in research on mindfulness as both a therapeutic practice as well as a protective health factor. While many associations have been made between mindfulness and clinical outcomes, understanding of the underlying mechanistic processes is still in its infancy. In this review, associations between mindfulness and other established frameworks in cognitive control are explored—in particular the dual modes of control framework in cognitive control theory. Studies in mindfulness providing evidence towards a dual-mode mindfulness model are reviewed and compared with the proactive and reactive modes of cognitive control to identify common underlying principles. Studies involving cognitive testing, advanced neuroimaging, and neurotransmitter levels and their associations with proactive and reactive control are reviewed in the context of the dual modes of mindfulness. While evidence supporting relationships between proactive and reactive modes of mindfulness and cognitive control are preliminary, existing literature on mindfulness already supports the notion of two components of mindfulness and is in line with the hypothesis that cognitive control and mindfulness are closely related. Since preliminary evidence suggests that proactive forms of mindfulness are more associated with improvement in clinical outcomes, mindfulness programs could be modified to target proactive mindfulness practices to maximize outcomes. The implications of proactive and reactive mindfulness on therapy, limitations of the framework, and necessity of studies providing direct evidence are further discussed.

Thermoelectrics, in particular solid-state conversion of heat to electricity and vice versa, is expected to be a key energy harvesting and temperature management solution in coming years. There has been a resurgence in the search for new materials for advanced thermoelectric energy conversion applications and to enhance the properties of existing materials. In this paper, we review recent efforts on improving figure-of-merit (ZT) through alloying and nano structuring. As heatsink characteristics dictate the performance of thermoelectric modules, various types of heatsink designs has been investigated. Several reported strategies for improving ZT are critically assessed. A notable increase in figure-of-merit of thermoelectric materials (TE) has opened up new areas of applications especially in the medical field. Peltier cooling devices are widely employed for patient core temperature control, skin cooling, medical device and laboratory equipment cooling. Application of these devices in the medical field both in temperature control and power generation has been studied in detail. It is envisioned that this study will provide profound knowledge on the thermoelectric based materials and its role in medical applications.

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai underwater volcano (20.57°S, 175.38°W) violently erupted on 15 January 2022. The volcanic plume evolution during its initial stages is delineated by using Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC)-2 radio occultation (RO) measurements. The bending angle (BA) anomaly over the Tonga volcanic plume (within 200 km from the eruption center) at 5:17 UTC on 15 January shows a prominent peak at higher stratospheric heights. The top of the BA anomaly revealed that negative to positive change occurred at ~38 km indicating the first height where the RO line-of-sight encounters the volcanic plume. The BA anomaly further revealed an increase of ~50% at ~36 km and confirms the volcanic plume reached above ~36 km. Further, the evolution of BA perturbations within 24 hours after the initial explosion is also discussed. From collocated RO profiles with the volcanic plume, we find a clear descending of the peak altitude of the BA perturbation from ~36 km to ~30 km within 24 hours after the initial eruption. The results from the study will provide some insights into advancing our understanding of volcanic cloud dynamics and their implementation in volcanic plume modeling.

The paper attempts to explore the relationship between federalism and rural development. Federalism is a division of power, responsibility and accountability to bring the administrative and political power closer to the ground and essentially to increase the good governance. On the other hand, rural development is a complex and multidimensional issue- especially much demanding for least developed and developing countries. A descriptive and qualitative approach was carried out to study the complex relationship between rural development and federalism. Similarly, a SWOT analysis was carried out to have a better understanding of the relationship. The study found that there is significant potentiality for accelerated development of rural landscape in federalism if carefully executed. However, on the other hand, federalism may pose several risks on rural development and may restrict the development pace if not executed with appropriate care and understanding. Therefore, the study concludes that cooperation and coordination among the federal structures are crucial for better development of the rural economy.

Nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses (NCLDVs) have massive genomes and particle sizes compared to other known viruses. NCLDVs, including poxviruses, encode ATPases of the FtsK/HerA superfamily to facilitate genome encapsidation. However, their biochemical and structural characteristics are yet to be discerned. In this study, we demonstrate that the viral ATPases are significantly shorter than their bacterial homologs, representing the minimal ATPase core of the FtsK/HerA superfamily. We analyzed the sequence and structural features of the vaccinia virus A32 protein and determined their roles in the stability of the A32 protein and its ATPase activity. We sought to purify A32 by various techniques and noted that recombinant A32 expressed in E. coli is highly insoluble and unstable in solution, possibly because of the disordered C-terminus. N-terminal fusion with the thioredoxin solubility tag could alleviate this issue to some extent, but subsequent tag cleavage results in increased susceptibility to precipitation and degradation. We also predicted a conserved coiled-coil motif (CCM) towards the C-terminus of VV A32. ATPase activity of A32 is known to increase in the presence of DNA. Our comparative analysis of wildtype A32 versus CCM mutants suggests that this DNA dependence of A32’s ATPase activity is likely regulated by the CCM. Since CCM is also known to facilitate protein oligomerization, these findings provide new opportunities for further detailed characterization of A32.

Currently, the pesticides are the global core concern because it is a boon to farmers against increasing disease-pest and simultaneously, pesticide residue is the major anxiety regarding human health. For that reason, identification and determination of factors affecting the application of pesticides are essential. To identify and evaluate determinants of pesticides application in Nepal, a household survey of 300 households was carried-out and an empirical analysis was done using multivariate probit model. Moreover, powder and liquid forms of pesticides were considered for summer and winter season in vegetable farming, which was assigned as outcome variables. Likewise, socio-economic, demographic, farm-level and perception data were considered as explanatory variables. Use of chemical fertilizers, age and gender of head of household, household size and access to weather information were found the most influencing factors. Moreover, forms of pesticides and growing seasons were found complementary to each other. Therefore, devising the policy options accordingly should balance needs of farmers and health of consumers.

As reported by us and others previously (1, 2), the D614G mutation appeared in the spike glycoprotein (SPG) of the SARS-CoV-2 (the pathogen behind COVID-19) at the early stages of the pandemic and then G614 containing variant of SARS-CoV-2 became the predominant strain in most human populations across the world. However, one of the most recent reports from India (3) stated the incidence of G614 to be only 26% in the Indian population. This report is contradictory to the information available through the GenBank (4) SARS-CoV-2 sequence deposits made by various laboratories from India. The above stated report currently circulating in the Indian media is likely to create a public perception that the Indian strain is less contagious and such a notion could be harmful to people’s welfare. In view of this concern we have re-evaluated, updated and recalculated the incidence of the G614 variant in the Indian population by analyzing 395 Indian SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequences available in the GenBank as of June 26, 2020. In our analysis we have categorized the samples by the month in which the samples were collected. We have used an alignment-free software tool named Compare (5, 6), and the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) (7) in the present analysis. We finally inspected each of the 395 sequences physically for the presence of aspartic acid (D) or glycine (G) at the 614^th position of the spike glycoprotein. We analyzed an Australian cohort in parallel for comparison. We have found that the prevalence of G614 variant in the Indian samples for the month of June 2020 is 90.6%. The trends are similar with the Australian samples.

Telehealth has been playing a progressively major role in the management of the NCOVID-19 crisis. The enforcement of social distancing measures has had the consequence of reduced technology distance in almost every walk of life. In this paper, based primarily on the still unfolding experiences of deploying it during the current situation, we argue that telehealth has finally come of age and that it is time to move it from the peripheries to the center of the 21st century healthcare. To provide a live context to the discussion, several instances of how telehealth strengthened our healthcare systems during the NCOVID-19 crisis are presented.

Fatty acids play a major role in determining membrane biophysical properties. Staphylococcus aureus produces branched-chain fatty acids (BCFAs) and straight-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and can incorporate exogenous SCFAs and straight-chain unsaturated fatty acids (SCUFAs). Many S. aureus strains produce the triterpenoid pigment staphyloxanthin, and the balance of BCFAs, SCFAs and staphyloxanthin determines membrane fluidity. Here, we investigated the relationship of fatty acid and carotenoid production in S. aureus using a pigmented strain (Pig1), its carotenoid-deficient mutant (Pig1ΔcrtM) and the naturally non-pigmented Staphylococcus argenteus that lacks carotenoid biosynthesis genes and is closely related to S. aureus. Fatty acid compositions in all strains were similar under a given condition indicating that staphyloxanthin does not influence fatty acid composition. Strain Pig1 had decreased membrane fluidity as measured by fluorescence anisotropy than the other strains under all conditions indicating that staphyloxanthin helps maintain membrane rigidity. We could find no evidence for correlation of expression of crtM and fatty acid biosynthesis genes. Supplementation of medium with glucose increased SCFA production and decreased BCFA and staphyloxanthin production, whereas acetate-supplementation also decreased BCFAs but increased staphyloxanthin production. We believe that staphyloxanthin levels are influenced more through metabolic regulation than responding to fatty acids incorporated into the membrane.

Polymer nanocomposites are composed of polymer materials reinforced with nano fillers. In the present study the effective thermal conductivity of the composites filled with nanofillers has been investigated using commercially available finite element software ABAQUS 6.11. The nanofillers used were alumina particles and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) and the matrix was considered to be made of epoxy. For the analysis 2D and 3D Representative Volume Elements (RVEs) were generated using Random Sequential Adsorption (RSA) algorithm using MATLAB and Python scripts. Thermal conductivity was found out for 2D and 3D RVEs for different area and weight fractions respectively. Two different shapes of the alumina nanoparticles were considered: spherical (circular) and ellipsoidal (elliptical) for 3D (2D) analysis. It was found that the thermal conductivity was increased with the addition of nanofillers. The increase in thermal conductivity was approximately same for both types of inclusions at corresponding area or weight fractions in 2D or 3D analysis. The results showed that addition of MWNTs to the composites lead to a significant increase in thermal conductivity than spherical or ellipsoidal inclusions.

The process model is very essential for the model based control design. The model of the process can be identified using system identification algorithm. The system identification is done through the open loop and closed loop approaches. In this work, the lab scale conical tank setup configured as a non square MIMO system. The conical tank system is identified through the both appraoches, the effectiveness and need of the both approaces are discussed. Based on the open loop identified model the controller designed and the controller implemented in the real time the to record the process data. From this data the closed loop identification are conducted uisng N4SID algorithm. The controller seetings are obtained using the smith predcitor based IMC based PI controller for the obtained model. The proposed identification algorithm and controller tuning show the better reults over the conventional method. Moreover, this method is applicable for all the non square MIMO system.

Forest fire is a major ecological disaster, which has economic, social and environmental impacts on humans and also causes the loss of biodiversity. Forest officials issue the warnings to the public on the basis of fire danger index classes. There is no fire danger index for the country India due to the sparsely distributed meteorological stations. Previous studies suggest that Static Fire Danger Index (SFDI) as well as Dynamic Fire Danger Index (DFDI) have been derived from the satellite datasets. In this study, we have made an attempt to integrate both the Static and Dynamic fire danger indices and also used the Near Real Time (NRT) data sets that can be available for download through NASA FTP server after one hour of the satellite overpass. In this study, DFDI has been calculated from the MODIS Terra NRT Land Surface Temperature (MOD11_L2) and MODIS TERRA NRT surface reflectance MOD09. Finally, The Forest Fire Danger Index (FFDI) has been developed from the static and dynamic fire danger indices by the additive model and the overall accuracy was around 81.27%. Thus, the FFDI has been useful to predict the fire danger accurately and can be useful anywhere, where the meteorological stations are un-available.

The increasing concern regarding climate change continues to motivate research in the Arctic. Within the delicate cycle of the cryosphere, leads are an important kinematic feature that regulate heat balances in the Arctic. Therefore, it is necessary to quantify the genesis of leads over time to identify when and where changes are occurring. The use of a principal component analysis (PCA) is one such tool that is used to identify the characteristics of seasonal ice variability. The PCA not only identifies “normal” or “dominant” conditions or features, but also extract anomalous spatial features from an archive of long-term sequence of images.

This study explores the correlation between payment statistics and sector-wise Gross Value Added (GVA) in the Indian economy from 2011 to 2022, assessing the importance of payment and settlement systems. Through regression analysis, the impact of payment statistics on GVA across diverse sectors is assessed. The results indicate that, during the specified period, payment statistics exhibit a significant influence on sector-wise GVA. These findings underscore the pivotal role of payment and settlement systems in the Indian financial landscape.

Ni1-xGdxFe2O4 (x=0.02, 0.04, 0.06 & 0.08) (NGF) nanoparticles were synthesized via hydrothermal method. The X-ray diffraction study confirmed the single-phase cubic spinel structure. The morphology indicated the stones (approximately nanocubes) like structures in the FESEM images. The mass loss, and thermal transition temperatures were evaluated as a function of Gd-content using TG-DTG, and TG-DSC measurements. The M-H loops evidenced the high magnetization values for NGFO as compared to pure nickel ferrite. Cation distribution showed the preferred occupancy of cations in the magnetic spinel system. Frequency dependence of dielectric, conductivity, and impedance parameters was elucidated with increase in Gd-content.

The Six Sigma (6σ) method is used to improve and optimize an organization’s products, services, and processes by constantly decreasing defects. In this paper we try implementing the 6σ methodology in Academia. The challenges and actuality of implementation of 6σ methodologies successfully in Academia are immense. However, the benefits of applying 6σ are equally great. The objective of this paper is to understand the evolution, benefits, and challenges of 6σ practices in academia through a case study of Presidency University situated in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. The problem statement in the paper is the poor performance of students in academics and by using the DMAIC approach of 6σ we try to identify and understand the causes and set out to improve them so the students can have better placement and academic opportunities. This paper is also an attempt to show the readers about the wide application of 6σ in fields other than manufacturing and how it can be beneficial.

