Aim: This analytical cross-sectional study aimed to examine whether there is a correlation between tumor differentiation and certain biomarkers in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: Poorly differentiated (n=443), moderately differentiated (n=379), and well-differentiated (n=272) tumors were separated from the research population, along with a control group (n=364). Biopsies were used to establish the presence of HCC, and biomarker levels were analyzed using chemiluminescence immunoassays in both infected and uninfected individuals. Results: The correlation between age and tumor size was shown to be statistically significant (p0.05) across all subgroups using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Patients with hepatitis C virus and non-A, non-B hepatitis had more advanced tumors than those with other types of poorly differentiated liver cancer. Similarly, individuals with HBsAg and moderate differentiation had bigger tumors, although there was no correlation between hepatitis C and non-A, non-B. Patients with HBsAg or hepatitis C had bigger tumors in the well-differentiated group, albeit the hepatitis C connection was not statistically significant. In addition, the study stressed that tumor size increases with age and that farmers were the most commonly diagnosed profession category. Conclusions: It is clear that early detection in infected populations is crucial for improving HCC outcomes and that chemiluminescence immunoassay has the potential to be a helpful platform for biomarker research. However, the study is limited by its small sample size and its emphasis on only three tumor markers, indicating that more biomarker research is required to improve the accuracy of HCC diagnosis and prognosis.

Cyanobacterial mass developments in eutrophic ponds and lakes are a major concern for lake management, as many cyanobacteria produce a huge variety of toxic secondary metabolites, e.g. microcystins. The aim of this research was to culture a strain of the cyanobacterium Microcystis sp strain BM25, to observe its biomass production and to isolate and purify protease inhibitors from this cyanobacterial biomass. Different secondary metabolites were isolated following a standard bioassay-guideline. Isolation was performed, with an enzymatic protease assay as bioassay. High performance liquid chromatography was used to identify different fractions of secondary metabolite from the strain BM25. Moreover, protease homogenates were isolated from Daphnia magna in order to test the inhibitors against naturally occurring major digestive proteases trypsin and chymotrypsin. It was measured that 60% MeOH and the 80% MeOH C18-SPE fraction inhibits chymotrypsin activity 98% (6 nmol pNA min^-1 mg^-1) and 99 % (4 nmol pNA min^-1 mg^-1), respectively. In contrast, trypsin activity was not inhibited by methanolic extracts of this cyanobacterium strain.

Wind energy is becoming an essential source of power for countries which have the aim to reduce greenhouse gases emission and mitigate the effects of global warming. The Wind Turbines (WTs) installed around the globe is increasing significantly every year. The dramatic increase in wind power has encountered quite a few challenges, among which the major issues are availability and reliability. The unexpected failure in WTs Gearbox (GB) ultimately increases the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) cost. The identification of faults in the earlier stages before it turns to catastrophic damage to other components of WT is crucial. This research deals with the prediction of WT failures by using a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system. The main aim is to forecast the temperature of the WTs GB to predict the impending overheating of the GB at an early stage. The earlier prediction will help to optimize the maintenance period and to save maintenance expenses and, even more important, generate warnings in due time to avoid major damages or even technical disasters. In the proposed method we compared six different machine learning (ML) models based on error and accuracy of prediction. The bagging regressor is the best ML model, which results in the mean square error of 0.33 and R of 99.8 on training data. The bagging regressor is then used to predict the fault in the WT GB, which detected the anomalous behavior of WT GB 59 days earlier than the actual failure. This model also detects the extremely unusual behavior of the GB 9 days earlier than a complete failure.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the most prevailing neurodegenerative diseases in the world, which is characterized by memory dysfunction and the formation of tau and amyloid β (Aβ) aggregate in multiple brain regions, including the hippocampus and cortex. The formation of senile plaques involving tau hyperphosphorylation, fibrillar Aβ, and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) are used as pathological markers of AD, and eventually produces aggregation or misfolded protein. Importantly, it has been found that failure to degrade these aggregate-prone proteins leads to pathological consequences, such as synaptic impairment, cytotoxicity, neuronal atrophy, and memory deficits associated with AD. Recently, increasing evidences have been suggested that autophagy pathway plays a role as a central cellular protection system to prevent the toxicity induced by aggregate or misfolded proteins. Moreover, it has also been related that AD-related protein aggresomes could be selectively degraded by autophagosome and lysosomal fusion through autophagy pathway which is known as aggrephagy. Therefore, the regulation of autophagy might be served as a useful approach to modulate the formation of aggresome associated in AD. This review focuses on the recent improvements in the application of natural compounds and small molecules as a potential therapeutic approach for AD prevention and treatment via aggrephagy.

The principal goal of this current study was to isolate a new potential probiotic strain to prepare contamination-free probiotic dahi in a dosage form with desired shelf life. To achieve our target, firstly, probiotic dahi was prepared by a probiotic strain, Lactobacillus acidophilus JB2CON (OM909067) (identified by 16S sequencing) isolated from natural dahi in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The isolate showed five probiotic features by in vitro test and had an antagonistic effect against five different pathogens. More interestingly, it inhibited Escherichia coli (diameter of zone of inhibition = 15.75±0.35) the most. In the time-kill analysis method, E. coli was killed totally within 5.50 hours of fermentation. Finally, the time duration of 14 days was an ideal shelf life, because the probiotic count increased but a slight change in pH did not affect the taste (sourness/acidity) of dahi. The most significant impact of this research is that the probiotic dahi of our experiment might be used as a cheap option for preventing pathogenic Escherichia coli-related foodborne diseases worldwide, especially in underdeveloped countries like Bangladesh.

In this work, a highly efficient, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) based near infrared (NIR) heterojunction photodetector is fabricated on a Si substrate using a cost-effective and simple drop casting method. A non-stoichiometric and inhomogeneous MoS2 layer with a S/Mo ratio of 2.02 is detected using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and field emission scanning electron microscope analysis. Raman shifts are noticed at 382.42 cm-1 and 407.97 cm-1, validating MoS2 thin film growth with a direct bandgap of 2.01 eV. The fabricated n-MoS2/p-Si photodetector is illuminated with a 785 nm laser at different intensities, and demonstrate the ability of the photodetector to work in both regions, the forward biased and reverse biased from above 1.5 V and less than -1.0 V. The highest responsivity, R is calculated to be 0.52 A/W while the detectivity D* is 4.08 x 10^10 Jones for an incident light intensity of 9.57 mW/cm2. The minimum rise and fall times are calculated as 1.77 ms and 1.31 ms for an incident laser power of 9.57 mW/cm^2 and 6.99 mW/cm^2 respectively at a direct current bias voltage of 10 V. The demonstrated results are promising for the low-cost fabrication of a thin MoS2 film for photonics and optoelectronic device applications.

Autophagy refers to the degradation of cytoplasmic constituents by a lysosomal-mediated pathway, which plays a critical role in maintaining cellular homeostasis. Importantly, dysregulation of autophagy has been implicated in multiple neurodegenerative disorders. Previous studies reported that autophagy affects the processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP), thus stimulating β‐amyloid (Aβ) production in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) eventually. Although the mechanism of autophagy modulation on APP processing and its pathogenesis has not yet been fully elucidated at the molecular level, but modulation of autophagy has received considerable attention as a promising approach for the treatment of AD. In the early stage of AD, Aβ may prompt autophagy to facilitate its removal via mTOR‐independent as well as-dependent pathways. However, a recent study proposed that autophagy processes are not properly regulated as AD continues to progress, and consequently, the production of Aβ tends to accumulate rapidly. Meanwhile, a number of autophagy-related genes (Atg) as well as APP genes are also thought to influence the development of AD, which may serve as a bi‐directional link to autophagy and AD pathology. In this review, we summarized current observations related to autophagy regulation and APP processing, focusing on their dynamic modifications associated with the progression of AD. Recent findings together highlight the essential role of autophagy in the removal and clearance of APP and Aβ deposition in the pathological condition of AD.

This analysis examines the wide range of occupational and environmental health risks that affect people in diverse settings. This article emphasizes the importance of conducting exposure and risk assessments to safeguard public health by analyzing various hazards, including arsenic, oil accidents, lead, welding fumes, and mycotoxins. Various methodologies are utilized in these research articles to conduct the study, emphasizing hazard identification, exposure assessment, and risk characterization. The results uncover harmful substances, vulnerable demographics, and occupational duties linked to increased hazards. The report suggests various mitigation strategies, such as targeted interventions, enhanced community efforts, and improved exposure estimates. Notwithstanding the constraints identified in certain studies, the review emphasizes the necessity for continuous investigation to improve assessments of exposure, comprehend the cumulative effects, and examine the wider societal consequences. The significance of sector-specific risk assessments, protective measures, and ongoing monitoring is underscored to ensure mental and physical health protection.

Microplastic contamination, defined as plastic particles less than 5 mm in size, has become a major global environmental concern. This study synthesizes findings from carefully chosen studies undertaken in a variety of geographical areas and ecosystems, offering light on the multifaceted issues posed by microplastic pollution. These articles show the global prevalence of microplastics in both land and marine ecosystems. Seasonal fluctuations in microplastic abundance highlight the cyclical nature of this pollution, with larger amounts being reported during the summer months. Tourism, industrialization, and urbanization have all been highlighted as significant contributors to microplastic contamination, stressing the impact of man-made influences. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have been identified as hotspots for microplastic release into aquatic habitats, emphasizing the need for enhanced treatment procedures. Because microplastics can build up in the food chain, it underlines the possible health problems connected with microplastic pollution for both aquatic creatures and human consumers. Longitudinal studies, geographical variety, in-depth health and ecological impact evaluations, standardization, and effective mitigation methods should be prioritized in future studies. To address this worldwide issue, interdisciplinary collaboration among scientists, health professionals, politicians, and industrial stakeholders is required.

The important topic of climate change is discussed in this article, with a focus on the historical background and present effects. It draws attention to the differences between climate change and global warming and attributes the faster pace of climate change to human activity, specifically the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Agricultural practices, deforestation, and the combustion of fossil fuels are examined in conjunction with natural contributors like volcanic emissions. There is discussion of the far-reaching effects of climate change, such as increased temperatures, rising sea levels, harsh weather, and effects on water supplies. The article emphasizes how crucial it is to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change by putting in place climate-resilient infrastructure, switching to renewable energy sources, and lowering greenhouse gas emissions. While recognizing the difficulties involved, it examines several approaches, including nuclear energy, wind power, carbon capture and storage, and green building techniques. To successfully address the global challenge of climate change, the conclusion emphasizes the urgent need for joint efforts by scientists, environmentalists, communities, and governments.

Lump sum contracts are specific contracts used in the construction industry to give owners financial certainty and decrease risk while incentivizing contractors to finish projects on schedule and within budget. This article discusses the usage of lump sum contracts in construction projects, covering the types of projects appropriate for lump sum contracts, critical considerations for entering a lump sum contract, and the tender and preliminary expenses involved. The article also covers lump sum contracts' benefits and drawbacks and how owners and contractors allocate risk. Finally, the difficulties of implementing lump sum contracts, such as potential disagreements over scope changes and quality issues, are investigated. In general, lump sum contracts can be a valuable tool for managing construction projects, but their execution necessitates careful planning and collaboration to ensure successful completion.

Rhenium Disulfide (ReS2) has evolved as a novel 2D transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMD) material which has promising applications in optoelectronics and photonics because of its distinctive anisotropic attributes. In this review, we emphasize on formulating saturable absorbers (SAs) based on ReS2 to produce Q-switched and mode-locked pulsed lasers of diverse operation wavelengths like 1 μm, 1.5 μm, 2 μm, and 3 μm. We outline ReS2 synthesis techniques and integration platforms concerning solid-state and fiber-type lasers. We discuss the laser performance based on SAs attributes. Lastly, we draw conclusions and outlook by recommending additional improvements for SA devices so as to advance the domain of ultrafast photonic technology.

In the construction business, which is known for its intricate and strategic nature, it is crucial to have efficient risk management in place. This is because various internal and external elements can cause disruptions to projects. Although the industry has had a historically negative reputation for risk analysis, the methodical process of identifying, analyzing, and managing risks has been more widely recognized and respected. This paper examines the historical progression of construction risk management, highlighting the need to identify and classify risks promptly. The study examines various risk factors related to finance, law, environment, and logistics. The study explores various risk management strategies, such as contract management, risk distribution, evaluation, mitigation, and sharing. The article discusses the significant impact of risk management software, such as Procore, PlanGrid, e-Builder, Autodesk BIM 360, and Oracle Primavera, on improving project results. The study finishes by highlighting the importance of proactive risk management in protecting against financial losses and maintaining a reputation in the construction business.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the most prevailing neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by memory dysfunction and the presence of hyperphosphorylated tau and amyloid β (Aβ) aggregate in multiple brain regions, including the hippocampus and cortex. The exact etiology of AD has not yet been confirmed. However, epidemiological reports suggest that populations who were exposed to environmental hazards are more likely to develop AD than those who were not. Arsenic (As) is a naturally occurring environmental risk factor abundant in the Earth’s crust and human exposure to As predominantly occurs through drinking water. Convincing evidence suggests that As causes neurotoxicity and impairs memory and cognition although the hypothesis and molecular mechanism of As-associated pathobiology in AD are not clear yet. However, exposure to As and its metabolites leads to various pathogenic events such as oxidative stress, inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunctions, ER stress, apoptosis, impaired protein homeostasis, and abnormal calcium signaling. Evidence has indicated that As exposure induces alterations that coincide with most of the biochemical, pathological, and clinical developments of AD. Here, we overview existing literature to gain insights into the plausible mechanisms that underlie As-induced neurotoxicity and the subsequent neurological deficits in AD. Prospective strategies for the prevention and management of arsenic exposure and neurotoxicity have also been discussed.

By using Modified simple equation method, we study the Cahn Allen equation which arises in many scientific applications such as mathematical biology, quantum mechanics and plasma physics. As a result, the existence of solitary wave solutions of the Cahn Allen equation is obtained. Exact explicit solutions interms of hyperbolic solutions of the associated Cahn Allen equation are characterized with some free parameters. Finally, the variety of structure and graphical representation make the dynamics of the equations visible and provides the mathematical foundation in mathematical biology, quantum mechanics and plasma physics.

The inclusion of spent hemp biomass (SHB), an extracted byproduct from industrial cannabidiol (CBD) production, in the diets of dairy cows and lambs appear to be safe with minor effects on the metabolism, including a decrease of circulating cholesterol and increase bilirubinemia, both associated with liver metabolism. Those effects could be consequence of the presence of cannabinoids, particularly Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and CBD in the SHB. This study aimed to study the transcriptional profile of the liver of dairy cows and lambs fed SHB. Dairy cows received SHB or alfalfa pellet for four weeks of intervention (IP) and four weeks of withdrawal periods (WP). Finishing lambs were fed a control diet (CON), 10% (LH2) or 20% (HH2) SHB for 2 months or 1 month followed by 1-month SHB withdrawal (LH1 and HH1, respectively). RNA sequencing was performed, and the mRNA was annotated using the latest reference genomes. The RNAseq data were filtered, normalized for library size and composition, and statistically analyzed by DESeq2. The bioinformatic analysis was performed by using DAVID, Gene Set Enrichment (GSE) analysis, and the Dynamic Impact Approach. Using a 0.2 FDR cut-off, we identified only ≤24 differentially expressed genes (DEG) in the liver by feeding SHB in dairy cows and a larger number of DEG in lambs (from 71 in HH1 vs. CON to 552 in LH1 vs. CON). The KEGG analysis demonstrated that feeding SHB in dairy cows and lambs had relatively minor to moderate metabolic alterations in dairy cows and lambs mainly associated with amino acids and lipid metabolism whereas cholesterol synthesis was overall activated in lambs. GSE analysis identified activation of PPAR signaling pathway only in dairy cows. We found an opposite effect on activation of metabolism of drug and xenobiotics by cytochrome P450 enzymes in dairy cows and lambs receiving less SHB but an inhibition in HH2 lambs. Immune system-related pathways were inhibited by feeding SHB in lambs, but the impact was minor. Cumulatively, inclusion of SHB containing cannabinoids in dairy and lambs demonstrate very little effects on the alteration of transcriptomic profile of the liver.

In the face of the burgeoning electricity demands and the imperative for sustainable development amidst rapid industrialization, this study introduces a dynamic and adaptable framework suitable for policy-makers and renewable energy experts working on integrating and optimizing renewable energy solutions. While using a case study representative model for Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to demonstrate the challenges and opportunities present in introducing optimization methods to bridge power supply deficits and the scalability of the model to other regions, this study presents an agile multi-criteria decision tool that pivots on four key development phases, advancing upon established methodologies and pioneering refined computational techniques, to select optimal configurations from a set of Policy Decision Making Metrics (PDM-DPS). Central to this investigation lies a rigorous comparative analysis of variants of three advanced algorithmic approaches: Swarm-Based Multi-objective Particle Swarm Optimization (MOPSO), Decomposition-Based Multi-objective Evolutionary Algorithm (MOEA/D), and Evolutionary-Based Strength Pareto Evolutionary Algorithm (SPEA2). These are applied to a grid-connected hybrid system, evaluated through a comprehensive 8760-hour simulation over a 20-year planning horizon. The evaluation is further enhanced by a set of refined Algorithm Performance Evaluation Metrics (AL-PEM) tailored to the specific constraints. The findings not only underscore the robustness and consistency of the SPEA2 variant over 15 runs of 200 generations each, which ranks first on the AL-PEM scale but also validate the strategic merit of combining multiple technologies and empowering policymakers with a versatile toolkit for informed decision-making.