A global event such as the COVID-19 crisis presents new, often unexpected responses that are fascinating to investigate from both, scientific and social standpoints. Despite several documented similarities, the Coronavirus pandemic is clearly distinct from the 1918 flu pandemic in terms of our exponentially increased, almost instantaneous ability to access/share information, offering an unprecedented opportunity to visualise rippling effects of global events across space and time. Personal devices provide “big data” on people’s movement, the environment and economic trends, while access to the unprecedented flurry in scientific publications and media posts provides a measure of the response of the educated world to the crisis. Most bibliometric (co-authorship, co-citation, or bibliographic coupling) analyses ignore the time dimension, but COVID-19 has made it possible to perform a detailed temporal investigation into the pandemic. Here, we report a comprehensive network analysis based on more than 20000 published documents on viral epidemics, authored by over 75,000 individuals from 140 nations in the past one year of the crisis. In contrast to the 1918 flu pandemic, access to published data over the past two decades enabled a comparison of publishing trends between the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and those of the 2003 SARS epidemic, to study changes in thematic foci and societal pressures dictating research over the course of a crisis.

The Photovoltaic modules are usually installed on the ground which exposes it to surface deposition of foreign particles. In the Middle East and North Africa region, the primary culprit is dust and sand. They form an insulating and opaque layer on the surface of the glass, which obstructs its heat transfer and optical properties, thereby reducing the overall yield efficiency of the solar panel. Cleaning of this layer is critical to the operation of the solar panel and often requires great effort and energy on a large-scale solar array. In this paper, we propose a novel self-cleaning mechanism for solar panels, with an understanding of the structural integrity of the Photovoltaic laminate and application of external mechanical vibration. By applying an external source of vibration, the solar panels vibrate, excites its fundamental frequencies and cleans by its own. The method is analyzed using finite element analysis method and tested using experiments. Our simulation results based on IEC 61215 show that the maximum principal stress and deformation in the critical layers is within limits. Our experimental results prove the proposed theory is feasible and can be extended to large scale solar arrays. Our proposed method is retrofittable and could save money, energy and effort in cleaning the solar arrays, which can replace current techniques.

Abstract: Beetroot (Beta vulgaris L) has been known for being a rich source of phytochemicals, minerals and vitamins. This study presents a model system for how the combination of extrac-tion/chromatography/mass spectrometry and NMR offers an efficient way to profile metabolites in the extracts of a natural product, beetroot . Such combination may lead to the identification of more nutritional or medicinal compounds in natural products, and it is essential for our ongoing investigation to study the selective adsorption/desorption of these metabolites on nanoparticles. The aqueous and organic extracts underwent analyses using UV-vis spectroscopy; GC-MS; LC-MS; 1H, 13C, TOCSY, HSQC, and selective TOCSY NMR experiments. Polar Extract: The two forms of betalain pigment were identified by UV-vis and LC MS. Fourteen amino acids, sucrose, and other compounds among which is riboflavin, were identified by LC-MS. 2D TOCSY showed the spin coupling correlations corresponding to some of these compounds. The HSQC spectrum showed 1H/13C spin correlation in sucrose confirming the high abundance of sucrose in beetroot. Organic Extract: GC-MS data enabled the identification of several compounds including six fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) with higher than, on average, 90% similarity score. Selective TOCSY NMR data showed the spin coupling pattern corresponding to oleic, linoleic, and linolenic fatty acids. 31P NMR spectra indicate that phospholipids exist in both the organic and aqueous phases. Keywords: Beetroot (Beta vulgaris L); Total Correlation Spectroscopy (TOCSY); Gas Chromatog-raphy-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS); selective TOCSY, Homonuclear single quantum correlation (HSQC); fatty acid methyl esters (FAME).

Cytologic diagnosis of extra‐adrenal paraganglioma presenting as a peripancreatic mass is challenging with a high rate of diagnostic error. We present a case of a peripancreatic mass identified by radiology as a gastrointestinal stromal tumor. Endoscopic ultrasound‐guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) of the mass showed a moderately cellular tumor composed of small to medium sized neoplastic cells with round to oval nuclei arranged singly and in loose clusters. The cells were positive for neuroendocrine markers (synaptophysin and chromogranin) and negative for CD117. A diagnosis of a neoplasm with a neuroendocrine tumor (NET) was made on FNA cytology. The subsequent surgical resection of the tumor revealed peripancreatic paraganglioma with immunohistochemistry positive for synaptophysin, chromogranin, and S100. The latter delineates the sustentacular cells. Although paraganglioma is a well recognized tumor, a detailed comparison of peripancreatic paraganglioma versus pancreatic/gastrointestinal NET is still lacking.

The world has been evolving with new technologies and advances day-by-day. With the advent of various learning technologies in every field, the research community is able to provide solution in every aspect of life with the applications of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Computer Vision, etc. However, with such high achievements, it is found to lag behind the ability to provide explanation against its prediction. The current situation is such that these modern technologies are able to predict and decide upon various cases more accurately and speedily than a human, but failed to provide an answer when the question of why to trust its prediction is put forward. In order to attain a deeper understanding into this rising trend, we explore a very recent and talked-about novel contribution which provides rich insight on a prediction being made -- ``Explainability.'' The main premise of this survey is to provide an overview for researches explored in the domain and obtain an idea of the current scenario along with the advancements published to-date in this field. This survey is intended to provide a comprehensive background of the broad spectrum of Explainability.

Chaotic switching is a newly evolve randomization method which can suppress conducted electromagnetic interference generated within the DC-DC converter. It can suppress the spectral peaks present in the frequency band effectively by spread spectrum technique and can spread it over the wide range of frequency band implying EMI suppression. In this paper, a chaotic PWM technique based on RCFMFD scheme is generated through Field programmable gate array (FPGA) for suppressing the conducted electromagnetic interference (EMI) generated within the Luo converter. A hardware prototype of Luo converter was developed in order to analyze EMI reduction through FFT analysis by comparing both traditional periodic PWM switching and chaotic PWM switching. The results obtained from the hardware setup shows significant reduction of EMI with Chaotic switching as compared to traditional PWM switching for both boost and buck operation of Luo converter.

The invention of nanoscience not only brings a revolutionary change in the field of science but also changed the direction of research. Today the whole world is under the trigger of nano and nanoparticles have multidimensional applications in every aspect of life including environmental point of view. Till today a plethora of nanoparticles have been synthesized and have also been applied for multiple purposes and hence grabbed the attention of researchers all over the world. Among the bunch of NPs discovered to date, we have a particular interest in silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) because of their cost-effectiveness and huge abundance in the earth’s crust. With respect to every passing day, due to various kinds of anthropological activities, the quality of the environment such as air, water and soil is depleting which ultimately hampers the human civilization. To encompass the growing environmental issues, many techniques have been adopted. Among the many strategies, tackling the current issues regarding environment through nanoscience is highly worthy as because of its cost-effectiveness, less time consuming and easy handling process. This article reviews the potential of nanoparticles, particularly silver nanoparticles, for a wide range of environmental applications, such as soil, air, and water remediation.

We interviewed 48 people including local communities, ex hunters and protected area management professionals. The purpose of the interviews was to understand the motivations for, and the nature of, illegal hunting of prey species of iconic predators - tigers and leopards - in the northern section of Bardia National Park. Participants reported that hunting of prey species occurs mostly in spring and autumn and is less common during the summer. In the past, hunting was primarily for the purposes of obtaining meat for household consumption. Since the introduction of a road network in the region, opportunities to sell wild meat at ad-hoc ‘highway markets’ have developed. The purported medicinal properties of wild meat was also cited as a driver for illegal hunting. Mostly, locally hand-made guns are used for hunting and the use of dogs in hunting was often reported. Protected area managers informed that illegal hunting problems in the study area are associated with a lack of presence of park authorities, remoteness and underdevelopment and poverty of the community. Our study suggested that skills development training for local community members might reduce dependency on wild meat for household consumption and earning thereby reducing illegal hunting.

Recent evidences support a role of menthol, a TRPM8 agonist, in enhanced energy expenditure, thermogenesis and BAT-like activity in classical WAT depots in TRPM8 dependent and independent manner. The present study was designed to analyze whether oral and topical administration of menthol is bioavailable at subcutaneous adipose tissue and is sufficient to induce desired energy expenditure effects directly. GC-FID was performed to study menthol bioavailability in serum and subcutaneous white adipose tissue following oral and topical administration. Further, 3T3L1 adipocytes were treated with bioavailable menthol doses and different parameters (lipid accumulation, “browning/brite” and energy expenditure gene expression, metal analysis, mitochondrial complex’s gene expression) were studied. No difference was observed in serum levels but significant difference was seen in the menthol concentration on subcutaneous adipose tissues after oral and topical application. Menthol administration at bioavailable doses significantly increased “browning/brite” and energy expenditure phenotype, enhanced mitochondrial activity related gene expression, increased metal concentration but didn’t alter the lipid accumulation. Further, we used pharmacological antagonism based approach to study the TRPM8 involvement in menthol effect. In conclusion, the present study provides an evidence that bioavailable menthol after single oral and topical administration is sufficient to induce “brite” phenotype in subcutaneous adipose tissue.

This paper reveals the physical properties of Jeffery nanofluid flow past a moving plate embedded in porous medium under the existence of radiation and thermal diffusion. The analysis is carried out in three cases of moving plate, namely stationary plate λ = 0, forth-moving plate λ = 1, back-moving plate λ = −1. Finite difference method is applied to solve the governing equations of the flow and pointed out the variations in velocity, temperature and concentration with the use of graphical presentations. The impact of several parameters on local skin friction, Nusselt number and Sherwood number is also noticed and discussed. Enhancement of velocity is observed under the impact of Jeffery parameter for the cases of stationary plate and back-moving plate, whereas reverse nature is found in the case of forth-moving plate. The velocity enhances as the values of porosity parameter increases for the case of stationary plate and forth-moving plate but a reverse nature is noticed in the case of back-moving plate.

This study assessed the periodic fluctuations among microbial biomass Carbon (C), Nitrogen (N) and Phosphorus (P), and the consequences of variations in altitude and abiotic factors on the soil microbial biomass (C, N and P) in a temperate mixed-oak pine forest of Central Himalaya. This research was directed at three forest stands along an altitudinal gradient. Samples were collected in triplicates, seasonally from each selected site and microbial C, N and P were determined through the fumigation extraction method. Microbial biomass C, N and P decreased significantly (P<0.01, correlation coefficient -0.985, -0.963, -0.948, respectively) with increasing altitude, while the rainy season showed the highest values, and winter season revealed the least values. Microbial biomass C, N and P showed positive correlation with silt particles, water holding capacity, bulk density, porosity, soil moisture, organic C, total N and P, and negative correlations with sand particles and soil pH. The microbial biomass C showed strong associations with soil microbial N (r=0.80, P<0.01) and P (r=0.89, P<0.01) contents, while the soil microbial biomass N and P also showed strong positive correlation (r=0.92, P< 0.01). Soil microbial biomass was greatly influenced by the altitude and abiotic variables whereas, weakly by temporal variation. The microbial C: N ratio indicated that fertility of soil is influenced by the species assemblage. Our findings suggest that high microbial biomass and low C: N ratio during rainy season could be considered as a strategy to conserve nutrients by temperate mixed-oak pine forest ecosystem.

Schizophrenia is a spectrum of neuropsychiatric deformities, characterized by hallucination, delusion, mood disorders, speech pathology, and neurocognitive deficits. Among various clinical manifestations, hallucination has been recognized as a core psychotic symptom that occurs more frequently in schizophrenia. A significant number of subjects with neurocognitive disorders like Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), Huntington’s disease (HD), and other neurological diseases like stroke and epileptic seizure also experience hallucinations. While aberrant neurotransmission has been linked to the neuropathogenic events of schizophrenia, the specific cellular mechanism contributing to hallucinations remains ambiguous. Neurodegeneration in the hippocampus of the brain has been identified as a predominant pathogenic determinant of dementia. While the scientific proof for the neurodegeneration in schizophrenia is limited, the occurrence of dementia in schizophrenia has become increasingly evident. To note, both neurodegenerative, neurodevelopmental, and neuropsychiatric disorders display impaired neurogenesis in the brain. Impaired neurogenesis in the hippocampus has been linked to dementia and mood disorders. Notably, the early phase of many neurodegenerative disorders has been characterized by reactive neuroblostosis and aberrant cell cycle activation in mature neurons leading to the fluctuation in neurogenic processes leading to abnormal synaptogenesis and neurotransmission in the brain. Thus, this article emphasizes a hypothesis that aberrant neurogenic processes could be an underlying mechanism of hallucination in schizophrenia and other neurological diseases.

The majority of the population in developing countries resides in the rural area. Development itself cannot address the challenges of the rural area since its economic, political and environmental landscape is different from an urban area. The paper attempts to assess the rural dimension aspect of Nepali Agriculture Policy since rural development and agricultural development is closely resembled due to an agrarian-based economy of the country and a large rural population. Therefore, a critical review of National Agriculture Policy, 2004 (NAP-2004) was carried out under “Commercialization of Agriculture”, “Food Security”, “Rural Infrastructure”, “Gender”, “Climate Change” and “Social Inclusion” thematic area. The results showed that NAP-2004 satisfactorily address rural development albeit ample space for improvement. The findings of the paper could be beneficial to policymakers and development workers in the field of rural development and agriculture along with academicians having interest in it.