The Payra River is one of the large coastal rivers in Bangladesh which supports incredible fish species and has been affected by extensive human disturbance due to huge fishing pressure. The present study provides information about the temporal diversity of finfish and shellfish concerning climatological variables and ecological pollution along with threat assessment in the Payra River, Patuakhali. During the entire study, a total of 61 fish species including 56 finfish and 5 shellfish species were recorded under 22 families belonging to 11 orders. The order-wise fish species availability showed that the Perciformes (29.49%) was the dominant order based on species richness. Among them, 4 endangered, 6 vulnerable, 4 near threatened, 42 least concern, and 5 data deficient species were found. During the study period, the average Shannon-Weaver diversity index value was (3.33±0.12) indicates a good spread of fish population in the Payra river. Average Margalef richness index value was found (7.60±0.32), Pielou's evenness index (0.48±0.05), and Simpson dominance index (0.93±0.02) in Payra river. Dominance and Richness index value indicates clear water environment to slight pollution in the Payra river. Ten different kinds of fishing gears were identified under 3 major groups including 5 nets, 3 hooks and lines, and 2 traps. The phytoplanktonic genus and species revealed moderate pollution. Canonical correspondence analysis ordination plot showed that rainfall was the most influencing driving force among the meteorological parameters. The cluster analysis based on the Bray-Curtis similarity matrix showed that the winter season formed a separate cluster. In the recapitulation, the Payra River is a highly productive system that provides a favorable environment for a large variety of finfish and shellfish species assemblages. Findings of the conducted study are expected to be helpful for the respective researchers, policymakers, managers, and conservationists for the sustainable management of this water body and the interconnected surrounding neighboring countries.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by motor deficits and a wide variety of non-motor symptoms. The age of onset, rate of disease progression and the precise profile of motor and non-motor symptoms display considerable individual variation. Neuropathologically, the loss of substantia nigra dopaminergic neurons is a key feature of PD. The vast majority of PD patients exhibit alpha-synuclein aggregates in several brain regions, but there is also great variability in the neuropathology between individuals. While the dopamine replacement therapies can reduce motor symptoms, current therapies do not modify the disease progression. Numerous clinical trials using a wide variety of approaches have failed to achieve disease modification. It has been suggested that the heterogeneity of PD is a major contributing factor to the failure of disease modification trials, and that it is unlikely that a single treatment will be effective in all patients. Precision medicine, using drugs designed to target the pathophysiology in a manner that is specific to each individual with PD, has been suggested as a way forward. PD patients can be stratified according to whether they carry one of the risk variants associated with elevated PD risk. In this review we assess current clinical trials targeting two enzymes, leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) and glucocerebrosidase (GBA), which are encoded by two most common PD risk genes. Because the details of the pathogenic processes coupled to the different LRRK2and GBA risk variants are not fully understood, we ask if these precision medicine-based intervention strategies will prove “precise“ or “personalized“ enough to modify the disease process in PD patients. We also consider at what phases of the disease that such strategies might be effective, in light of the genes being primarily associated with the risk of developing disease in the first place, and less clearly linked to the rate of disease progression. Finally, we critically evaluate the notion that therapies targeting LRRK2 and GBA might be relevant to a wider segment of PD patients, beyond those that actually carry risk variants of these genes.

Hypertension is a frequent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and the prevalence rate is continuously rising. Multiple pathophysiological mechanisms are responsible for hypertension, necessitating a combination of drugs from different classes for best management. Combination therapy is five times more effective in decreasing blood pressure compared to escalating the dose of a single agent. As per the ACCOMPLISH trial analysis, coupling a renin-angiotensin system inhibitor with a calcium channel blocker is more effective than the combination of a renin-angiotensin system inhibitor with diuretics in reducing major cardiovascular events, cardiovascular-related mortality, and the progression of chronic kidney disease. The renin-angiotensin system can be suppressed by inhibiting the angiotensin-converting enzyme or angiotensin type 1 receptor (AT1R), resulting, in decreased vascular smooth muscle contraction, heart performance, and reduced aldosterone synthesis. Calcium channel blockers work by inhibiting L-type calcium channels, reducing heart performance via negative inotropic, chronotropic, and bathmotropic effects, along with reducing vascular smooth muscle contraction. Diuretics exert their antihypertensive impact by changing body fluid volume and electrolytes. Initially, hypertension treatment commences with a single medication but often, different classes of two or more antihypertensive medications are necessary for achieving the target blood pressure goal. Sometimes, for Resistant hypertension four different classes of antihypertensive medications are necessary to reach the target blood pressure goal.

Re-creation of the past of historical buildings sits at the intersection of the spatio-temporal manifestation of cultural memories, socio-cultural meanings, values and identity re-moulds and refines the existing understanding and sense of place. Digital technologies have become a popular tool in re-creation of the past by creating a new body of knowledge and historical discourse based on identifying the gaps within our written histories. Designers and policymakers around the world have been exploring various tools and technologies such as diachronic modelling yet there is a gap in evidence-based understanding regarding the actual functioning and success of application for place making. This paper, therefore, sets out to scrutinise the role of digital technologies in facilitating digital place making. To do so, it investigates the potential of a new “digital heritage” narrative in the revival of the lost architectural narrative of the Dennys Lascelles Wool Store, Geelong. The proposed paper aims to investigate the potential of a new “digital heritage” narrative and story-telling as a means towards digital place making framework. While exploring the new and unique capabilities provided by the digital narrative in capturing, simulating and disseminating ‘lost’ heritage it will further imbue a sense of place by connecting the everyday city dweller.

The implications of urban revitalization, gentrification, and residential migration have attracted widespread interest and ongoing debate among scholars across a range of disciplines. While a significant body of literature explores race and class interactions within urban gentrifying neighborhoods, few have examined the environments that await those displaced by this process. This study explores the social and political impact of urban gentrification and class stratification within the black community by examining responses of black middle class residents in Prince George’s County, MD to the growing in-migration of low-income and minority residents from Washington, DC. Drawing on data from the U.S. Census Bureau, a multi-neighborhood sample of ninety-five black middle class residents of Prince George’s County, and informal interviews with subject-area experts, this study explores how race and class shape residential decisions and their impact on residential mobility initiatives. Residents responded to a 26-item survey that covered demographic information, political and community engagement, and their attitudes and beliefs about the poor, changes in their community, and racial unity and responsibility. Findings from cross tabulations and binary logistic regression indicate that lower middle class residents are the most likely to resist in-migration by exiting their communities and/or voting against proposals to create affordable housing options. Core and upper middle class residents were the most likely to stay in their neighborhoods despite increases in low-income migration, to vote in support of policies to create affordable housing options and to believe their responsibility to poor blacks could include sharing residential space.

Abstract: — management of the Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR) operation has proven to be a difficult undertaking due to the complex and ever-changing nature of its behavior, which is both nonlinear and dynamic, which is further compounded by its instability. Attempts have been made to use Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controllers for such processes, but the performance is often poor due to the inherent limitations of the controllers. In contrast, heuristic algorithms have been employed to tune the controllers, but these methods can only provide optimal performance for a restricted range of parameter variations. This paper presents a novel approach that involves using a conventional gain scheduling PID controller in combination with a fuzzy gain scheduling (FGS) controller method to calibrate set-point weighted PID controllers for the CSTR process. The paper outlines the design of the controllers and evaluates their performance by subjecting them to varying input signals within the given bandwidth.

Bangladesh has achieved tremendous progress in the fisheries sector that is making evidential contribution to food security, nutrition and livelihoods. Based on secondary data collected from the Department of Fisheries, Bangladesh and related un-published grey literature, this paper highlights the performance and challenges of the fisheries with emphasis on COVID-19 impact as well as the significance of this sector for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The total fish production is increased more than six times over the last three decades (7.54 to 43.84 lakh MT) due to the dissemination of improved culture techniques and extension services. Inland closed water contributions have been increasing to 16.24%, while inland open water have declined 10.23% and marine fisheries have dropped 6.27% over the past 18 financial years (2000-2001 to 2018-2019). COVID-19, a major health crisis has also affects various issues associated with aquatic resources and communities. Transportation obstacles and complexity in the food supply, abstraction to start production, labour crisis, sudden illness, poor consumer demand, commodity price hike, creditor's pressure and reduced income were identified as affecting COVID-19 drivers. The combined effect of these drivers poses a significant threat to people’s income (SDG1- eliminate poverty), nutrition (SDG2- erase hunger), food security (SDG3- good health and wellbeing, and SDG12- responsible consumption and production) that demands comprehensive actions. Several recommendations have been elicited, which are important to implement for the achievement of SDGs as well management and imprvement of the aquatic sector (SDG14- life below and SDG16- life above water) .

Non-Vitamin K Oral Anticoagulants (NOACs) have revolutionized anticoagulant therapy, offering improved safety and efficacy over traditional agents like warfarin. This review comprehensively examines the dual roles of NOACs—Apixaban, Rivaroxaban, Edoxaban, and Dabigatran—not only as anticoagulants but also as modulators of inflammation via Protease-Activated Receptor (PAR) signaling. We highlight the unique pharmacotherapeutic properties of each NOAC, supported by key clinical trials demonstrating their effectiveness in preventing thromboembolic events. Beyond their established anticoagulant roles, emerging research suggests that NOACs influence inflammation through PAR signaling pathways, implicating factors such as FXa and Thrombin in the modulation of inflammatory responses. This review synthesizes current evidence on the anti-inflammatory potential of NOACs, exploring their impact on inflammatory markers and conditions like atherosclerosis and diabetes. By delineating the mechanisms by which NOACs mediate anti-inflammatory effects, this work aims to expand their therapeutic utility, offering new perspectives for managing inflammatory diseases. Our findings underscore the broader clinical implications of NOACs, advocating for their consideration in therapeutic strategies aimed at addressing inflammation-related pathologies. This comprehensive synthesis not only enhances understanding of NOACs' multifaceted roles but also paves the way for future research and clinical applications in inflammation and cardiovascular health

Stormwater runoff from large roads is a major source of pollutants to receiving waters. Porous pavements have been shown to substantially reduce many of these pollutants, but studies are lacking on arterial roads. We sampled typical stormwater pollutants in runoff from sections of an arterial road 9-16 years after installation of three pavement types: control with conventional asphalt, porous asphalt overly, and full-depth porous asphalt. Both types of porous pavements substantially reduced most of the stormwater pollutants measured. Total suspended solids, turbidity, total lead, total copper, and 6PPD-quinone were all reduced by >75%. Total nitrogen, ammonia, total phosphorus, biochemical oxygen demand, total and dissolved copper, total mercury, total zinc, total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate were all reduced by >50%. Reductions were lower or absent for nitrate, orthophosphate, E. coli, dissolved lead, and dissolved zinc. Most reductions were statistically significant. Many pollutants exceeded applicable water quality standards in the control samples but met them with both types of porous pavement. This study demonstrates that porous overlays and full-depth porous asphalt can provide substantial reductions of several priority stormwater pollutants on arterial roads for many years after installation.

In modern automobiles, Infotainment High-Performance Computing (HPC) systems play a vital role in enhancing the capabilities of drivers and passengers by providing advanced features consisting of music, navigation, communication, entertainment, etc. However, as the use of information technology in vehicles increases, it results in cybersecurity threats such as data breaches and the loss of sensitive information. To improve the security of the infotainment system in automotive vehicles, the research conducted threat modeling at the component level using Microsoft’s STRIDE tool and performed risk assessment by using SAHARA (Safety-Aware Hazard Analysis and Risk Assessment) and DREAD methodologies to evaluate associated risks. It provides a systematic representation of threats, associated risks, and generic mitigation strategies to counter cybersecurity attacks. Through the threat modeling process, 34 potential security threats were identified. The study also provided a comparative analysis to calculate the risk values of the threats to prioritize for treatment. These identified threats and associated risks need to be considered to avoid potential cyberattacks, before deploying the infotainment HPC system in real-world automotive vehicles.

Diarrhea and fever are prevalent childhood illnesses with potentially severe consequences, especially when they co-occur. This study investigates the prevalence and determinants of diarrhea, fever, and their coexistence among children under-five in Bangladesh. Data from the 2017-18 Bangladesh Demography and Health Survey (BDHS) were analyzed using multivariable stepwise logistic regression with backward selection. This study found that 5.0% for diarrhea, 34.0% for fever, and 3.0% for the coexistence of both illnesses. Common factors associated with childhood diarrhea and fever included the mother's education, her attitude toward wife-beating, and the child’s age (12-23 months). Diarrhea was associated with households with improved water sources and children in the Barisal division, while fever was linked to underweight children and those from more affluent backgrounds. The coexistence of both was significantly linked to underweight children, higher birth orders, and children from the Rajshahi division. Notably, child illnesses were associated with parental education, higher socio-economic status, and access to improved drinking water sources. Diarrhea affects one in 20 children, fever affects one in three, and the coexistence of both conditions affects one in 35 children in Bangladesh. The findings need further research and policy reviews to develop effective interventions and improve child health in Bangladesh.

In this age of global warming, academics and policymakers are increasingly concerned about firm environmental sustainability success. Therefore, this study aims to investigate whether Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance impacts sustainability performance through the mediating effect of firm innovation. To this end, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was deployed to analyze data collected from the employees of manufacturing industries in an emerging economy like Bangladesh. The results revealed that ESG performance significantly enhances the innovation and sustainability performance of manufacturing industries, indicating that the higher the ESG performance of a firm, the greater its innovation and sustainability performance. Furthermore, the results confirmed that firm innovation performance fully mediates the relationship between ESG initiatives and sustainability performance. The findings of this study provide policymakers and industry authorities with valuable insight into the role of ESG and innovation performance in improving sustainability performance. Specifically, the study sheds knowledge on how firm ESG initiatives and innovation performance impact sustainability performance in the manufacturing sector of an emerging economy like Bangladesh.

Micro plasma devices (MPD) with power gains are of interest in applications involving operations in the presence of ionizing radiations, in propulsion, in control, amplification of high power electromagnetic waves, and in metamaterials for energy management. Here we review and discuss MPDs with an emphasis on new architectures that have evolved during the past 7 years. Devices with programmable impact ionization rates and programmable boundaries are developed to control the plasma ignition voltage and current to achieve power gain. Plasma devices with 1-10 μm gaps are shown to operate in the sub-Paschen regime in atmospheric pressures where ion-assisted field emission results in a breakdown voltage that linearly depends on the gap distance in contrast to the exponential dependence dictated by the Paschen curve. Small gap devices offer higher operation frequencies at low operation voltages with applications in metamaterial skins for energy management and in harsh environment inside nuclear reactors and in space. In addition to analog plasma devices, logic gates, digital circuits, and distributed amplifiers are also discussed.

Application of toxic antibacterial agents is considered necessary to control prevalent fresh water microorganisms in evaporative cooling water systems, but these agents can adversely affect the environment and human health. Alternatively, natural antibacterial water chemistry has been applied in industrial cooling water systems for over 10 years with excellent results. The tower water chemistry method concentrates natural salts in highly-softened water to produce elevated pH and dissolved solids, with low calcium and magnesium. This practice conserves water while generating only a small volume of non-toxic natural salt concentrate for cost efficient separation and disposal if required. This review presents a novel perspective of natural antimicrobial chemistry for inhibiting parasitic microbiome functional relationships within the bio-triad of Legionella outbreaks, "Trojan Protozoans" and biofilms. The review further examines practical application and function of polyvalent metal ions in the inhibition of biofilms. Reducing global dependence on toxic antibacterial agents discharged to the environment is an emerging concern due to their impact on the natural microbiome, plants, animals and humans. Discharge of antibacterial agents also contributes to development of pathogen resistance. Use of natural antibacterial chemistry can play a key role in managing the cooling water environment in a more ecologically sustainable manner.

This research explores a novel approach to integrating offshore wind farms into smart microgrids through the development of an advanced model predictive control (MPC) strategy for offshore wind turbines. The MPC strategy comprehensively incorporates complex wind dynamics, such as wind speed, direction, and turbulence, ensuring an accurate representation of turbine behavior. Additionally, the research includes models addressing wind farm layout, wake effects, and electrical infrastructure, enhancing the modeling framework's fidelity and applicability to real-world offshore wind energy systems within a smart microgrid environment. The inherent variability of wind power, transmission technology limitations, and the need for seamless transitions between grid-connected and islanded operation modes in smart microgrids necessitate robust control mechanisms. These mechanisms ensure efficient power capture, grid stability, and optimal energy utilization. To tackle these challenges, the research proposes a smart microgrid design incorporating both AC-DC and DC-DC conversion technologies. This design leverages renewable energy sources like solar and wind with AC-DC conversion for efficient power capture, integrates DC energy storage systems to store excess energy during low demand periods, and utilizes power control mechanisms to manage energy flow effectively within the smart microgrid. The study emphasizes the importance of modeling and control strategies for both AC-DC and DC-DC converters within the smart microgrid framework. To enhance the microgrid's cost-effectiveness, priority is given to the utilization of solar PV energy sources. It also highlights the integration of protection systems for DC faults and coordinated control of AC/DC breakers and converters. This comprehensive approach aligns with the core principles of adaptability, reliability, and sustainability in smart grids, aiming to advance smart microgrid technologies and pave the way for a more resilient, efficient, and secure energy future.

Establishment of protected areas (PAs) is one of the key global conservation strategies that currently cover approximately 15% of the earth’s land surface. Globally, PA networks are designed to curb the growing anthropogenic pressures in areas with high biological diversity. Despite the importance of PAs in conserving the vanishing biodiversity and unique habitats, many of them are in critical condition due to poor governance thus functioning below the expected level. Moreover, in many developing countries, the PA coverage is below the global standard. Recognizing their contemporary role in conservation, governments have recently agreed to expand the global PA coverage to 17% by the year 2020 (Aichi target 11). This book with eight chapters from different regions of the world provides an overview of the PAs governance, institutional mechanisms, conservation benefits, limitations and challenges associated with their respective policy discourse, integrated management, and functional attributes. Protected areas expect to to play an important role in the long rn in conservation and protection of biodiversity and ecosystems particularly in countries where population pressure and habitat loss are high. Regular intervention, political commitment, and effective governance are essential for the sustainability of PAs across the world. Here, we also attempted to shed some light on future development clues for the sustainable management and monitoring of PAs worldwide.

Molecular dynamics(MD) simulations are playing an increasingly important role in structure-based drug discovery (SBDD). Here we review the use of MD for proteins in aqueous solvation, organic/aqueous mixed solvents (MDmix) and with small ligands, to the classic SBDD problems: binding mode and binding free energy predictions. The simulation of proteins in their condensed state reveals the solvent structure and preferential interaction sites (hot spots) on the protein surface. This information is largely transferable across all classes of protein ligands (from water to drugs) and can be used very effectively to understand ligand recognition and improve the predictive capability of well-established methods such as molecular docking. MD simulations for protein and drug or drug-like compounds are now being used but are still computationally expensive and can only be applied to specific cases. On the other hand, MDmix simulations can now be used in SBDD and we will describe the latest developments and implementations. We expect to see an increase in the application of these techniques to a plethora of protein targets to identify new drug candidates with the advent of new tools and faster computers.

From 2008 to 2024, the Newborn Screening Translational Research Network (NBSTRN), part of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Hunter Kelly Newborn Screening Program, served as a robust infrastructure to facilitate groundbreaking research in newborn screening (NBS), rare disease, and genomics. Over fifteen years, NBSTRN developed into a significant international network, supporting innovative research on novel technologies to screen, diagnose, treat, manage, and understand the natural history of more than 280 rare diseases. A key component of these efforts has been the development of resources and expertise for the newborn screening community in ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI). This paper presents findings from a survey conducted by the NBSTRN team with input from one of theNBSTRN's expert workgroups, the Bioethics and Legal Workgroup. With responses from 88 members of the NBS community including researchers and state NBS programs, the survey found that individuals rely on internal and collegial ELSI resources and highlighted a substantial demand for structured, accessible training and resources. The survey’s insights emphasize the importance of privacy and informed consent in NBS research, and suggested a need for improved collaborative tools and educational programs focused on ELSI for the NBS community. The survey results may inform future efforts in ELSI and NBS research including the development of expanded ELSI tools that leverage digital platforms and consultative services.