The harrowing second wave of COVID-19 in India has led to much discussion over the quality and timeliness of reporting of deaths attributed to the pandemic. In this brief report, we aim to present the existing evidence, as well as the broader complexities surrounding the mortality burden of COVID-19 in India. This article sheds light on the following epidemiological issues: (1) general and India-specific challenges to COVID-19 death reporting, (2) latest COVID-19 mortality estimates in India as of May 16, 2021, (3) the apparent scale of uncaptured COVID-19 deaths, and (4) the role of disaggregated historic mortality trends in quantification of excess deaths attributed to COVID-19. We conclude with a set of high-level policy recommendations for improving the vital surveillance system and tracking of causes of death in India. We encourage direct efforts to integrate health data and indirect strategies for cross-validation of registered deaths. Such system-wide advances would drastically aid epidemiological research efforts and strengthen India’s position to overcome future public health crises.

Due to its high specific surface area and rich porous structure, acacia-derived porous activated carbon is the most potentially effective material for wastewater treatment. This research study aimed to prepare activated carbon using Acacia erioloba seedpods as carbonaceous materials and phosphoric acid as an activating agent. The specific surface area of the prepared activated carbon sample was characterised by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller instrument. The specific surface area value was 387 m²/g. The activated carbon prepared was then sieved into three different particle sizes of 50, 100 and 200 micrometres and characterised using various analytical procedures, including proximate analysis to study moisture content, ash content, volatile matter content and fixed carbon content. The bulk density, SEM, power of hydrogen, iodine number and methylene blue number index were also investigated to determine the adsorption properties of the prepared activated carbon. Batch adsorption dynamics for the removal of organic compounds such as methylene blue and unsaturated character of fatty acid from aqueous solution were also carried out at room temperature to evaluate the prepared activated carbon's applicability in water treatment. The iodine number was 528, 638, and 554 mg/g for the 50, 100, and 200 μm activated carbon particles, respectively. From the results, the adsorption of methylene blue favoured the Freundlich adsorption model, showing higher correlation (R²) values than the Langmuir model. The results indicate that methylene blue particles were adsorbed on heterogeneous surfaces.

Atherosclerosis is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease and mortality worldwide. Alterations in the gut microbiota composition, known as gut dysbiosis, have been shown to contribute to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ACVD) development through several pathways. Disruptions in gut homeostasis are associated with activation of immune processes and systemic inflammation. The gut microbiota produces several metabolic products, namely trimethylamine (TMA), which is used to produce the proatherogenic metabolite trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO). Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), including acetate, butyrate, and propionate, and certain bile acids (BAs) produced by the gut microbiota lead to inflammation resolution and decrease atherogenesis. Chronic low-grade inflammation is associated to common risk factors for atherosclerosis, including metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and obesity. Novel strategies for reducing ACVD include the use of nutraceuticals such as resveratrol, modification of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) levels, supplementation with probiotics, and administration of prebiotic SCFAs and BAs. Investigation into the relationship between the gut microbiota and its metabolites, and the host immune system could reveal promising insight into ACVD development, prognostic factors, and treatments.

Background/objectives: The health benefits of resistant starch are well known, but there have not been many studies available documenting the effect of basmati rice products containg resistant starch upon blood glucose level and lipid profile in vivo efficacy. Methods: Common cooking methods were used to prepare basmati rice products including two boiling methods viz. boiling 1 (boiling by absorption), boiling 2 (boiling in extra amount of water), frying and pressure cooking. The cooked rice were held at various temperatures and times: it was made fresh (T1), kept at room temperature (20–22°C) for 24 h (T2), kept at 4°C for 24 h (T3), and then reheated after being kept at 4°C for 24 h(T4). Next, the products' proximate composition, total dietary fibre (soluble and insoluble), resistant starch (RS), and In vitro starch digestion rate (rapidly and slowly digested starch) were examined. The effect of RS on blood glucose and lipid profile were measured in humans and rats. Histopathological study of liver and pancreas in rats were also observed. Results: The basmati rice prepared by boiling 1 and stored with T3 was found more effective to control blood glucose and lipid profile. Similarly in rats, the blood glucose level, cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL were reduced about 29.7, 37.9, 31.3 and 30.5% respectively, after consumption of basmsti rice prepared by boiling 1 and stored at T3. Conclusion: Rice products stored at 4⁰C have a high amount of resistant starh, insoluble dietary fibre, slowly digestible starch and low glycemic index. Thus helps to inhibit glycogen and lipid synthesis.

Aflatoxins (AFs) contamination of cereals is considered one of the greatest food safety concerns worldwide. Occurrence of AFs in maize, wheat, rice and sorghum is highly prevalent with each commodity accounting for more than 10% of world’s AF exposure. Their occurrence as food contaminants is also associated with huge economic losses. AFs are highly stable compounds that cannot be eliminated by regular processing of grains. Hence, prevention of AFs in food and feed is now considered more important than the subsequent interventions to mitigate the deleterious health effects of AFs in human and animals. However, the development of an effective preventive strategy hinges on a clear understanding of the underlying factors influencing AFs production. Therefore, the present review aims to highlight the most significant factors influencing AFs contamination of cereals at pre-and post-harvest stages. This is crucial for effective monitoring of critical control points and optimisation of preventive strategies in food and feed supply chains. Several intrinsic and extrinsic factors have been reported of which nutritional composition, environmental factors (temperature, water activity and relative humidity) and climate change have been identified as primary factors, while pH of the substrate, carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the gaseous environment, and agronomic and socioeconomic status are the main secondary factors promoting AFs biosynthesis in cereals. Additionally, an overview of global occurrence of AFs in cereals, with their health impacts and various preventive measures have also been highlighted.

Several traps are recommended for monitoring corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), an important pest of field, vegetable and fruit crops in the U.S. These traps, which are meant to capture H. zea in many cases end up capturing other insects. Helicoverpa zea has recently been found feeding on different seeds and dual-type (seed and fiber) hemp, Cannabis sativa L. (Rosales: Cannabaceae) causing serious damage. Limited work has been done on developing integrated pest management (IPM) for H. zea industrial hemp in Missouri. We evaluated the attractiveness of different traps with the aim of developing a monitoring system for the adult male H. zea in industrial hemp fields in two Missouri locations In addition, we recorded other non-target insects in the traps to determine trap selectivity. Commercially available green, clear, tricolor bucket traps Heliothis Scentry and Scentry Delta 1X traps baited with H. zea sex pheromones were evaluated in 2021 and 2022. Tricolor traps captured significantly more adult male H. zea than the other traps in both years. Non-target insects, mainly Xylocopa virginica (L.) (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Bombus spp (Hymenoptera: Apidae), and Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) were also captured. The tricolor trap captured the most bees. The presence of non-target species highlights the risk of using tricolor traps as a monitoring tool. This data provides information for planning the monitoring of corn earworm in industrial hemp farms in Missouri.

This study explored the intricate nexus between public service provision and land use planning, with a specific focus on the conservation of local plant species in Tambon Khao Phanom, Amphoe Khao Phanom, Krabi Province. Rooted in commitment. The research framework encompasses three fundamental activities: resource survey and collection, resource conservation and utilization, and resource development planning for public services, emphasizing land use planning for local plant species conservation. This multidisciplinary approach integrates the one-map method and draws data from the Department of Land Development to formulate a comprehensive land utilization plan that optimizes land use for biodiversity conservation. This study underscores the critical synergy between public service delivery and land use planning, highlighting their collective potential to advance community well-being and sustainable development.

This study develops a hybrid machine learning (ML) algorithm integrated with IoT technology to improve the accuracy and efficiency of soil monitoring and tomato crop disease prediction in Anakapalle, a south Indian station. An IoT device collected one-minute and critical soil parameters—humidity, temperature, pH values, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K)—essential for assessing soil health and optimizing crop growth. Kendall's correlations were computed to rank these parameters for utilization in hybrid ML techniques. Various ML algorithms including K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), Support Vector Machines (SVM), Decision Tree (DT), Random Forest (RF), and Logistic Regression (LR) were evaluated. A novel hybrid algorithm, 'Bayesian Optimization with KNN', was introduced to combine multiple ML techniques and enhance predictive performance. The hybrid algorithm demonstrated superior results with 95% accuracy, precision, and recall, and an F1 score of 94%, while individual ML algorithms achieved varying results: KNN (80% accuracy), SVM (82%), DT (77%), RF (80%), and LR (81%) with differing precision, recall, and F1 scores. This hybrid ML approach proved highly effective in predicting tomato crop diseases in natural environments, underscoring the synergistic benefits of IoT and advanced ML techniques in optimizing agricultural practices.

Introduction: Endoscopic biliary stenting is a widely utilized procedure in the realm of interventional gastroenterology, primarily employing plastic stents for short-term biliary drainage. This case series endeavours to investigate the occurrence and ensuing clinical ramifications of forgotten or retained biliary stents. Methods: Carried out over an 8-month duration at King George Hospital in Visakhapatnam, this case series encompasses 12 patients diagnosed with forgotten biliary stents. Diagnostic confirmation was established through a combination of X-ray, abdominal ultrasound, and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP). Four patients experienced complications such as fractured distal pigtails and obstructed stents, thwarting retrieval efforts via endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and cholangioscopy. Results: This case series featured 12 patients with a median age of 48 years (range: 18-76), comprising 7 females (58.3%) and 5 males (41.7%). The primary indication for initial stent placement was choledocholithiasis in 10 instances (83.3%), while benign biliary strictures accounted for 3 cases (25%). On average, patients presented 31.3 months post-initial stenting, primarily manifesting cholangitis symptoms (83.3%). ERCP succeeded in stent removal in 8 cases (66.6%), while the remaining cases necessitated advanced procedures such as cholangioscopy, with two patients being referred for surgical intervention. It is noteworthy that there were no instances of mortality. Conclusion: This case series, conducted against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, highlights an increased prevalence of neglected plastic biliary stents. The principal complication encountered was cholangitis, often coexisting with common bile duct (CBD) stones. Standard ERCP techniques demonstrated reduced efficacy in instances characterized by fractured, obstructed, or displaced stents, necessitating the exploration of alternative strategies like cholangioscopy or surgical intervention. This compilation of cases underscores the pressing imperative for prompt stent retrieval and the enhancement of management protocols to proactively mitigate the potential for complications.

Skin cancer is a prevalent and heterogenous disease with several subtypes, such as melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. Among them, melanoma is the most aggressive subtype, with a higher propensity to spread compared to most solid tumors. The application of OMICS approaches has revolutionized the field of melanoma research by providing comprehensive insights into the molecular alterations and biological processes underlying melanoma development and progression. This review aims to offer an overview of melanoma biology, covering its transition from primary to malignant melanoma, as well as the key genes and pathways involved in the initiation and progression of this disease. Utilizing online databases, we extensively explored the general expression profile of genes, identified the most frequently altered genes, and gene mutations, and examined genetic alterations responsible for drug resistance. Additionally, we studied the mechanisms responsible for immune checkpoint inhibitors resistance in melanoma.

Objective: Radiomics and deep transfer learning are two popular technologies used to develop computer-aided detection and diadnosis (CAD) schemes of medical images. This study aims to investigate and compare advantages and potential limitations of applying these two technologies in developing CAD schemes. Methods: A relatively large and diverse retrospective dataset including 3,000 digital mammograms is assembled in which 1,496 images depict malignant lesions and 1,054 images depict benign lesions. Two CAD schemes are developed to classify breast lesions. The first scheme is developed using four steps namely, applying an adaptive multi-layer topographic region growing algorithm to segment lesions, computing initial radiomics features, applying a principal component algorithm to generate an optimal feature vector, and building a support vector machine classifier. The second CAD scheme is built based a pre-trained residual net architecture (ResNet50) as a transfer learning model to classify breast lesions. Both CAD schemes are trained and tested using a 10-fold cross-validation method. Several score fusion methods are also investigated to classify breast lesions. CAD classification performance is evaluated by the area under ROC curve (AUC). Results: ResNet50 model-based CAD scheme yields AUC = 0.85±0.02, which is significantly higher than radiomics feature-based CAD scheme with AUC = 0.77±0.02 (p < 0.01). Additionally, fusion of classification scores generated by two CAD schemes does not further improve classification performance. Conclusion: This study indicates that using deep transfer learning is more efficient to develop CAD schemes and enables to yield higher lesion classification performance than CAD schemes developed using radiomics-based technology.

Recent data suggest that K-Ras4B (hereafter K-Ras) can drive cancer cell stemness via calmodulin (CaM)-dependent, non-canonical Wnt-signalling. Here we examined whether another Ca2+-binding protein, the CaM-related centrin1, binds to K-Ras and could mediate some K-Ras functions that were previously ascribed to CaM. While CaM and centrin1 appear to distinguish between peptides that were derived from their classical targets, they both bind to K-Ras in cells. Cellular BRET-data suggest that CaM engages more with K-Ras than centrin1 and that the interaction with the C-terminal membrane anchor of K-Ras is sufficient for this. Surprisingly, binding of neither K-Ras nor its membrane anchor alone to CaM or centrin1 is sensitive to inhibition of prenylation. In support of an involvement of the G-domain of K-Ras in cellular complexes with these Ca2+-binding proteins, we find that oncogenic K-RasG12V displays increased engagement with both CaM and centrin1. This is abrogated by addition of the D38A effector-site mutation, suggesting that K-RasG12V is held together with CaM or centrin1 in complexes with effectors. When treated with CaM-inhibitors the BRET-interaction of K-RasG12V with centrin1 was also disrupted in the low micromolar range, comparable to that with CaM. While CaM predominates in regulating functional membrane anchorage of K-Ras, it has a very similar co-distribution with centrin1 on mitotic organelles. Given these results, a significant overlap of the CaM- and centrin1-dependent functions of K-Ras is suggested.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant medical and psychological challenges worldwide, and not only exceeded the capacity of hospitals and intensive care units but also an individuals’ ability to cope with life. Health-care workers have continued to provide care for patients despite exhaustion, fear of transmission to themselves and their family, illness or death of friends and colleagues, and losing many patients. They have also faced additional stress and anxiety due to long shifts combined with unprecedented population restrictions, including personal isolation. In this study, we study the effect of an app-based Yoga of Immortals (YOI) intervention on mental health of healthcare workers. In this study, the health care workers were digitally recruited, and their psychological parameters were measured using validated questionaries. The participants were randomly grouped into control and test groups. The validated psychological measures were the Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD-7) scales. The digital YOI intervention significantly reduced the anxiety, depression symptoms, and insomnia in healthcare workers of all age groups. In contrast, there was no improvement in the control group. This study details the effectiveness of an app-based YOI intervention in healthcare workers.