Carotenoids are common and diverse organic compounds with various functional roles in ani-mals. Except for certain aphids, mites, and gall midges, all animals acquire necessary carotenoids only through their diet. The House fly (Musca domestica) is a cosmopolitan pest insect that populates diverse habitats. Its larvae feed on organic substrates that may vary in carotenoid composition according to their specific content. We hypothesized that the carotenoid composition in the adult House fly’s body would reflect its composition in the larval feed. We reared house fly larvae on substrates that differed in carotenoid composition and characterized the carotenoid composition of the emerging adults. Our results indicate that the carotenoid composition of adult House flies is related to the carotenoid composition in its natal substrate, but does not directly reflect it. We suggest that these findings may be developed to identify sources of House fly in-festations. We also recommend that care should be taken when considering the rearing substrates of House fly larvae used for animal feed.

This paper describes the indoor air pollution in urban (Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi and Karachi) Pakistani regions while considering the outdoor air and the health and wellbeing of the occupants present indoors. It also aims to assess previous methodological approaches Such as Air Conditioning Systems, used by developed countries to improve air quality to demonstrate the improvements that can be made in air quality in Pakistani urban areas. This research also investigates the causes, concentration and effects of poor air quality in Pakistani urban areas such as particulate matter (PM2.5), carbon oxides (COx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur oxides (SOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC’s). The average concentration of these pollutants in Pakistan’s indoor air is, particulate matter (PM): [100 – 250 µg/m3 for PM2.5, 200 – 600 µg/m3 for PM10] 1 – 20 ppm for carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx): [50 – 100 µg/m3 for NO2, 20 – 40 µg/m3 for NO], 20 – 50 µg/m3 for sulfur dioxide (SO2), volatile organic compounds (VOCs): 0.1 – 0.5 ppm for formaldehyde, 5 – 10 µg/m3 for benzene and 20 – 30 µg/m3 for toluene. It should be noted that these concentrations can differ depending on the origin of pollution, location, and time of day. The literature review is made up of a combination of descriptive research methods that are used to inform the research background of ambient and indoor air quality, thus the literature review provides a theoretical and methodological background about the air pollution and its improvement in different parts of the world. According to the World Air Quality Index, Pakistan is the third most polluted country in terms of average PM2.5 concentration which is 14.2 times the WHO annual air quality guideline value. As a result, it is suggested that a PM2.5 concentration reduction program be implemented in urban Pakistani regions' indoor air.

In this digital era, online learning and teaching is an important platform for college and university learners which required many technical facilities and in depth knowledge to have learning process effectively. Students and teachers in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) were forced to grapple with the inevitability of shifting to online classes due to the advantages of effective distance learning or for large learning group. In the case of Oman, there have been some efforts to integrate alternative learning mechanisms such as online and mobile education in the past but not followed the scale in the post pandemic world. This study seeks to utilize the principles of Total Quality Management (TQM) through the implementation of Quality Function Deployment (QFD) as a way to better understand the experiences of Omani teachers and students from HEIs. A voice of customer from teachers and students have been collected and recorded. In this regard, 165 staff and 355 students from HEIs of Engineering participated in the survey. After the survey, a house of quality analysis was done to analyze the requirements based on how strongly they are related to the standard learning outcomes expected from HEIs in Oman. The results show that more attention is required in online education in the Sultanate of Oman before it is implemented as a major part in learning and teaching.

Bitumen is produced from non-renewable natural resources, continuously deplete and intrigues researchers to look for alternative binders. Annually, tons of waste engine oil (WEO) and crumb rubber (CR) are discarded unsustainably and pose a significant environmental threat. Adding these industrial waste products to asphalt provides a safe and cost-effective way for their disposal and improves the bitumen's performance in parallel. This study uses various combinations of waste engine oil and crumb rubber with 60/70 penetration grade bitumen to produce a partially synthetic bitumen. Adhesion being one of the critical characteristics of the bituminous binder has been assessed using the bitumen bond strength test along with physical and rheological properties. Results showed that waste engine oil with crumb rubber inclusion increases penetration and decreases the softening point, viscosity, complex modulus, and bonding strength. Additionally, polyphosphoric acid (PPA) in smaller dosages was also incorporated into the optimum percentage of CR + WEO to improve the properties of the binder. The results confirm that binder modification with waste engine oil and crumb rubber can be more effective with PPA. It is concluded that 35% of waste can replace the virgin binder giving a cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution.

Though Bangladesh is often labelled as "climate change ground zero," the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) were never considered a significant climate change hotspot until heavy rainfall and consequent landslides in 2017. This shift in problem narrative seemingly overlooks myriad environmentally unsustainable 'development' initiatives along with (il)legal deforestation. This paper examines climate change trends and impacts on the lives and livelihoods of diverse local groups in CHT. By analysing changing patterns in meteorological data and qualitative information on changes and challenges in everyday life and the livelihoods of local people, we show a shortfall of captured climate data on CHT to make a strong case for climate change. Yet, this study finds that this region is exposed to a substantial threat of land degradation, flash floods, water scarcity, landslides, and other slow and quick onsets due to a combined effect of deforestation, neoliberalised development, and slight changes in temperature and precipitation patterns. This paper calls for proactive measures to address climate change impacts by endorsing sustainable development strategies prioritizing environmental stewardship, social justice, and economic prosperity.

CO2 geological sequestration in coal seams can achieve the dual objectives of CO2 emission reduction and enhanced coalbed methane production, making it a highly promising carbon capture and storage technology. However, the injection of CO2 into coal reservoirs in the form of supercritical fluid (ScCO2) leads to complex physicochemical reactions with the coal seam, altering the properties of the coal reservoir and impacting the effectiveness of CO2 sequestration and methane production enhancement.In this paper, theoretical calculations based on ReaxFF-MD were conducted to study the interaction mechanism between ScCO2 and the macromolecular structure of both low-rank and high-rank coal, to address the limitations of experimental methods. The reaction of ScCO2 with low-rank coal and high-rank coal exhibits significant differences. At swelling stage, the low-rank coal experiences a decrease in aromatic structure and aliphatic structure, high-rank coal shows an increase in aromatic structure and a decrease in aliphatic structure, while swelling phenomenon is more pronounced in high-rank coal. At dissolution stage, low-rank coal is initially decomposed into two secondary molecular fragments, and then recombine to form new molecular structure, the aromatic structure increased and the aliphatic structure decreased. In contrast, high-rank coal occurs stretches-breakage-movement-reconnection, a reduction in aromatic structure and an increase in aliphatic structure.The primary reasons for these variations lie in distinct molecular structure compositions and the properties of ScCO2, leading to different reaction pathways of functional group and aromatic structure. The reaction pathways of functional groups and aromatic structures in coal can be summarized as follows: the breakage of the O-H bond in hydroxyl groups, the breakage of the C-OH bond in carboxyl groups, transformation of aliphatic structures into smaller hydrocarbon compounds or formation of long-chain alkenes, and various pathways involving broken, rearrangement, recombination of aromatic structures. In low-rank coal, there is a higher abundance of oxygen-containing functional groups and aliphatic structures. The breakage of O-H and C-OH chemical bonds results in the formation of free radical ions, while some aliphatic structures detach to produce hydrocarbons. Additionally, some of these aliphatic structures combine with carbonyl groups and free radical ions to generate new aromatic structures. Conversely, in high-rank coal, the lower content of oxygen-containing functional groups and aliphatic structures, along with stronger intramolecular forces, results in fewer chemical bond breakages and makes it less conducive to the formation of new aromatic structures.These results elucidate the specific deformations of different chemical groups, offering a molecular-level understanding of the interaction between CO2 and coal.

Multidrug resistant organisms (MDROs) outbreaks have been steadilyincreasing in Intensive care units (ICUs). Still, healthcare institutions and workers (HCW) reached no unanimity on how and when implementing infection prevention and control (IPC) strategies. We aimed to provide a pragmatic, physician practice-oriented, resume of strategies towards different MRDOs outbreaks in ICU. We performed a narrative review on IPC in ICUs, investigating patient-to-staff ratios, education, isolation, decolonization, screening and hygiene practices, outbreak reporting, cost-effectiveness, reproduction-number(R0), and future perspectives. The most effective IPC strategy remains unknown. Most studies focus on a specific pathogen or disease, making the clinician losing the big picture. IPC strategies proved their cost-effectiveness regardless typology, country, or pathogen. A standardized, universal, pragmatic protocol for HCW education should be elaborated. Likewise, a rapid outbreak recognition tool elaboration (i.e., an easy-to-use mathematical model) would improve early diagnosis and spreading prevention. Further studies are needed to express in favor or against MDROs decolonization. New promising strategies are emerging and need to be tested in the field. The lack of IPC strategies application has made, and still makes ICUs a major MDROs reservoir into the community. In a not-too-distant future genetic engineering and phage therapies could represent a plot-twist in MDROs IPC strategies.

The global increase in population, the phenomenon of climate change, the issue of water pollution and contamination, and the inadequate management of water resources all exert heightened strain on freshwater reserves. The potential utilization of the interfacial solar steam generation (ISSG) system, which utilizes photothermal conversion to generate heat on material surfaces for wastewater purification and desalination purposes, has been successfully demonstrated. Textile materials based ISSG devices, including (woven, nonwoven and knitting) fabrics and electrospinning membranes, exhibit distinct properties such as rough surface texture, high porosity, significant surface area, exceptional flexibility, and robust mechanical strength. These characteristics, combined with their affordability, accessibility, and economic viability for widespread implementation, make them extremely attractive for applications in SSG. In this review, a comprehensive analysis of emerging concepts, advancements and applications of textile materials (woven, nonwoven, and knitting) fabrics and electro-spun membranes in the ISSG for wastewater purification and desalination is highlighted. We also emphasize significant obstacles and potential prospects in both theoretical investigations and real-world implementations, aiming to contribute to future advancements in the domain of textile based materials interfacial evaporation in wastewater purification and desalination. Furthermore, the drawbacks and the challenges of ISSG systems are also highlighted.