Attack on health has become a significant concern for non-belligerents of war, including healthcare personnel and facilities as witnessed in the ongoing Sudan conflict. About 1.5 billion people living in fragile and conflict-affected settings (FCAS) have a heightened need for essential health services. Conflicts often lead to the disruption of building blocks of health systems, lack of access to health facilities, failure of essential medical supply chains, the collapse of political, social and economic systems, migration of health care workers, and upsurges in illness. While health indicators often decline in conflict, health can also bring peace and harmony among communities. Investment in health systems and health diplomacy is a neutral starting point for bringing peace and mitigating conflicts. The international commitment towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provides the impetus to emphasize the relationship between health and peace with the amalgamation of SDG 3, SDG 16, and SDG 17. The inspection of how health should be used as a ‘tool for peace’ and not as leverage during the war must be reiterated by international institutions.

Layer-wise 3D surface morphology information is critical for the quality monitoring and control of additive manufacturing (AM) processes. However, most of the existing 3D scan technologies are either contact or time consuming, which are not capable of obtaining the 3D surface morphology data in a real-time manner during the process. Therefore, the objective of this study is to achieve real-time 3D surface data acquisition in AM, which is achieved by a supervised deep learning-based image analysis approach. The key idea of this proposed method is to capture the correlation between 2D image and 3D point cloud, and then quantify this relationship by using a deep learning algorithm, namely, convolutional neural network (CNN). To validate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method, both simulation and real-world case studies were performed. The results demonstrate that this method has strong potential to be applied for real-time surface morphology measurement in AM, as well as other advanced manufacturing processes.

There are different treatment options in modern dentistry for the replacement of lost dentition. Of these the most upcoming and acceptable treatment option is Dental implants. The common problem usually with immediate implant placement in the anterior region is the post-operative soft tissue contour as a part of the bone modelling during healing. Hurzeler et al in 2010 introduced a new technique called the “socket shield technique”. This technique has been used as an alternative treatment modality for immediate implant placement in the aesthetic zone.This review articles provides a detailed information regarding the clinical concept of Root membrane technique.

Legacy IPv4 networks are strenuous to manage and operate. Network operators are in need to minimize the capital and operational expenditure of running network infrastructure. The implementation of Software-defined networking (SDN) addresses those issues by minimizing the expenditures in the long run. Legacy networks need to integrate with the SDN networks for the smooth migration towards the fully functional SDN environment. In this paper, we compare the network performance of the legacy network with the SDN network for IP routing in order to determine the feasibility of the SDN deployment in the Internet Service provider (ISP) network. The simulation of the network is performed in the Mininet test-bed and the network traffic is generated using distributed Internet traffic generator. Open network operating system is used as a controller for the SDN network in which SDN-IP application is used for IP routing. Round trip time, bandwidth, and packet transmission rate from both SDN and legacy networks are first collected and then the comparison is done. We found that SDN-IP performs better in terms of bandwidth and latency as compared to legacy routing. The experimental analysis of interoperability between SDN and legacy networks shows that SDN implementation in production level carrier-grade ISP network is viable and progressive.

Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) presents an enormous global healthcare challenge, especially among rural communities due to limited access. To overcome this, many low- and middle-income countries are resorting to task shifting, using community health workers (CHWs) for diabetes management. However, its successful implementation depends on the practice behaviours and knowledge of these workers. This cross-sectional study from rural South India aimed to evaluate the proficiency of 275 CHWs in diabetes screening and management. A customized questionnaire, developed through experts and government was used to evaluate the practice behaviours and knowledge. Analytical methodologies consisted of descriptive statistics, logistic regression, and mosaic plots for comprehensive data interpretation. Results showed significant deficiencies of mean correct practice behaviours at 48 and 50% respectively. The identified gaps included diabetes diagnosis, HbA1c testing, diet, self-management, complications screening and risk assessment. In several areas, correct practice behaviour was reported by a relatively large number of CHWs despite incorrect answers to the related knowledge questions such as referral to the health centres, self-management and calculation of diabetes risk assessment. Addressing these deficiencies requires a thorough needs assessment and tailored training for improved diabetes management by CHWs. Training of CHWs, should not only identify prior knowledge and/or behaviour but also their interrelationship to help create a robust and flexible set of practice behaviours.

Diabetes mellitus, a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia, presents a formidable global health challenge with its associated complications. Adiponectin, an adipocyte-derived hormone, has emerged as a significant player in glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity. Beyond its metabolic effects, adiponectin exerts anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, and vasoprotective properties, making it an appealing therapeutic target for mitigating diabetic complications. The molecular mechanisms by which adiponectin impacts critical pathways implicated in diabetic nephropathy, retinopathy, neuropathy, and cardiovascular problems are thoroughly examined in this study. In addition, we explore possible treatment options for increasing adiponectin levels or improving its downstream signaling. The multifaceted protective roles of adiponectin in diabetic complications suggest its potential as a novel therapeutic avenue. However, further translational studies and clinical trials are warranted to fully harness the therapeutic potential of adiponectin in the management of diabetic complications. This review highlights adiponectin as a promising target for the treatment of diverse diabetic complications and encourages continued research in this pivotal area of diabetes therapeutics.

Organic farming has positive, impact on environment, soil health, and healthy food quality. Worldwide demand for organic foods is increasing by leaps and bounds in recent years. The present investigation was undertaken during 2014 to 2018 to evaluate the effect of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) co-culture with maize (Zea mays L.) on productivity enhancement over prevailing maize-fallow system, and to assess the feasibility of inclusion of short duration winter crops after maize with appropriate residue management practices on productivity and soil health. The experiment comprised of six cropping systems in main plot and three soil moisture conservation (SMC) measures options in sub plot. Results indicated that the inclusion of second crop in place of fallow and cowpea co-culture with maize increased average maize grain yield by 6.2 to 23.5% as compared to that of maize-fallow (MF). Use of maize stover mulch (MSM) + weed biomass mulch (WBM) increases maize grain yield by 19.1 and 6.5% over those of MSM and no mulch (NM), respectively. Various soil moisture conservation (SMC) measures had significant (p=0.05) effect on crop yields and water productivity. Double cropping system had significantly (p=0.05) higher amount of soil available NPK, soil organic carbon (SOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and dehydrogenase activity (DHA) at 0-15 cm and at 15-30 cm depth than those under MF. The SWC measures of MSM+WBM had significantly higher available N, SOC, and MBC by 5.5, 4.8 and 8.1% than those under NM, respectively. Correspondingly, soils under MSM and MSM+WBM had 2.24 and 2.99% lower bulk density (ρb) in 0-15 cm and 2.21 and 2.94% lower ρb in 15-30 cm than that of NM. The energy use efficiency (EUE) was significantly higher under MCV (7.90%) over rest of the cropping sequences. MSM+WBM and MSM recorded 25.1 and 16.6% higher net energy over NM, respectively. The net return (INR 159.99×103/ha) and B:C ratio (2.86) were significantly higher with MCV system followed by MCR cropping sequence. MSM+WBM had significantly higher net return (INR 109.44×103/h), B:C ratio (2.46) over those under MSM (INR 97.6×103/h) and NM (INR 78.61×103/h). Overall the cowpea co-culture with maize and inclusion of short cycle winter crops along with MSM+WBM in maize-based cropping systems was found productive in terms of crop and water, profitable, energy efficient and sustained the soil health.

Experimental evolution was utilized to produce 5 magnetite nanoparticle-resistant (FeNP1-5) populations of Escherichia coli. The control populations were not exposed to magnetite nanoparticles. The 24-hour growth of these replicates was evaluated in the presence of increasing concentrations magnetite NPs as well as other ionic metals (gallium III, iron II, iron III, silver I) and antibiotics (ampicillin, chloramphenicol, rifampicin, sulfanilamide, tetracycline). Scanning electron microscope was utilized to determine cell size and shape in response to magnetite nanoparticle selection. Whole genome sequencing was carried out to determine if any genomic changes that resulted from magnetite nanoparticle resistance. After 25 days of selection magnetite resistance was evident in the FeNP treatment. The FeNP populations also showed a highly significantly (p &lt; 0.0001) greater 24-growth as measured by optical density in metals (Fe (II), Fe (III), Ga (III), Ag and Cu II); as well as antibiotics (ampicillin, chloramphenicol, rifampicin, sulfanilamide, and tetracycline). The FeNP resistant populations also showed a significantly greater cell length compared to controls (p &lt; 0.001). Genomic analysis of FeNP identified both polymorphisms and hard selective sweeps in the RNA polymerase genes rpoA, rpoB, and rpoC. Collectively, our results show that E. coli can rapidly evolve resistance to magnetite nanoparticles and that this result is correlated resistances to other metals and antibiotics. There were also changes in cell morphology resulting from adaptation to magnetite NPs. Thus, the various applications of magnetite nanoparticles could result in unanticipated changes in resistance to both metal and antibiotics.

: Nanotechnology has expanded what can be achieved in our approach to cancer treatment. The ability to produce and engineer functional nanoparticle formulations to elicit higher incidences of tumor cell radiolysis has resulted in substantial improvements in cancer cell eradication while also permitting multi-modal biomedical functionalities. These radiosensitive nanomaterials utilize material characteristics, such as radio- blocking/absorbing high-Z atomic number elements, to mediate localized effects from therapeutic irradiation. These materials thereby allow for subsequent scattered or emitted radiation to produce direct (e.g., damage to genetic materials) or indirect (e.g., protein oxidation, reactive oxygen species formation) damage to tumor cells. Using nanomaterials that activate under certain physiologic conditions such as the tumor micro-environment can selectively target tumor cells. These characteristics combined with biological interactions that can target the tumor environment allow for localized, radio-sensitization while mitigating damage to healthy cells. This review explores the various nanomaterial formulations utilized in cancer radiosensitivity research. Emphasis on inorganic nanomaterials showcase the specific material characteristics that enable higher incidences of radiation while ensuring localized cancer targeting based on tumor micro-environment activation. The aim of this review is to guide future research in cancer radiosensitization using nanomaterial formulations and to detail common approaches to radiosensization, as well their relations to commonly implemented radiotherapy techniques.

Persons with stroke-induced aphasia (PWAs) are often impaired in tense/time reference (TR) production. It is not clear, however, whether PWAs’ impaired TR production is due to TR-related encoding or retrieval deficits. This study aims at disentangling TR-related encoding deficits from TR-related retrieval deficits in aphasia. Two sentence completion tasks (SCTs) tapping production of past and future reference were administered to eight Greek-speaking PWAs, eight Russian-speaking PWAs, six Italian-speaking PWAs, seven English-speaking PWAs and four groups of language-, age- and education-matched healthy controls. SCT 1 tapped TR-related encoding processes and TR-related retrieval processes to a similar extent. SCT 2 predominantly tapped TR-related retrieval processes. All four control groups performed at ceiling. Three Greek-speaking PWAs, one Russian-speaking PWA, three Italian-speaking PWAs and two English-speaking PWAs showed between-task dissociations. A double dissociation emerged, as some Greek-, Russian- and English-speaking PWAs performed better on SCT 1 than on SCT 2, whereas other Greek- and Italian-speaking PWAs performed worse on SCT 1 than on SCT 2. It will be shown that the experimental design employed here has the potential to disentangle TR-related encoding deficits from TR-related retrieval deficits, as both PWAs with selective TR-related encoding deficits and PWAs with selective TR-related retrieval deficits were identified.

Music has the innate potential to reach all parts of the brain, stimulates certain brain areas which are not achievable through other modalities. Music Therapy (MT) is being used for more than a century to treat individuals who needs personalized care. MT optimizes motor, speech and language responsibilities of the brain and improves cognitive performance. Pervasive developmentdisorder (PDD) is a multifaceted, neuro developmental disorder and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) comes under PDD, which is defined by deficiencies in three principal spheres: social connection with others, communicative and normal movement skills. The conventional imaging studies illustrate reduced brain area connectivity in people with ASD, involving selected parts of the brain cortex. People with ASD express much interest in musical activities which engages the brain network areas and improves communication and social skills.The main objective of this review is to analyze the potential role of MT in treating the neurological conditions, particularly ASD. Evidence based studies have reported the extensive therapeutic application of music on various part of the brain in a nonverbal child with autism through hearing or making music.Hence we hypothesized that MT intervention can improve the communication capacity in people with ASD, than customary neurorestoration therapy alone.

Hospital-based adverse drug reaction (ADR) monitoring and reporting programs intend to identify and quantify the risks associated with the use of drugs. To examine the causality, preventability and severity of ADR in a hospital setting; a prospective cohort study on spontaneous ADR reporting was conducted from December 2015 to May 2016. Incidence of ADRs, causality, type, severity and preventability were assessed using necessary assessment scales. The study included 3157 hospitalized individuals, in whom 51 ADRs were detected among 49 patients. The overall incidence of suspected ADRs was found to be 1.6%. According to the causality assessment, most of the ADRs reported were probable (n = 26, 51.0%), and type A (augmented/pharmacological) reactions (n = 39, 76%) were the most common type of ADR found. The majority of ADRs were moderate to severe (n = 35, 68.6%), of which 37.3% were found to be potentially preventable. Predictability was observed in 28 (54.9%) reported ADRs. The drugs most frequently associated with ADRs were antibiotics, antiepileptics and antihypertensives. This feasibility study was able to highlight the clinical pharmacist’s role in ADR monitoring service and create awareness about the way it could be done to promote safer drug use. Similar ADR reporting programs are necessary to educate and to improve awareness among the healthcare professionals in developing countries.

The Yang-Mills conjecture addresses the fundamental nature of the strong force, one of the four fundamental forces in nature, responsible for binding quarks together to form protons, neutrons, and other hadrons. It was proposed in the early 1950s, the Yang-Mills suggests a mathematical framework for describing the behaviours of gauge fields, which are the carriers of fundamental forces. In particular, it focuses on non-abelian gauge theories, where the gauge fields themselves interact with each other. The non-abelian aspect refers to the fact that the order of operations matters when combining these gauge transformations, leading to a more intricate structure compared to abelian theories. This conjecture posits the existence and significance of certain mathematical structures, known as Yang-Mills fields, which play a crucial role in the formulation of the Standard Model of particle physics. The Standard Model describes the electromagnetic, weak, and strong nuclear forces, as well as the elementary particles that constitute matter. Despite its foundational importance, proving the Yang-Mills conjecture has proven to be a formidable challenge. The conjecture is intimately connected to the concept of mass gap, which refers to the idea that the particles involved in the strong force interactions exhibit mass, in contrast to the photon in electromagnetism, which is massless. The successful resolution of the Yang-Mills conjecture is expected to deepen our understanding of the nature of particle physics and may provide insights into the unification of fundamental forces. In this regard we hereby provide solutions to solve Yang-Mills conjecture using the method of Self Information Entanglement and Quantum Information Transport Equations to elucidate the origin of Universe from Unperceivable Information called “Avyaktham” through the emergence of perceivable information “Vyaktham”. For the first time in the world we provided an empirically verifiable solution to the origin of emergence and existence of Universe based on the methods to predict the emergence using working model of clinical Ayurveda. It is computed that the value of mass gap mentioned in Yang-Mills conjecture is around mYM = mbit ≈ 1.06×10⁻⁴¹kg.

For the first time in the world, we provided a phenomenologically verifiable proof for the validation of origin of universe and perceivable reality from the unperceivable information based on Ayurveda. We also provided the axiomatic definitions for the terminologies used to deliver the theoretical framework for the same based on Bharatheeya Knowledge Systems. The presented manuscript provides a corelation between quantum information transport and emergence of gunam “Laghu” and gunam “Guru”. We identified that this point of emergence can be considered as the origin point in the continuous process of generation of Perceivable Reality “Vyaktham” from Unperceivable Information “Avyaktham”. In this context we can consider the unperceivable information in “Avyaktham” as dark matter. So, we must develop methods like gunascopy or informationscopy to understand the types of information imbibed in the quantum matter of a dravyam to understand its original physico-chemical-biological and information state of the constituent matter. This is possible through the assessment of Dravya Guna aspects and panchabhootha tatwas of the dravyas. For the first time in the world, we have developed the method to derive all the gunas from “guru” and “Laghu” and calculated the mass of the finitie components of Nava Dravyas including Mann, Aatma, Kaal, Disha, Aakash, Vaayu, Agni, Jal and Prithvi from the quantum information emergence equation. We strongly believe that this work will open up new avenues to explore the frontiers of reality and universe through natural cognition. The solutions to the Yang-Mill conjecture is achieved by our team using the Quantum Information Emergence and Transport Equations. We proved that the information bounded in the quantum states of the constituent quantum matter of quantum particles will provide them positive masses, even though they travel at the speed of light. Based on the phenomenologically verifiable axioms proposed in this work, we proved that the space on the topologically invarient 2D Poincare Sphere which is equivalent to a 2D space without boundaries can facilitate the never-ending loop of continuous quantum information transport between “Avyaktham” and “Vyaktham”. So the information availabe in the constituent quantum states of “Avyaktham” is equal to the postiive mass of quantum systems travelling at the speed of light. In such condition all the mass of the quantum particles will be converted in to information bounded in the corresponding quantum states of the quantum matter. This complete conversion of mass of the quantumparticles into information will happen only at maximum entropy. Thus at maximum entropy the information which is self information entangled with its own quantum states in “Avyaktham” will have a positive mass equal to the mass gap proposed in the Yang-Mill conjecture.

A decade ago, non-radiative wireless power transmission reemerged a promising alternative to deliver electrical power to devices where a physical wiring proved to be unfeasible. However, conventional coupling-based approaches are neither scalable nor efficient when multiple devices are involved, as they are restricted by factors like coupling and external environments. Zenneck waves are excited at interfaces, like surface plasmons and have the potential to deliver electrical power to devices placed on a conducting surface. Here, we demonstrate, efficient and long range delivery of electrical power by exciting non-radiative waves over metal surfaces to multiple loads.Our modeling and simulation using Maxwells equation with proper boundary conditions shows Zenneck type behavior for the excited waves and are in excellent agreement with experimental results. In conclusion, we physically realize a radically different power transfer system, based on a wave, whose existence has been fiercely debated for over a century.

CoCr2O4 and doped lithium Co1-xLixCr2O4 chromate powder and nanoparticles were prepared by modified by sol-gel method. The morphological and structural properties of nano chromates were investigated by x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy and Photoluminescence (PL). Nanoparticles of doped lithium were synthesized by adding appropriate amount of cobalt nitrate, chromium nitrate, lithium nitrate and 1,2 Ethanediol as a complexing agent. The sample were heated at 105 ˚C for ten hours in oven to obtain dry gel. Calcination temperature for these samples was 700˚C for 3 hours in a furnace. The particle size of parent compound ranges from 4.4 nm to 11 nm, determined by SEM. The tendency of particles to form the aggregates with the increased annealing temperature was observed. The SEM and optical characterization of this compound has shown the sol gel derived material may be successfully used as an effective doped lithium cobalt ceramic pigment with controlled variation in structural and optical properties. SEM images showed that spherical like doped particle have diameter 33nm. From PL spectra Nano structure shows band gap 2.5ev and when we doped Lithium in it band gap decreases and become 1.19ev, which is associated to band gap transition.

Electroluminescence (EL) is an innovative technology in the lighting area. The EL device's main structure consists of a phosphor layer sandwiched by two electrodes. In this work, several alternating current EL devices have been developed by applying a set of sequential layers with combinations of in-house prepared inks and commercially available ink as a phosphor layer. A flexible polyester textile substrate was functionalized with inks by spray coating technique, after knife-coated an interfacial layer directly on the surface. A thorough study was carried out on the phosphor layer composition to optimize the EL device performance, more precisely the illuminance intensity and the illuminance homogeneity. The developed phosphor layer was composed of zinc sulphide doped with copper (between 30.0 to 38.1 wt%) and diluted by using a diluent at different ratios (28.0 to 35.5 wt%). The best peak illuminance intensity of 61 lux was obtained when the phosphor ink presented 35.4% ZnS:Cu and was diluted with 33.0% diluent. The aim of this study to determine the best formulation of the phosphor layer, which can be highly promising for further developments of EL devices, taking in account different applications in market.

Motivation: It is essential for the diagnosis and treatment of renal cancers to segment kidney tumours precisely and effectively. In medical image segmentation tasks, deep learning models have demonstrated promising results, and the UNet model is widely employed in this field. However, optimising the UNet model for kidney tumour segmentation further can improve its efficacy and deployment feasibility. Related Works: Previous works have explored various techniques to improve the efficiency of deep learning models in medical image segmentation. Image partitioning methods divides the input image into smaller regions, enabling parallel processing and reducing memory requirements. Pruning techniques eliminates redundant or insignificant weights, neurons and connections, resulting in a more compact and efficient model architecture. However, the UNet model architecture and its complexity in the context of kidney tumor segmentation using UNet remains unexplored. Methodology: The proposed methodology consists of adaptive partitioning and weight pruning. Adaptive partitioning divides the UNet model into smaller sub-models, facilitating parallel processing and accelerating inference without compromising segmentation accuracy. Weight pruning techniques remove redundant or less significant weights from the UNet-P model, reducing complexity and improving inference time by eliminating unnecessary computations. The adaptive partitioning and weight pruning processes are seamlessly integrated within the UNet-P architecture, resulting in an optimized model for kidney tumor segmentation. Results: We performed experiments utilising a dataset of KiT 23 CT scan images containing images of kidney malignancies. Compared to the standard UNet model, the optimised UNet-PWP model with adaptive partitioning and weight pruning obtained significant efficiency gains. The adaptive partitioning permitted parallel computation of sub-models, which accelerated inference times. Weight pruning decreased the UNet-PWP model’s complexity without compromising segmentation accuracy, thereby enhancing efficiency. The results of our experiments demonstrated the efficacy of the proposed method with 98% accuracy, demonstrating its potential for deployment in health sector.

Lipids have not traditionally been considered likely candidates for catalyzing reactions in biological systems. However, there is significant evidence that aggregates of amphiphilic compounds are capable of catalyzing reactions in synthetic organic chemistry. Here we demonstrate the potential for the hydrophobic region of a lipid bilayer to provide an environment suitable for catalysis by means of a lipozyme, or lipid aggregate capable of speeding up a chemical reaction. By bringing organic molecules into the non-polar or hydrophobic region of a lipid bilayer, reactions can be catalyzed by collections of small, nonpolar or amphiphilic molecules. We demonstrate this concept by the ester hydrolysis of calcein-AM to produce a fluorescent product, which is a widely used assay for esterase activity in cells. The reaction was first carried out in a two phase octanol-water system with the organic phase containing the cationic amphiphiles cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) or octadecylamine. The octanol was then replaced with DOPC added to the water in the form of vesicles, where the reaction was also found to be carried out. The reaction was monitored using quantitative fluorescence which revealed catalytic turnover numbers on a scale of 10−4s−1 for each system, which is comparable to some slow enzymes. The reaction product was characterized by 1H-NMR measurements which were consistent with ester hydrolysis. The implications of thinking about lipid aggregates as catalytic entities are discussed in the context of biochemistry, pharmacology and synthetic biology.

A preventive effect for tea and its bio active components in cardiovascular health has been suggested by the results of several epidemiological studies, treatments utilizing randomized controlled trials, and mechanistic investigations. Therefore, scientific interest in green tea's ability to prevent cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) is growing. Green tea benefits for the metabolic syndrome, which includes diabetes and hypertension but may also raise cholesterol levels. Additionally, green tea reduces the mortality from any cause, arrhythmia, stroke, coronary heart disease, heart failure, and other conditions.

The pressure on freshwater resources is leading to diminishing flows in some of the critical river systems across the globe and India is no exception and this is mainly because of water withdrawal for irrigation, which is often to the tune of 70% to 80% with some proportion for domestic and industrial use. While graduating from the concept of environmental flows and its assessment methodologies in India, the water-managers, the researchers and the conservationists are now moving towards answering the next question if the rivers are to be revived, then where will the water come from, especially in the case of over-allocated rivers, including the river Ganga. While the logical way is to look at the biggest user of water, i.e. irrigation, it remains to be seen whether the irrigation water savings will actually lead to enhancing flows in a river, complementing the efforts towards maintaining e-flows in rivers, or whether it will lead to more area under agriculture, bring changes in cropping patterns towards more water-intensive crops or result in something else. This is a growing debate across the globe, where India is no exception, and there has been a wide range of opinions in this regard. This paper discusses the process, findings and lessons from a joint initiative involving farmers, the Uttar Pradesh state Irrigation and Water Resources Department, Bijnor District Administration and a conservation organisation to enhance flows in a rivulet, called karula River, which is part of the Ganga river system.

The deterioration of gait can be used as a biomarker for ageing and neurological diseases. Continuous gait monitoring and analysis are essential for early deficit detection and personalized rehabilitation. The use of mobile and wearable inertial sensor systems for gait monitoring and analysis have been well explored with promising results in the literature. However, most of these studies focus on the technologies for gait characteristic assessment, few of them have considered the data acquisition bandwidth of the sensing system. Inadequate sampling frequency will sacrifice signal fidelity, thus leading to an inaccurate estimation especially for spatial gait parameters. In this work, we developed an inertial sensor based in-shoe gait analysis system for real-time gait monitoring and investigated the optimal sampling frequency to capture all the information on walking patterns. An exploratory validation study was performed using an optical motion capture system on four healthy adult subjects, where each person underwent five walking sessions, giving a total of 20 sessions. Percentage mean absolute errors (MAE%) obtained in stride time, stride length, stride velocity, and cadence while walking were 1.19%, 1.68%, 2.08%, and 1.23%, respectively. In addition, an eigen-analysis based graphical descriptor from raw gait cycle signals was proposed as a new gait metric that can be quantified by principal component analysis to differentiate gait patterns, which has great potential to be used as a powerful analytical tool for gait disorder diagnostics.