Anemia and thyroid disorders are global health issues that affect all ages but are more apparent in women. In this case, some serological components responsible for IDA and TSH disorders in women have been found actively regulated through a complex steroidal-calcitriol mediated pathway. This research has been investigated the correlation between Calcitriol and the serological components responsible for IDA and TSH disorders in childbearing and non-child-bearing women of different health conditions. Experimental sampling from 452 women suffering from both IDA and TSH disorders were taken, aged between 0 and 70 years. Serological parameters, such as iron, total iron-binding capacity and ferritin, were assessed for IDA profiling, whereas thyroid-stimulating hormone and free thyroxin were for TSH profiling based on the individual’s serum calcitriol status. The resulted serological data were interpreted using sophisticated computer programming language and algorithms for quantitative biochemical analysis. The study resulted in a significant correlation between FT4 and Calcitriol (P<0.0001) for all age groups. TSH also showed strong interactions with the fluctuation of calcitriol level (P<0.0001), except for the children aged below 10 years (P<0.063). The iron, TIBC, TSH, and FT4 showed phenomenal regulation with the steroidal-calcitriol concentration for congenital patients. Unlike the others, ferritin has a substantial connection with Calcitriol (P<0.0064) fluctuation in the serum. To ratify, the concentrations of TSH, FT4, iron, TIBC, and ferritin were found to be significantly interconnected in terms of serum calcitriol level in women suffering from IDA and TSH disorders simultaneously. To understand the accuracy and efficacy of the Calcitriol in IDA and TSH disorders, some other inflammatory markers and parathyroid hormone analysis are need in future studies, besides a large number of samples.

This research aimed to figure out the applications of HbA1c protein and HbA1 gene as the prognostic biomarkers for assessing the risks of different cancers among male T2D patients in Bangladesh considering their serological and oncoinformatic parameters. Depending on the concentrations of HbA1c (%) of the T2D patients (n=300), their individual FBS (mmol/L); THABF (mmol/L); creatinine (mg/dl); SC (mg/dl); STGs (mg/dl); HDLC (mg/dl); and LDLC (mg/dl) were estimated. The values of the patients were compared with the control (n=60) group as the serological analysis. Besides, HbA1 gene (encoding hBA1c protein) overexpression and promotor methylation responsible for BLCA, BRCA, CHOL, COAD, LUAD, LUSC, PAAD, and PRAD cancers in the male T2D patients were profiled as the oncoinformatic parameters based on the sample types; caner stages; racial footprints; gender; age; nodal metastasis; p53 methylations; pancreatitis; diabetes status; smoking behaviors; and overall/disease-free survivability. Finally, the ‘HbA1 gene strings’ responsible for genetic coexpression; endophytic vesicle regulation; antioxidant regulation; oxygen species metabolic regulation; and gene-mediated response to the reactive oxygen molecules were studied comprehensively. A strong correlation between BMI and FBS was observed in both the patients and the control (P<0.0001). Similarly, the values of FBS, THABF, and creatinine resulted in equal significance (P<0.0001) as compared to the HbA1c concentrations of all the T2D and control individuals. The SC, STGs, HDLC, and LDLC concentrations regulated ardently in both the control (P<0.0001), and patients group (P<0.0001), while HbA1c ranged from 3.8-5.8%, and 5.11-15.8% respectively. HbA1 gene is found downregulating with cancer progressed in most of the oncoinformatic parameters. According to the DA, CS, EI, CE, PC, NC, GF, H, and AT profiles; the HbA1 gene interacts with 8 other genes responsible for creating a protein cluster comprising- AHSP, HBA1, HBA2, HBB, HBD, HBE1, HBG2, RPS12, and RPS19 proteins for cancer formation. To recapitulate, HbA1c protein and HbA1 gene can be used as the prognostic serological and molecular biomarkers respectively for determining the risks of cancers among male chronic T2D patients.

Good governance in natural resource management (NRM) is one of the most challenging issues in developing countries that often inappropriately embedded in national policies and political agendas. It is, in fact, even more important for countries like Bangladesh with exceptionally high pressure and dependence on its natural resources for sustaining rural livelihoods. Globally, nowadays, good governance is considered as one of the key factor for achieving the goal of sustainable development and biodiversity conservation. Bangladesh, of late has responded to that global zeal by involving local communities in the management of country’s declining forest and other natural resources. The colonial legacy of the forestry sector of Bangladesh was planned and, managed as interim projects through donors’ prescriptions. Thus, institutions, management processes and conservation outcomes were problematic. The conventional approach adopted by colonial and post-colonial regimes for forest management also proved to be inefficient due to its top-down management system. The absolute dependency on donor support, and their prescription sometimes worsened the situation both ecologically and socially. Global, regional and local trends supported the need for a different dimension in the governance paradigms. The introduction of a pluralistic approach, known as co-management in protected areas (PAs) is an example of an attempt whereby shared governance mechanism are implemented to attain the desired goals of conservation that will also address the livelihoods and aspirations of communities living in and around PAs of the country. However, in designing future forest and PA regimes the concern of the external aid support and attached conditions remain a reality that needs to be addressed. Adequate attention should be given to our vanishing biodiversity, culture and community livelihoods through devising an appropriate governance mechanism recognizing and supporting local rights, access and participation in the environmental management. It is now time to mainstream the adhoc nature of governance according to our national conservation strategy and policy frameworks in order to achieve the goals and objectives of the Bangladesh NRM sector addressing the human and community right of people in the specific context of forest protected areas management.

COVID-19 infection is extremely dangerous for persons with comorbidities such as kidney disease and diabetes. Although many people of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds have suffered due to this pandemic, those with underlying medical conditions like kidney disease and diabetes are more vulnerable to becoming infected with COVID-19 related to weak immunity. However, the role of vaccination in the co-infection of COVID-19 with diabetics is not available in the literature. Therefore, we examine the unique challenges presented by the co-infection of COVID-19 in individuals with diabetes, focusing on its disease transmission dynamics. A mathematical modelling technique is to be employed in this work to analyse the dynamics of COVID-19 outbreaks with seven compartments, including vaccination with comorbidities such as diabetes. We also investigated analytically by displaying the solutions' existence, boundedness, positivity and sensitivity. After calculating the basic reproduction numbers, the stability analysis of model equilibrium points is also covered. If the reproduction numbers are less than unity, the disease-free equilibrium points of the model appear to be both locally and globally stable. The findings of this study are that as the vaccination rate rises, the incidence of COVID-19 and its co-infections with diabetes decreases. Effective disease treatment strategies may be based partly on the possible impact of vaccination on the co-infection of COVID-19 related to diabetic disease insights.

The multidrug resistance transporter NorM is an important drug resistance pump and plays a critical role in multidrug resistance in bacteria and mammals. In this study we carried out molecular dynamics simulation to study the mechanism of Na+ binding and dynamical structures of two long loops in the substrate-releasing process in substrate binding NorM. Our simulation study identified several key residues (D41, E261 D377) along the Na+ binding pathway and a multi-state ion-binding mechanism is proposed based on the simulation study. In this proposed model, the transport of Na+ is a multi-stage process with D41 being the first station for binding to Na+, followed by Na+ binding to the second station E262 and finally to the cation-binding site of E262 and D377. During the transport of Na+, the transmembrane components TM1, TM7 and TM2 are rearranged to facilitate the ion transport as well conformational changes of NorM to a closed state. Further, substrate-bound simulation revealed that Loop3-4 and Loop9-10 control the substrate-releasing process.

Background: The practice of self-medication is common worldwide and is an important component of medical self-care. However, the practice can be dangerous and is linked to various risks for the patients and the entire community. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and factors associated with self-medication among Bangladeshi adults. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted between April and June 2021 among Bangladeshi adults (aged &gt;19 years) using convenient sampling. A total of 1320 data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a standardized questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with self-medication practice (SMP). Results: Overall, 41% of adults in our survey reported SMP. The most common illnesses that prompted SMP were common cold/flu (66.4%), gastric problems (65%), and headache (64.4%). The most frequent reasons for SMP were to get better services (30.59%), perceive SMP without side effects (23.28%), and save time with effectiveness (14.56%). Potential risk factors included 10 years (AOR = 1.91; 95% CI: 1.04 - 3.50) and &gt;12 years of schooling (AOR = 5.03; 95% CI: 2.27 - 11.15), being a businessman (AOR = 4.64; 95% CI: 1.74 - 12.37), having ≤6 family members (AOR = 2.13; 95% CI: 1.40 - 3.24), being a member of a social group (AOR = 1.53; 95% CI: 1.10 - 2.12), a health status check after every six months (AOR = 1.52; 95% CI: 1.08 - 2.13), and current ill-health (AOR = 1.41; 95% CI: 1.06 - 1.87). Protective factors identified included ≤30 years of age (AOR = 0.40; 95% CI: 0.17 - 0.93), and practice of modern (AOR = 0.39; 95% CI: 0.22- 0.69) and herbal (AOR = 0.45; 95% CI: 0.21- 0.97) healing types. Conclusion: More than one-third of the study participants reported practicing self-medication. Increasing the community’s awareness of the extreme consequences of SMP and not just the average experience might sway individuals away from SMP, and implementing strict jurisdiction could be a way to minimize the SMP.