In order to integrate genomics in breeding and development of drought tolerant groundnut genotypes, identification of genomic regions/genetic markers for drought surrogate traits is essential. We used SNP markers for a genetic analysis of the ICRISAT groundnut minicore collection for genome wide marker-trait association for some physiological traits and to determine the magnitude of linkage disequilibrium (LD) present in the genetic resources. The LD analysis showed that about 36% of loci pairs were in significant LD (P < 0.05 and r2 > 0.2) and 3.14% of the pairs were in complete LD. There was rapid decline in LD with distance and the LD was <0.2 at a distance of 41635 bp. The marker trait association (MTAs) studies revealed 20 significant MTAs (p <0.001) with 11 markers for leaf area index (4), canopy temperature (13), chlorophyll content (1) and NDVI (2). The markers explained 2 to 21% of the phenotypic variation observed. Most of the MTAs identified on the A subgenome were also identified on the respective homeologous chromosome on the B subgenome. The duplications of effect observed could be due to common ancestor of the A and B genome which explains the linkage detected between markers lying on different chromosomes seen in the current study. The present study identified a total of 20 highly significant marker trait associations with 11 markers for four physiological traits of importance in groundnut; LAI, CT, SCMR and NDVI. The markers identified in this study can serve as useful genomic resources to initiate marker-assisted selection and trait introgression of groundnut for drought tolerance. The identified markers in this study may be useful for marker assisted selection after further validation.

Assessment of the genetic distinctiveness of a cultivar through morphological descriptors is an important tool for both the registration and the protection. New mango genotypes have been improved using valuable diverse germplasm resources to ensure food security. DNA fingerprinting based simple sequence repeats (SSR)-markers have been the most broadly used, effective and accurate in evaluation of genetic characterization of a cultivar. Molecular breeding is an effective source of genetic gain after improvement of fruit trees using marker assisted genomic selection. Mango (Mangifera indica L.) is an allotetraploid (2n = 4X= 40) drupe fruit and has high nutritional value belongs to genus Mangifera and family Anacardiaceae. Mango cultivars are used with worldwide acceptance to pharmacological, ethnomedical, and phytochemical industries. This study investigated the molecular evaluation of a new mango cultivar ‘Azeem Chaunsa’ using a set of the most effective 50 hyper-variable polymorphic SSR markers. Highly specific DNA fingerprints were identified in the genome of this mango cultivar, ‘Azeem Chaunsa’ compared with three standard cultivars such as Sindhri, Samar Bahisht (S.B) Chaunsa and Sufaid Chaunsa. Our results showed that SSR markers could efficiently assess genetic diversity in mango. An agglomerative hierarchical clustering method was used to construct dendrogram based on the ‘Unweighted Pair- Group Method with Arithmetic Mean’ (UPGMA). The genetic similarity coefficients were recorded between the mangos cultivars ranged from 0.49 to 0.67. Cultivar identification (CID) evaluates association among standard cultivars and Azeem Chaunsa and further concludes significant variations. CID results concluded that cultivar ‘Azeem Chaunsa’ varied significantly from the check cultivar, Sindhri (46.2%), S.B Chaunsa (45%) and Sufaid Chaunsa (46.7%). The results obtained in this study will orient cultivar identification strategies for a successful future mango breeding programmes in the context of climate change.

Hydrogels can provide instant relief to pain and facilitate the fast recovery of wounds. Currently the incorporation of medicinal herbs/plants in polymer matrix is being investigated due to their anti-bacterial and wound healing properties. Herein, we investigated the novel combination of chitosan (CS), chondroitin sulfate (CHI) and garlic (Gar) to synthesize hydrogels through freeze gelation process for faster wound healing and resistance to microbial growth at the wound surface. The synthesized hydrogels were characterized via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), which confirmed the presence of relevant functional groups. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images exhibited the porous structure of the hydrogels, which is useful for the sustained release of Gar from the hydrogels. The synthesized hydrogels showed significant inhibition zones against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Furthermore, cell culture studies confirmed the cyto-compatibility of the synthesized hydrogels. Thus, the novel hydrogels presented in this study can offer antibacterial effect during wound healing and promote tissue regeneration.

The orthodontic treatment brings numerous benefits and, in most cases, the benefits outweigh the possible disadvantages. Root resorption (RR) is a common adverse phenomenon associated with orthodontic treatment. This study evaluates the role of low-level laser emission / Photobiomodu-lation (LE/P) in quantitative measurements of root resorption (QRR). The application of LE/P was done after each orthodontic activation with 4 types of treatment intervention (TI) on the RR after fixed orthodontic treatment (FOT) of the upper arch with ectopic eye tooth/teeth [EET]. 32 Orthodontic patients scheduled for FOT were selected and assigned to the 4 groups. These were LE/P+Self ligating bracket (SLB), LE/P+Conventional bracket (CB), Non-Photobiomodulation (non-LE/P)+SLB, and non-LE/P+CB. Standard management stages of FOT were followed in the maxilla. Each patient received a single application of LE/P labially/buccally and palatally, a total of 5 different points during each activation or appointment. The main outcome measure was QRR in maxillary anteriors before and after FOT assessed via cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) using 3D OnDemand software. Insignificant QRR was found between before and after FOT in SLB, CLB, and LE/P, non-LE/P groups (p > 0.05). QRR in the SLB vs CB and LE/P vs non-LE/P group was significantly different in 11, 13, and 23 (p < 0.05). QRR in the LE/P+SLB group (p < 0.05) was significantly different in 11, 13, and 23 than that in the other groups. The most severe QRR was found on the 13 (0.88 ± 0.28mm and 0.87±0.27mm) and 23 (1.19 ± 0.14 mm and 1.16±0.13mm) in the CB and non-LE/P group (p < 0.001). LE/P+SLB showed highly significant superior outcome (p < 0.001) in relation to non-LE/P+CB, the QRR of 23 were 0.813± 0.114mm and 1.156± 0.166mm respectively. Significantly higher amount of QRR found in EET patients after FOT treated with the CB, non-LE/P, and non-LE/P+CB system and warrants further investigation to explore potential specific causes.

Long-chain omega-3 fatty acid status during pregnancy may influence newborn anthropometry and duration of gestation. Evidence from high-quality trials from LMICs is limited. We conducted a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial among 957 pregnant women (singleton gestation, 14-20 weeks’ gestation at enrollment) in India to test the effectiveness of 400 mg/d algal docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) compared to placebo provided from enrollment through delivery. Among 3379 women who were screened, 1171 were found eligible; 957 enrolled and were randomized. The intervention was two microencapsulated algal DHA (200 X 2= 400 mg/d) or two microencapsulated soy and corn oil placebo tablets to be consumed daily from enrollment (20 weeks) through delivery. The primary outcome was newborn anthropometry (birth weight, length, head circumference). Secondary outcomes were gestational age and 1 and 5 min Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, and Respiration (APGAR) score. The groups (DHA; n=478 and placebo; n=479) were well balanced at baseline. There were 902 live births. Compliance with the intervention was similar across groups (DHA: 88.5%; placebo: 87.1%). There were no significant differences between DHA and placebo group for birth weight (2750.6 ± 421.5 vs. 2768.2 ± 436.6 g, p=0.54), length (47.3 ± 2.0 vs. 47.5 ±2.0 cm, p=0.13) or head circumference (33.7 ± 1.4 vs 33.8 ± 1.4 cm, p=0.15). The mean gestational age at delivery was similar between groups (DHA: 38.8 ± 1.7 placebo: 38.8 ± 1.7 wk, p= 0.54) as were APGAR scores at 1 and 5 min. Supplementing mothers through pregnancy with 400mg/d DHA did not impact the offspring birthweight, length or head circumference.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized mainly by the gradual decay in neuronal function as a consequence of diverse degenerating events primarily including mitochondria dysfunction and cascades of neuro-immune reactions. Besides the acquired harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS), neurotoxins, and amyloid-beta (Aβ) and TAU pathologies in neurons, accumulating evidence with time underlined the roles of cytokines and growth factors in the AD pathogenesis. It may help us in evaluating the propensities and specific mechanism(s) of cytokines and factors impacting neuron upon apoptotic decline. Proinflammatory cytokines often induce inflammation in AD and AD-like pathogenesis in response to the apoptotic scenarios where some growth factors are involved in cytokinetic reactions to activate microglia and causing inflammation in AD. In this report, we comprehensively reviewed role of cytokines and chemokines in immune response to AD and neuropsychiatry. We provided insights into the neuroinflammation and the role of diverse factors including the pro-/anti-inflammatory cytokines, APP, TAU phosphorylation, glycation end products, complement system, and the role of glial cells. Also, we discussed the pathogenic and protective role of macrophage migration inhibitory factors, choroid plexus-, neurotrophic- and hematopoietic -related growth factors in AD. We further shed light on the availability and accessibility of the cytokines across the blood-brain barrier in AD pathophysiology. Taken together, the emerging role of these factors in AD pathology emphasized the importance of building novel strategies for an effective therapeutic/neuropsychiatric management of AD in clinics.

Storing apples for up to a year is a well-established practice aimed at providing a continuous, locally-produced fruit supply to consumers and adapting to market trends for optimized profits. Temperature control is the cornerstone of postharvest conservation and apples are typically kept at temperatures from 0 to 3 °C. However, the energy-intensive process of the initial cool down and subsequent temperature maintenance poses significant financial challenges and contributes to the carbon footprint. Higher storage temperatures could reduce cooling-related energy usage but also pose the risk of enhanced ripening and quality loss. This work explores different storage technologies aiming to reduce energy consumption such as 1-methylcyclopropene, ultra-low oxygen and dynamic controlled atmosphere together with raised temperatures. The integration of advanced monitoring and control systems, coupled with data analytics and energy management in apple storage is also discussed. These sustainable strategies can be implemented without cost-intensive construction measures in standard storage facilities. Furthermore, beneficial side effects of higher storage temperatures in terms of a reduced occurrence of storage disorder symptoms and higher maintenance of quality attributes are also discussed for this special issue on sustainable horticultural production systems and supply chains.

Campylobacter is one of the major foodborne pathogens of concern in its growing trend of antimicrobial resistance. C. jejuni and C. coli are the major causative agents, with C. jejuni contributing to most of the cases in approximately 90% in the world. Infection is transmitted to humans due to consumption of contaminated food and water. Campylobacteriosis caused by C. jejuni is commonly presented with severe diarrhoea, abdominal pain, fever, headache, nausea, and vomiting with some extreme cases resulting in Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) and acute flaccid paralysis. Symptoms are severe in cases of children below 5 years, elderly and individuals who are immunocompromised. The infection is usually sporadic, and self-limiting and thus does not require antibiotics for treatment. Still, the antimicrobial resistance in Campylobacter is a major concern because of the transmission of resistance from animal sources to humans. This review highlights the recent epidemiology, geographical impact, resistance mechanisms, spread of Campylobacter spp. and the strategies to control the transmission of Campylobacter from veterinary sources and its antimicrobial resistance.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are unique immune cells that can link innate and adaptive immune responses and Immunometabolism greatly impacts their phenotype. Rapamycin is a macrolide compound that has immunosuppressant functions and is used to prevent graft loss in kidney transplantation. The current study evaluated the therapeutic potential of ex-vivo Rapamycin treated DCs to protect kidneys in a mouse model of acute kidney injury (AKI). For the Rapamycin single (S) treatment (Rapa-S-DC), Veh-DCs were treated with Rapamycin (10 ng/ml) for 1 hour before LPS. In contrast, Rapamycin multiple (M) treatment (Rapa-M-DC) were exposed to 3 treatments over 7 days. Only multiple ex-vivo Rapamycin treatments of DCs induced a persistent reprogramming of mitochondrial metabolism. These DCs had 18-fold more mitochondria, had almost 4-fold higher oxygen consumption rates, and produced more ATP compared to Veh-DCs (Veh treated control DCs). Pathway analysis showed IL10 signaling as a major contributing pathway to the altered immunophenotype after Rapamycin treatment compared to vehicle with significantly lower cytokines Tnfa, Il1b, and Il6, while regulators of mitochondrial content Pgc1a, Tfam, and Ho1 remained elevated. Critically, adoptive transfer of Rapamycin treated DCs to WT recipients 24 hrs before bilateral kidney ischemia significantly protected the kidneys from injury with a significant 3-fold improvement in kidney function. Last, the infusion of DCs containing higher mitochondria numbers (treated ex-vivo with healthy isolated mitochondria (10 µg/ml) one day before) also partially protected the kidneys from IRI. These studies demonstrate that pre-emptive infusion of ex-vivo reprogrammed DCs that have higher mitochondria content has therapeutic capacity to induce an anti-inflammatory regulatory phenotype to protect kidneys from injury.

Biomarker directed selection of targeted anti-neoplastic agents such as immune check-point inhibitors, small molecule inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies form an important aspect of cancer treatment. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis of the tumor tissue is the method of choice to evaluate the presence of these biomarkers. However, a significant barrier to biomarker testing on tissue is the availability of an adequate amount of tissue and need for repetitive sampling due to tumor evolution. Also, tumor tissue testing is not immune to inter- and intra-tumor heterogeneity. We describe the analytical and clinical validation of a Circulating Tumor Cell (CTC) assay to accurately assess the presence of PD-L1 22C3 and PD-L1 28.8, ER, PR and HER2, from patients with solid tumors to guide the choice of suitable targeted therapies. Analytically, the test has high sensitivity, specificity, linearity and precision. Based on a blinded case control study, the clinical sensitivity and specificity for PD-L1 (22C3 and 28.8) was determined to be 90% and 100% respectively. The clinical sensitivity and specificity was 83% and 89% for ER; 80% and 94% for PR; 63% and 89% for HER2 (by ICC); and 100% and 92% for HER2 (by FISH), respectively. The performance characteristics of the test support its suitability and adaptability for routine clinical use.

Research on bidirectional human-machine interfaces will enable the smooth interaction with robotic platforms in contexts ranging from industry to tele-medicine and rescue. This paper introduces a bidirectional communication system to achieve multisensory telepresence during the gestural control of an industrial robotic arm. We complement the gesture-based control by means of a tactile-feedback strategy grounding on a spiking artificial neuron model. Force and motion from the robot are converted in neuromorphic haptic stimuli delivered on the user’s hand through a vibro-tactile glove. Untrained personnel participated in an experimental task benchmarking a pick-and-place operation. The robot end-effector was used to sequentially press six buttons, illuminated according to a random sequence, and comparing the tasks executed without and with tactile feedback. The results demonstrated the reliability of the hand tracking strategy developed for controlling the robotic arm, and the effectiveness of a neuronal spiking model for encoding hand displacement and exerted forces in order to promote a fluid embodiment of the haptic interface and control strategy. The main contribution of this paper is in presenting a robotic arm under gesture-based remote control with multisensory telepresence, demonstrating for the first time that a spiking haptic interface can be used to effectively deliver on the skin surface a sequence of stimuli emulating the neural code of the mechanoreceptors beneath.

Drought stress at the reproductive stage in rice is one of the most important cause for yield reduction, affecting both productivity and quality. All Basmati rice varieties, including the popular cultivar ‘Pusa Basmati 1 (PB1)’ is highly sensitive to reproductive stage drought stress (RSDS). We report for the first time, improvement of a Basmati cultivar for RSDS tolerance, with the introgression of a major quantitative trait locus (QTL), ‘qDTY1.1’ into PB1. The QTL donor was sourced from an aus variety, Nagina 22 (N22). A QTL linked microsatellite (SSR) marker ‘RM 431’ was employed for foreground selection for qDTY1.1 in the marker assisted backcross breeding process. A set of 113 SSR markers polymorphic between N22 and PB1 were utilized for background selection to ensure higher genome recovery. After three backcrosses followed by five generations of selfing, eighteen near isogenic lines (NILs) were developed, through combinatory selection for agro-morphological, grain and cooking superiority traits. The NILs were evaluated for three consecutive Kharif seasons, 2017, 2018 and 2019 under well-watered and drought stress conditions. RSDS tolerance and yield stability indicated that NIL3, NIL5, NIL6, NIL7, NIL12, NIL15 and NIL17 were best in terms of overall agronomic and grain quality under RSDS. Additionally, NILs exhibited high yield potential under normal condition as well. The RSDS tolerant Basmati NILs with high resilience to water stress, is a valuable resource for sustaining Basmati rice production under water limiting production environments.

We previously found that chronic adenosine A1 receptor stimulation with N6-Cyclopentyladenosine increased α-synuclein misfolding and neurodegeneration in a novel α-synucleinopathy model, a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease. Here, we aimed to synthesize a dimer caffeine-indan linked by a 6-carbon chain to cross the blood-brain barrier and tested its ability to bind α-synuclein, reducing misfolding, behavioural abnormalities, and neurodegeneration in our rodent model. Behavioural tests and histological stains assessed neuroprotective effects of the dimer compound. A rapid synthesis of the 18F-labelled analogue enabled Positron Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography imaging for biodistribution measurement. Molecular docking analysis showed that the dimer binds to α-synuclein N- and C-termini and the non-amyloid-β-component (NAC) domain, similar to 1-aminoindan, and this binding promotes a neuroprotective α-synuclein “loop” conformation. The dimer also binds to the orthosteric binding site for adenosine within the adenosine A1 receptor. Immunohistochemistry and confocal imaging showed the dimer abolished α-synuclein upregulation and aggregation in the substantia nigra and hippocampus, and the dimer mitigated cognitive deficits, anxiety, despair, and motor abnormalities. The 18F-labelled dimer remained stable post-injection and distributed in various organs, notably in the brain, suggesting its potential as a Positron Emission Tomography tracer for α-synuclein and adenosine A1 receptor in Parkinson’s disease therapy.

Structural variations (SVs) play a key role in the pathogenicity of hematological malignancies. Optical genome mapping (OGM) is an emerging technology that enables genome-wide detection of all classes of SVs at a high resolution and sensitivity. Identification of cryptic SVs leading to gene disruption or predicted novel gene fusions could be important drivers for cancer development and/or portend a prognostic relevance, which could be used to modify the treatment plan. A cohort of 106 consented cases that had a successful OGM analysis performed were included in the study. Demographic, clinical, laboratory and treatment data were collected. Routine diagnostic and prognostic testing were done on the peripheral blood and bone marrow aspirate as indicated. Additional samples of peripheral blood and/or bone marrow were sent for OGM testing. OGM led to a change in risk stratification in 17/66 (25.75%) of patients with hematological malignancies, the majority of these patients (15/66, 22.72%), having their risk stratification upgraded with a resulting change in treatment of 14 patients. This study highlights the ability of OGM to detect rare, cryptic and clinically relevant variants that potentially impact disease diagnosis, risk stratification and actionable treatment targets.

Initial evaluations of the System of Rice Intensification in India and elsewhere have mainly fo-cused on its impact on yield and income and have usually covered just one or two seasons. Re-searchers at the ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research conducted a more comprehensive evalua-tion of SRI methods over six years (six wet and six dry seasons), comparing these methods with three other rice crop management systems: modified, partially mechanized SRI (MSRI); direct-seeded rice (DSR); and normal transplanting with inundated fields (NTP). SRI grain yield was found to be about 50% higher than with NTP (6.35 t ha-1 vs 4.27 t ha-1), while the MSRI yield was essentially the same (6.34 t ha-1) and 16% higher than with DSR (5.45 t ha-1). Compared to NTP, SRI methods significantly enhanced soil microbial populations over time, bacteria by 12%, fungi by 8%, and actinomycetes by 20%. Indicators of biological activity in the rhizosphere were also higher, dehydrogenase by 8.5% and FDA enzymes by 16%. Glucosidase activity, an indicator of soil organic matter, was 78% higher. Relative to normal transplanting methods, SRI reduced GHG emissions by 21%, while DSR reduced them by 23% and MSRI by 13%, which indicated pos-itive effects of the alternate and improved methods over normal transplanting. Economic analy-sis showed that both gross and net economic returns to be higher with SRI than with MSRI and the other management systems evaluated. While the six-year study documented many ad-vantages of SRI crop management, the MSRI version evaluated is a promising adaptation that provide similar benefits but with lower labor requirements.

Metabolomics analysis generates vast arrays of data, necessitating comprehensive workflows involving expertise in analytics, biochemistry and bioinformatics, in order to provide coherent and high-quality data that enables discovery of robust and biologically significant metabolic findings. In this protocol article, we introduce NoTaMe, an analytical workflow for non-targeted metabolic profiling approaches utilizing liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis. We provide an overview of lab protocols and statistical methods that we commonly practice for the analysis of nutritional metabolomics data. The paper is divided into three main sections: the first and second sections introducing the background and the study designs available for metabolomics research, and the third section describing in detail the steps of the main methods and protocols used to produce, preprocess and statistically analyze metabolomics data, and finally to identify and interpret the compounds that have emerged as interesting.

Background: Early diagnosis of postoperative complications is an urgent task, allowing timely prescribing of appropriate therapy and reducing the cost of patient treatment. Prognostic models based on various data could help in the early diagnosis of postoperative complications after cardiac surgery. Objectives: The purpose of the study was to determine whether an integrated approach based on clinical data along with metabolites and biomarkers had greater predictive value than the models built on less data. Methods: The study included patients (n=62) admitted for planned cardiac surgery (coronary artery bypass grafting with cardiopulmonary bypass), who were retrospectively divided into two groups depending on the presence (n=26) or absence (n=36) of postoperative complications of all types. Clinical and laboratory data on the first day after surgery were analyzed. Additionally, patients' blood samples were collected before and on the first day after surgery to determine biomarkers (interleukin-6, procalcitonin, NT-proBNP, high-sensitivity troponin T) and metabolites (8 aromatic and 2 dicarboxylic acids were detected using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry). Results: Patients before surgery, compared with healthy donors, differed in the concentration of metabolites (p &lt; 0.05), and had concentrations of a number of biomarkers exceeding the corresponding reference values. Multivariate PLS-DA models, predicting the presence or absence of postoperative complications, were built using clinical data (ROC-AUC=0.71), concentrations of metabolites and biomarkers (ROC-AUC=0.60), and the entire data set (ROC-AUC=0.75). For comparison we built univariate models using the EuroScore2 (ROC-AUC=0.59) and SOFA (ROC-AUC=0.76) scales; concentrations of lactate (ROC-AUC=0.71), the dynamic changes of 4-hydroxyphenyllactic acid (ROC-AUC=0.69), and the sum of three sepsis-associated metabolites (ROC-AUC=0.70). The proposed complex model using entire data set was comparable to the SOFA scale, which confirms the expediency of searching for new predictive models based on a variety of factors.

Milk serves as a crucial source of natural bioactive compounds essential for human nutrition and health. The gastrointestinal digestion of milk proteins releases various biologically active peptides that positively impact human health and enhance physiological performance. With the growing production of cheese, Greek yogurt, and other dairy products, the volume of unutilized acid whey is significantly increasing. Acid whey, containing almost all whey proteins and approximately one-quarter of casein, presents a valuable raw material for generating peptides with potential health benefits. These peptides exhibit properties such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, antihypertensive, antithrombotic, opioid, mineral-binding, and growth-stimulating activities, contributing to improved human immunity and the treatment of chronic diseases. Enzymatic hydrolysis of milk proteins has been developed as a method to produce these peptides, facilitating their use in food fortification. To incorporate whey into functional beverages, it undergoes fermentation by lactic acid bacteria with proteolytic activity. To specifically enrich these beverages with peptides exhibiting targeted bioactivities, it is essential to select lactic acid bacteria strains possessing the requisite protease profiles. Additionally, the sensory properties of the final product can be enhanced using starter cultures with diverse metabolic capabilities, even in the absence of added flavoring agents. Given the imperative to develop waste-free technologies and enhance the profitability of the dairy industry, there is a growing need to efficiently utilize and transform acid whey into a broad spectrum of valuable products and food additives. This approach is justified not only by the nutritional benefits of the bioactive components in whey but also by the commercial potential of safe and health-enhancing products.

The paper focuses on the application of a multilevel, integrative and territorial approach to the protection of cultural heritage through planning instruments in Serbia. It points out the problems of the sectoral approach and discusses international recommendations that can be integrated into the planning methodology. The case study is the area of Djerdap National Park, which has an already established international and national importance. The research suggests that the cultural heritage in the area, with the exception of the Roman limes, is still recognized at the level of individual localities. The study emphasizes the importance of aligning all levels of governance to safeguard the whole spatial entity rather than focusing solely on its particular areas. The interna-tional and national importance of the planning area contributes to the strengthening of awareness of heritage and its institutional protection. However, the vitality of the area, which is key to its sustainable development, comes from the local level. Planning documents contribute to the inte-gration of local values and local communities into development programs and projects.

In order to shorten the detection time and improve the average precision on embedded devices, A lightweight and high accuracy model is proposed for passion fruit in complex environments (backlight, occlusion, overlap, sunny, cloudy, rainy). Firstly, replacing the backbone network of YOLOv5 with a lightweight GhostNet model reduces the number of parameters and computation while improving detection speed. Secondly, a new feature branch is added to the GhostNet network, and the feature fusion layer in the neck network is reconstructed to effectively combine the lower-level and higher-level features, which not only improves the accuracy of the model but also maintains its lightweight. Finally, the knowledge distillation methods are used to transfer the knowledge from the more capable teacher model to the less capable student model, which significantly improving the detection accuracy. The improved model is denoted as G-YOLO-NK. The average accuracy of the G-YOLO-NK network is 96.00%, which is 1.00% higher than the original YOLOv5s model. Furthermore, the improved model size is 7.14MB, reduced to half of the original model, and the real-time detection frame rate is 11.25 FPS on the Jetson Nano. Compared to the state-of-the-art model, the proposed model outperforms them in terms of average precision and detection performance. The present work provides an effective model for real-time detection of passion fruits in complex orchard scenes, which can provide valuable technical support for the development of orchard picking robots and greatly improve the intelligence level of orchards.

The impact of interaction SS with MJO on rainfall along Java Island to East Nusa Tenggara has been studied using daily rainfall observation data from 2140 weather observation stations, which are also equipped with GSMaP, OLR, and ERA5 data. There were 61 SS events found, 17 during active MJO and 44 in inactive MJO. Rainfall increases more in the western study area when the active MJO and more in the eastern study area when the inactive MJO is due to SS. SS reduces rainfall in the Jakarta region, regardless of the activity or inactivity of the MJO. SS causes extreme rainfall to only occur in a small part of certain areas, so it tends to significantly reduce the possibility of extreme rainfall. In the southern part of the IMC, SS predominates over MJO in supporting increased water vapor transport. Large-scale synoptic circulations like the monsoon, SS, and MJO can interact with local land-sea wind circulation to produce spatiotemporal variability in rainfall on Java Island. Rainfall mostly increases in the afternoon and decreases in the morning when SS occurs, whether there is MJO or not. Convective instability analysis indicates that SS increases precipitation, most likely by lowering CIN and raising VIMFC.

The Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (SLAM) scanner is an easy and portable Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) data acquisition device. Its main output is a 3D point cloud covering the scanned scene. Regarding the importance of accuracy in the survey domain, this paper aims to assess the accuracy of two SLAM scanners: the NavVis VLX and the BLK2GO Scanner. This assessment is conducted for both outdoor and indoor environments. In this context, two types of reference data are used: the Total Station (TS) and the static scanner Z+F Imager 5016. To carry out the assessment, four comparisons are tested: cloud to cloud, cloud to mesh, mesh to mesh, and edge detection board assessment. However, the results of the assessments confirm that the accuracy of indoor SLAM scanner measurements (5 mm) is greater than that of outdoor ones (between 10 mm and 60 mm). Moreover, the comparison of cloud to cloud provides the best accuracy regarding direct accuracy measurement without manipulations. Finally, based on the high accuracy, scanning speed, flexibility, and the accuracy differences between tested cases, it is confirmed that SLAM scanners are effective tools for data acquisition.