One of the major concerns in structural health management (SHM) is the early detection of a growing crack. Using this, future damage due to crack propagation can be mitigated or eliminated by implementing proper repair and maintenance. Acoustic Emission (AE) is a non-destructive testing (NDT) method with potential applications for locating and monitoring fatigue cracks. The research presented in this paper focuses on SHM using AE. A novel AE signal analysis approach was proposed in order to detect crack initiation and assess small crack lengths. Experimental investigation indicated that initiation of a crack could be identified through the statistical analysis of the resulting features of the AE signals. A probabilistic AE-based model for small fatigue crack sizing was developed and the uncertainties of the model were estimated. In addition, a probabilistic model validation approach was implemented to confirm accurate estimation of the results. The outcome of this research can be used to evaluate the integrity of structures under fatigue loading. The proposed approach can also be applied as an approach to manage health and assess prognosis of structures.

Sea urchins are long-living invertebrates with a complex immune system which includes extended families of immune receptors. A central immune gene family in the sea urchins encodes for the Transformer (Trf) proteins. The Trf family was so far studied mainly in the purple sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. In this study, we explored this protein family in the Mediterranean Sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus. The PlTrf genes and predicted proteins were found to be highly diverse and showed a typical Trf size range and structure. We found that P. lividus coelomocytes and hemolymph contain different PlTrf protein repertoires with a shared subset which specifically bind E. coli bacteria. Using FACS, we identified five different P. lividus coelomocyte sub-populations with cell surface Trf protein expression. The relative abundance of the Trf-positive cells sharply increased following immune challenge with E. coli bacteria, but not following challenge with LPS or sea urchin pathogen V. penaeicida. Finally, we demonstrated that the phagocytosis of E. coli bacteria by P. lividus phagocytes is mediated through the hemolymph and is inhibited by blocking Trf activity with anti-Trf antibodies. Together, our results suggest collaboration between cellular and humoral Trf-mediated effector arms in the P. lividus specific immune response to pathogens.

This research introduces a pioneering solution to the challenges posed by gastrointestinal tract (GI) cancer in radiation therapy, focusing on the imperative task of precise organ segmentation for minimizing radiation-induced damage. GI imaging has historically used manual demarcation, which is laborious and uncomfortable for patients. We address this by introducing the ResECA-U-Net deep learning model, a novel combination of the UNet and ResNet34 architectures. Furthermore, we further augment its functionality by incorporating the Efficient Channel Attention (ECA-Net) methodology. By utilizing data from the UW-Madison Carbone Cancer Centre, we carefully investigate several image processing techniques designed to capture critical local characteristics. With its foundation in computer vision concepts, the ResECA-U-Net model is excellent at extracting fine details from GI images. Sophisticated metrics such as intersection over union (IoU) and the dice coefficient are used to evaluate performance. Our study's outcomes demonstrate the effectiveness of the suggested method, yielding an impressive 96.27% Dice coefficient and 91.48% IoU. These results highlight the significant contribution that our strategy has made to the advancement of cancer therapy. Beyond its scientific merits, this work has the potential to significantly enhance cancer patients' quality of life and provide better long-term outcomes. Our work is a significant step towards automating and optimizing the segmentation process, which can potentially change how GI cancer is treated completely.

Background: Intrauterine transfusion (IUT) of the donor and partial exchange (pET) of the recipient is a temporizing treatment for pregnancies with Twin Anemia Polycythemia Sequence (TAPS). We sought to give a detailed description of the procedural approach and outcomes for sequential donor IUT and recipient pET in TAPS. Methods: Retrospective study of spontaneous TAPS referred to the Johns Hopkins Center for Fetal Therapy treated with donor IUT followed by recipient pET utilizing a double-syringe set up. Procedure characteristics and outcomes as well as accuracy of existing transfusion formulas were analyzed and compared with the literature. Results: 5 of 78 patients with spontaneous TAPS underwent a total of 19 combined IUT/pET procedures (median first procedure to delivery interval 5.6 weeks [interquartile range IQR 1.9-6.0]). One pET was stopped for fetal decelerations. Patients delivered at 33.0 weeks [IQR 31.9-33.3] with two survivors and no neonatal transfusion requirements. IUT volumes were 48 ml [IQR 39-63 ml] and pET volumes 32 ml [IQR 20-50] utilizing aliquots of 5 – 20 mls for the latter (p=0.021). For IUTs, assumption of a fetal blood volume below 150 ml/kg underestimated required transfusion volume. For pETs, all formulas required adjustment of dilution volume based on bedside testing (p&lt;0.05 for all). Conclusions: Donor transfusion followed by partial exchange in the recipient can prolong pregnancy in spontaneous TAPS and obviate the need for neonatal transfusion. A double-syringe setup facilitates efficient saline exchange. Because the accuracy of volume formulas is limited, bedside testing is recommended to achieve the target hemoglobin.

The importance of bio robotics has been increasing day by day. Researchers are trying to mimic nature in a more creative way so that, the system can easily adopt the complex nature and its environment. Hence, bio robotic gripper plays a role in physical connection between the environment and bio robotics system. While handling the physical world in biorobots gripper, the complexity occurs in feedback system where sensor plays a vital role. Therefore, human centered gripper sensor has a good impact on bio robotics field. But categorical classification and their selection process is not very systematic. This review paper follows PRISMA methodology to summarize the previous works on bio robotics gripper sensor and its selection process.. This paper discusses challenges in soft robotics systems, and the importance of sensing systems to facilitate critical control mechanisms along with their selection considerations. Furthermore, a classification of soft actuation based on gripper has been introduced. Moreover, some unique characteristics for soft robotics sensor are explored namely compliance, flexibility, multifunctionality, sensor nature, surface properties, and material requirements. In addition, a categorization of sensors for soft robotic gripper in terms of modalities has been established ranging from the tactile and force sensor to slippage sensor. Various tactile sensors ranging from piezoelectric sensing to optical sensing are explored as it has utmost importance in soft gripper to effectively address the increasing requirements for intelligence and automation. Finally, taking everything into consideration, a flow diagram has been suggested for selecting sensors specific to soft robotics applications.

The wetlands in northeastern Bangladesh are home to some of the most prolific and valuable ecosystems on the planet, offering a wide range of benefits to both the local and wider communities. A limited number of research on this topic have been carried out in various wetlands in coastal hilsa, but none have been located in the northeastern region of Bangladesh. Thus, the goal of this study was to better understand the most commercially relevant species (anadromous hilsa) in northeastern Bangladesh as well as to assess the wetland ecosystem services more thoroughly with the contribution of their fish genetic resources. In addition to laboratory studies, fieldwork was done in the fishing settlements along the Surma River, Hakaluki Haor, and Tanguar Haor. The study classified 77 fish species into 21 subcategories of ecosystem services, of which 56% were not threatened, 17% were vulnerable, and 10% were highly endangered. The species Hilsa was found to be the most economically significant, accounting for 1% of the GDP overall. The study determined if the hilsa stock of the examined wetlands maintains a single or several subpopulations in comparison to other parts of the country when they migrate from saline water to northeastern Bangladesh (freshwater). But when compared to other groups, the FST score was between 0.000 to 0.017, indicating that the populations are identical and that there is genetic material sharing between them. Additionally, these statistics imply that the Sylhet haor and adjacent river systems contain a single stock of Hilsa fish. Nevertheless, a number of stresses and risks, including overexploitation, illicit and destructive fishing, siltation, and natural disasters like flash floods, have been linked to changes in the supply of hilsa and other ecosystem services. This study also emphasizes the necessity of policy attention and research to address the concerns.

The spectral properties of a one-dimensional photonic crystal bounded by a resonant absorbing nanocomposite layer with the near-zero permittivity have been studied. The problem of calculating the transmittance, reflectance, and absorptance spectra of such structures at the normal and oblique incidence of light has been solved. It is shown that, depending on the permittivity sign near zero, the nanocomposite is characterized by either metallic or dielectric properties. For the first time, the possibility of simultaneous formation of the Tamm plasmon polariton at the photonic crystal/metallic nanocomposite interface and the localized state similar to the defect mode with the field intensity maximum inside the dielectric nanocomposite layer is demonstrated. Specific features of field localization at the Tamm plasmon polariton and defect mode frequencies are analyzed.

Aims: This study aims to evaluate the impact of family-centered empowerment on Jordanian adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1DM), focusing on their HbA1c levels, self-efficacy, and quality of life (QOL). Background: Poor glycemic management in adolescents with type 1 diabetes increases complications. Improved control is linked to various variables, but few studies focus on Middle Eastern populations. Methods: An experimental study involved 68 adolescents with T1DM visiting Jordanian Royal Medical Services' clinics. Two sets of participants were created: control (n = 34) and intervention (n = 34). Data was collected through face-to-face interviews and medical records. Results: The study found significant differences in self-efficacy scores between the intervention and control groups, with the intervention group experiencing a significant decrease in HbA1c readings and a significant difference in QOL between pre-program and post-program phases. Discussion: Family empowerment can significantly improve the lives of Jordanian teenagers with type 1 diabetes. This strategy leads to improved glycemic management, increased self-efficacy, and improved quality of life. Future treatments and health policies should recognize and value the critical role families play in the care of this population. Conclusion: The study suggests that patients with T1DM should receive continuous care education sessions, including self-care training, to improve their health. Nurses should also incorporate these training into treatment plans and educational programs for adolescents to enhance their QOL.