In recent years, electroencephalogram (EEG) emotion recognition has emerged as a research hotspot in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). Despite advancements in EEG-based emotion recognition, room for enhancing performance persists due to EEG signal redundancy and limitations in feature extraction, leading to inefficient models and emotional information loss. To fully utilize EEG's emotional information and improve recognition accuracy while reducing computational costs, this paper proposes a Convolutional-Recurrent Hybrid Network with a dual-stream adaptive approach and an attention mechanism (CSA-SA-CRTNN). Firstly, the model utilizes a CSAM module to assign corresponding weights to EEG channels. Then, an adaptive dual-stream convolutional-recurrent network (SA-CRNN and MHSA-CRNN) is applied to extract local spatial-temporal features. After that, the extracted local features are concatenated and fed into a temporal convolutional network with a multi-head self-attention mechanism (MHSA-TCN) to capture global information. Finally, the extracted EEG information is used for emotion classification. We conducted binary and ternary classification experiments on the DEAP dataset, achieving 99.26% and 99.15% accuracy for arousal and valence in binary classification, and 97.69% and 98.05% in ternary classification, surpassing relevant algorithms. Additionally, the model's efficiency is significantly higher than other models, achieving better accuracy with lower resource consumption.

Glycosidic linkage analysis was conducted on the unfractionated polysaccharides in the alcohol-insoluble residues (AIRs) prepared from six red seaweeds (Gracilariopsis sp., Prionitis sp., Mastocarpus papillatus, Callophyllis sp., Mazzaella splendens, and Palmaria palmata) using GC-MS/FID analysis of partially methylated alditol acetates (PMAAs). The cell walls of P. palmata primarily contained mixed-linkage xylans and small amounts of sulfated galactans and cellulose. In contrast, the unfractionated polysaccharides of the other five species were rich in galactans displaying diverse 3,6-anhydro-galactose and galactose linkages with varied sulfation patterns. Different levels of cellulose were also observed. This glycosidic linkage method offers advantages for cellulose analysis over traditional monosaccharide analysis that is known for underrepresenting glucose in crystalline cellulose. Relative linkage compositions calculated from GC-MS and GC-FID measurements showed that anhydro sugar linkages generated more response in the latter detection method. This improved linkage workflow presents a useful tool for studying polysaccharide structural variations across red seaweed species. Furthermore, for the first time, relative linkage compositions from GC-MS and GC-FID measurements, along with normalized FID and total ion current (TIC) chromatograms without peak assignments, were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA) as a proof-of-concept demonstration of the technique's potential to differentiate various red seaweed species.

Background: Educating college students about the importance of good sleep habits could lead to the adoption of healthier sleep routines, including sufficient sleep duration and sleep quality. The current pre-post study examines the impact of completing a sleep education program called “Sleep 101” on (1) sleep hygiene practices, (2) sleep quality, and (3) weekday and weekend sleep behaviors among college students. “Sleep 101” is an interactive online course developed to educate college students about the importance of sleep by addressing basic sleep physiology, the impact of sleep on mood, academic and physical performance, the interactions between sleep and various substances, and common sleep disorders. Methods: 338 college students were recruited from a midsized public university in the US and invited to participate in “Sleep 101”, of which 25 participants completed the baseline and post-intervention questionnaire. The Sleep Hygiene Index (SHI) was utilized to evaluate sleep hygiene practices, while standard questions were employed to assess weekday and weekend sleep behaviors and overall sleep quality. Results: Those who completed the study demonstrated a significant increase in weekday sleep duration and were less likely to engage in negative prior bedtime activities. In addition, 40% of those who completed baseline and post-intervention assessments noticed improvements in their sleep quality. Conclusion: These findings suggest that a brief online program is beneficial in improving sleep behaviors among college and could be a scalable approach to addressing current sleep issues and preventing future sleep problems in college students.

The profile of secondary metabolites occurring in apple cuticular layer is not only characteristic for particular apple cultivar, but also dynamically reflects various external factors in growing environment. In this study, the possibility to authenticate apple samples based on analysis of their cuticular layer extracts was investigated. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS/MS) was employed for obtaining metabolomic fingerprints. In total, 274 authentic apple samples, four cultivars harvested within the seasons 2020 to 2022 in the Czech Republic and Poland were analysed. The generated complex data processed by univariate and multivariate statistical methods enabled to build classification models for discrimination of apple cultivars as well as their geographical origin. The models showed very good performance in differentiation of Czech and Polish samples for three of four cultivars: ‘Gala’, ‘Golden Delicious’ and ‘Idared’, moreover, the validity of the models was verified over harvest seasons. The diagnostic markers, besides metabolites of triterpene biosynthetic pathway, mainly represented wax esters. ‘Jonagold’, which is known to be susceptible to mutations, was the only cultivar for which the unambiguous classification of geographical origin was not possible.

Superior fiber quality is one of the most important objectives in cotton breeding. To detect the genetic basis underlying fiber quality, an F2 population containing 413 plants was constructed by crossing Jifeng 914 and Jifeng 173, both of which have superior fiber quality, with Jifeng 173 being better. Five fiber quality traits were investigated in the F2, F2:3, F2:4, and F2:5 populations. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping was conducted based on a high-density genetic map containing 11,488 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and spanning 4,202.12 cM in length. Transgressive segregation patterns and complex correlations in the five tested traits were observed. A total of 108 QTLs were found, including 27 for fiber length (FL), 16 for fiber strength (FS), 24 for micronaire (MC), 17 for fiber uniformity (FU), and 24 for fiber elongation rate (FE). Chromosome A7 contained 12 QTL, ranking the first. No QTL was found on chromosome D1 and D11. Each QTL contributed 1.98%–21.45% to the phenotypic variation (PV), including 13 major effect QTLs that contributed more than 10% toward PV. Two QTLs could be repeatedly detected in three populations, including qFL-D3-2 in F2, F2:4, and F2:5 with 9.18%–21.45% of PV, qFS-A11-1 in F2:3, F2:4 and F2:5 with 6.05%–10.41% of PV. Another seven stable QTLs could be detected in two populations, including four major effect QTLs: qFL-A12-3, qFS-D10-2, qMC-D6-2, and qMC-D8-1. Fourteen QTL-overlapping regions were found, which might explain the complex correlations among the five phenotypic traits. Four regions on chromosome A11, D3, D6, and D10 covered by both stable and major effect QTLs are promising for further fine mapping. The genomic regions of the two QTLs detected in three populations and the four major effect QTLs contain 810 genes. Gene functional analysis revealed that the annotated genes are mainly involved in protein binding and metabolic pathways. Fifteen candidate genes in the qFL-D3-2 region are highly expressed in fiber or ovules during fiber initiation, elongation, secondary cell wall thickening, or maturation stages. qRT-PCR revealed that Ghir_D03G005440.1 and Ghir_D03G011310.1 may play a role in promoting fiber initiation, Ghir_D03G006470.1 may be beneficial for promoting fiber elongation. This study provides more information for revealing the molecular genetic basis underlying cotton fiber quality.

Currently there are fewer depth models applied to pepper picking detection, while the existing generalized neural networks have problems such as large model parameters, long training time, and low model accuracy.In order to solve the above problems, this paper proposes a Yolo-chili target detection algorithm for chili pepper detection. First, the classical target detection algorithm yolov5 is used as a benchmark model, and an adaptive spatial feature pyramid structure combining the attention mechanism and the idea of multi-scale prediction is introduced to improve the model's detection effect on occluded peppers and small target peppers. Secondly, a three-channel attention mechanism module is introduced to improve the algorithm's long-distance recognition ability and reduce the interference of redundant testers. Finally, the quantized pruning method is used to reduce the model parameters and realize the lightweight processing of the model. Applying the method to the homemade chili pepper dataset, the AP value of chili pepper reaches 93.11%; the accuracy rate is 93.51% and the recall rate is 92.55%.The experimental results show that yolo-chili is able to achieve accurate and real-time pepper detection under complex orchards.

The temporary immersion system bioreactor named GreenTray®[2], [3]presents advantages over the existing ones. Firstly, there is no need to use forceps to move the shoots or plantlets in or out of the recipient, neither the use of scalpel to divide them. Secondly, the basis of the shoot can remain in the GreenTray® and can sprout again in several cycles of growth. These two characteristics reduce the costs in the process of micropropagation. Besides, shoots or plantlets development is enhanced by the aeration of the recipient, thus enriching with CO2 the recipient atmosphere. The chapter describes and provides images and values of interest in (1) the micropropagation process of some commercial Prunus or Pyrus rootstocks; (2) the plantlet growth under autotrophic conditions; and (2) the inoculation of plants with pathogens that reproduce in vitro the symptoms observed in vivo, using the GreenTray® bioreactor.

Aiming at the problems of inaccurate segmentation of long object and information loss of small object in real-time semantic segmentation algorithm, this paper proposes a lightweight multi-branch real-time semantic segmentation network based on BiseNetV2. The new auxiliary branch makes full use of spatial details and context information to cover the long object in the field of view. Meanwhile, in order to ensure the inference speed of the model, the asymmetric convolution is used in each stage of the auxiliary branch to design a structure with low computational complexity. In the multi-branch fusion stage, the alignment and fusion module is designed to provide guidance information for deep and shallow feature mapping, so as to make up for the problem of feature misalignment in the fusion of information at different scales, and thus reduce the loss of small target information. In order to further improve the model’s awareness of key information, a global context module is designed to capture the most important features in the input data. The proposed network uses NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU experiment, on the road street view data set Cityscapes and CamVid average occurring simultaneously ratio reached 77.1% and 78.4% respectively, with running speed of 127 frames/s respectively and 112 frames/s. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can achieve real-time segmentation and improve the accuracy significantly, showing good semantic segmentation performance

Strawberry root rot caused by Neopestalotiopsis clavispora is one of the main diseases of strawberry and significantly impacts the yield and quality of strawberry fruit. There are now no effective control techniques available except for fungicide sprays, which may directly impact consumers. Biological control is becoming an alternative method for the control of plant diseases to replace or decrease the application of traditional synthetic chemical fungicides. Trichoderma is widely used as a biological agent for controlling strawberry root rot. In order to provide resources for screening the highly effective biocontrol fungus for controlling strawberry root rot caused by Neopestalotiopsis clavispora, the biocontrol mechanism,the control effects of Trichoderma asperellum CMT10 against strawberry root rot and growth-promoting effects on strawberry seedlings were investigated by plate culture, microscopy observation and root drenching methods.The results showed that CMT10 had obvious competitive, antibiotic and hyperparasitism effects on Neopestalotiopsis clavispora CMGF3. The CMT10 could quickly occupy nutritional space, and the inhibition rates of CMT10 against CMGF3 in confrontation culture on 7 d was 65.49%. The inhibition rates of volatile metabolite and fermentation metabolite produced by CMT10 against CMGF3 were 79.67% and 69.84%, respectively. The mycelium of strain CMT10 can act as hyperparasites by making contacting, winding and penetrating hyphae of CMGF3. Pot experiment showed that the biocontrol efficacy of CMT10 on strawberry root rot caused by Neopestalotiopsis clavispora was 63.00%. CMT10 had obvious promotion effect on strawberry growth, the plant height, root length, total fresh weight, root fresh weight, stem fresh weight and root dry weight, with the promotion rates were 20.09%, 22.39%, 87.11%, 101.58%, 79.82% and 72.33%, respectively. Overall, this study showed the ability of Trichoderma asperellum CMT10 to control strawberry root rot and their potential to develop as novel biocontrol agents to replace chemical fungicides for eco-friendly, sustainable agriculture.

In this paper we study a class of impulsive delayed neural networks with parameter uncertainties and reaction-diffusion terms. Using the properties of M-matrices and some inequality techniques, some sufficient conditions are derived to guarantee the global exponential stability of the given system. The results obtained are presented by simple algebraic inequalities, which are certainly more concise than previous methods. Finally, the validity and usefulness of our results are illustrated by arithmetic examples.

Pyrops candelaria is one of the common pests of fruit trees, but the research on the pathogenic microorganisms it may carry is very limited. Therefore, it is essential to reveal the pathogenic microbes it carries and their potential hazards. This study found a new virus from the transcriptome of P. candelaria, which was first reported in P. candelaria and named as PyCaV (Pyrops candelaria associated virus). RACE and bioinformatics assay revealed that the full-length of PyCaV is 10855 bp with the polyA tail, containing a single open reading frame (ORF) encoding a polyprotein consisting of 3171 amino acid (aa). The virus has a typical Iflavirus structure, including two rhv domains, a RNA helicase domain (HEL), a 3C cysteine protease domain (Pro), and a RNA-dependent RNA polymerase domain (RdRp). Further phylogenetic analysis revealed that this virus belongs to family Iflaviridae and sequence alignements analysis suggedted PyCaV is new member in unassigned genus of family Iflaviridae. Further in-depth analysis of virus-infection-part showed that PyCaV is distributing in the whole longan lanternfly, including its head, chest, and abdomen, but more PyCaV was identified in the chest. The distribution of PyCaV in different parts of P. candelaria was further explored, which showed that more PyCaV were detected in its piercing-sucking mouthparts and chest viscera. Statistical analysis showed that the PyCaV infection was affected by time and locations.