The rapid expansion of Bangladesh's financial infrastructure, coupled with the increasing digitization of banking services, underscores the critical importance of cybersecurity. Machine learning and deep learning methodologies have emerged as potent tools in combating cyber threats such as intrusion, malware, and fraud. By harnessing artificial intelligence and data-driven analysis, these techniques enable real-time scrutiny of vast banking data, facilitating proactive defense against cyberattacks. Bangladesh's evolving financial landscape, characterized by governmental digitalization initiatives and a national financial inclusion strategy, heightens the imperative for robust cybersecurity measures. This paper explores the application of machine learning and deep learning techniques in bolstering banking cybersecurity within the context of Bangladesh's burgeoning digital economy.

The once near-extinct Russell’s viper has recently come back to the area beyond its historical range. A couple of decades ago, its distribution was confined to 11 districts of Bangladesh. Hence, the study aims to update the distributional map of Russell’s Viper (Daboia russelii) across the country and find out the surges' causal factors. Both primary and secondary data were utilized in this study. It revealed that the distributional range of this snake was expanded from 22 to 33 districts in 2024. The respondents noted that climatic stressors like high humidity accompanied by hot weather, increased salinity, and increased frequency of flooding facilitated the spreading of the viper across the country. The cropping pattern and crop diversification were another major contributing factor. The shifting of the single-cropped area to a multi-cropped area in the Barind tract increased its main prey rats. Contrarily, the killing of natural predators such as foxes, monitor lizards and mongoose led to the rise in the snake population. The destruction of vegetation coverage in the upper part of the Padma Basin facilitated the movement of Russell's vipers downstream.

Organophilic nano clay is the composition of mostly clay and organic molecules designed to improve various materials' physical and chemical properties. Permanent deformation in asphalt pavements is primarily the result of inadequate compaction, excessive loading, and high temperatures. Rutting can result in aquaplaning, leading to accidents and costly maintenance and rehabilitation works that drain the economy. Such behavior of asphalt pavements may be attributable to poor selection of aggregate, asphalt binder, or substandard asphalt binders. This study used different percentages of organophilic nano clay ranging from 3.0% - 5.0% with two penetration grade bitumen, i.e., N.R.L 60-70 &amp; N.R.L 80-100. Adding organophilic nano clay to asphalt binder significantly reduced the rutting potential under cyclic loading at high temperatures (55 °C). Ten modified formulations and two virgin bitumen specimens were prepared. The modified binders' viscosity and rutting were tested using the Rotational Viscometer and Wheel Tracker Test (W.T.T.), respectively. The results were analyzed using software for Statistical Analysis. It was recorded that organophilic nano clay-modified bitumen significantly affected rutting to interpret the results. The results indicated that rutting decreased and viscosity increased in all nano clay-modified bitumen samples, with a 4.5% O.N.C modified binder showing the most significant improvement.

The reconstructive ladder is a well-established concept in Plastic Surgery proposed to achieve wound closure using a stepladder approach from simple to complex procedures and it continues to evolve from when it was presented for the first time. We describe a new surgical technique that allows skin excision and primary wound closure avoiding donor site morbidity from skin grafts and avoiding large scars from loco-regional flaps: the parallelogram excision technique. Fifteen patients with skin lesions underwent this procedure. Six months' follow-up results showed a) good scar healing, b) total excision of lesions, and c) patient acceptance and satisfaction from the usage of this technique. We conducted a geometrical analysis of the parallelogram’s design to study the optimal geometrical condition to achieve all these three factors. We propose that the parallelogram excision of skin lesions proves to be a unique new wound closure technique that may add a new rung to the reconstructive ladder.

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is an RNA modification wherein N6-position of adenosine is methylated. It is one of the most prevalent internal modifications on RNA and regulates various aspects of RNA metabolism. M6A is deposited by m6A methyltransferases, removed by m6A demethylases and recognized by reader proteins, which modulate splicing, export, translation and stability of the modified mRNA. Recently evidence suggests that various classes of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) including microRNAs (miRNAs), circular RNAs (circRNAs), and long con-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are also targeted by this modification. Depending on the ncRNA species, m6A may affect processing, stability, or localization of these molecules. The m6A modified ncRNAs are implicated in a number of diseases including cancer. In this review, I summarize the role of m6A modification in the regulation and function of ncRNAs in tumor development. Moreover, the potential applications in cancer prognosis and therapeutics is discussed.

Microplastics, which are plastic particles smaller than 5 mm in size, are a growing environmental concern since they have been found in oceans, rivers, lakes, and even on land. These tiny particles can escape water filtration systems and end up in water bodies as well as through the degradation of the larger plastic products causing serious environmental and food safety concerns. This research represents the magnitude of this pollution, characterization of microplastic contamination, its type of polymer, and possible sources of this pollution in the rivers around Dhaka, Bangladesh. Quantitative analyses were done following the method suggested by the NOAA and other conventional methods. Among the rivers, Buriganga has the highest microplastic pollution with 3.654 items/L in surface water and 43.125 items/kg in sediment. The concentration in Shitalakshya and Turag rivers are 3.011 items/L and 2.051 items/L in surface water and 34.875 and 17.875 items/kg in sediment respectively. ANOVA test revealed a significant difference between the concentration level of microplastic in the surface water of the Burigana and Turag rivers. A positive correlation between the concentration level of microplastic in the surface water and the sediment was also found. On average 58% of the microplastics were found to be fibrous in surface water. Qualitative analyses were done to find the characteristics and chemical composition of the microplastics. Through the use of FTIR spectroscopy, the study identified different kinds of synthetic polymers in the sample including polyamide (Nylon), polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP), polyethersulfone (PES), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyethylene were the most abundant polymer in the samples. This study involved the investigation of three distinct rivers located in the vicinity of Dhaka city

Wheat is threatened by global warming. This study aimed to characterize based on DNA profile and identify heat-tolerant wheat genotypes. Fifteen wheat genotypes were sown in Nov 21 and Dec 21 and evaluated within 13 SSR markers. A dendrogram classified the genotypes into two main groups. The highest genetic distances (0.93) were drawn between BAW 1290 and BARI Gom 28, and the lowest one between Nadi 2 and BAW 1147. Heat susceptibility index (HSI) values for 1000-grain weight (TGW) and grain yield indicated moderate heat tolerance in Cluster I genotypes (HSI 0.50-1.00), closely matching Group A's Cluster II members. In Group B, Cluster III genotypes had higher HSI (1.04-1.23) and significant reductions in TGW and grain yield under heat stress, indicating heat susceptibility. The varieties BARI Gom 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30 were identified as heat-stress tolerant. This research provides insights for future heat stress-molecular breeding programs.

Bangladesh faces significant wheat grain deficiency compared to its demand due to the lengthy process (10-12 years) required to release a variety through a conventional breeding approach. Traditional breeding methods involve several years of various types of crosses between male and female parents and/or progenies, along with recurrent selection-crossing to obtain a homozygous line (F₁ to F₆ generations) with desired traits within almost 10 years. The double haploid (DH) method is also a time-saving, easier, and more reliable technique to achieve the desired traits in homozygous lines within 2-3 years. DH lines were produced by crossing two F₁ hybrids of spring wheat with maize. 0.1% solution of colchicine was applied to produce DH of F₂ progeny of wheat in the study. 80.8% (340) of the 421 pollinated florets from the two F₁ wheat hybrids were produced as green parthenocarpic caryopses (GPCs) (F₂). 35 of the 70 rescued embryos (or 20.6% of the GPCs) germinated. The germinated embryos regenerated 10 haploid green plants (14.3% of total embryos). After being applied colchicine, 8 of the regenerated haploid (H₁) plants made it. Out of the 8 plants that made it through, only one developed homozygous double haploid seed (DH₁ seed). These seeds were multiplied to produce DH₂, used in the preliminary yield in the next year. The results demonstrated the potential of this method to produce a homozygous line within a short period (2-3 years) by doubling the haploid line generated through pollination of spring bread wheat F₁ with maize.

In this work, an analog front-end (AFE) circuit for Electrocardiogram (ECG) detection system has been designed, implemented, and investigated in an industry-standard Cadence simulation framework using advanced technology node of 45 nm. The AFE consists of an instrumentation amplifier, a Butterworth band-pass filter (with fifth-order low-pass and second-order high-pass sections), and a second-order notch filter- all are based on two-stage, Miller-compensated operational transconductance amplifiers (OTA). The OTAs have been designed employing the $g_m/I_D$ methodology. Both the pre-layout and post-layout simulation were carried out. The layout consumes an area of 0.0058 mm$^2$ without the resistors and capacitors. Analysis of various simulation results were carried out for the proposed AFE. The circuit demonstrates a post-layout bandwidth of 239 Hz with a variable gain between 44 to 58 dB, a notch depth of -56.4 dB at 50.1 Hz, a total harmonic distortion (THD) of -59.65 dB (less than 1\%), an input referred noise spectral density of $

Particulate Organic Carbon (POC) plays a crucial role in the marine carbon cycle, influencing carbon flux and many important ocean biogeochemical processes in the Bay of Bengal. The purpose of this study was to examine the seasonal and annual variability of POC in the Bay of Bengal (BoB) region and its correlation with Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and Chlorophyll-a (Chlor_a). This study uses level-3 POC, Chlor_a, and SST data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Aqua satellite. The surface POC concentration in the Bay of Bengal declined at a rate of -1.30 mgm^-3y^-1 over a ten-year period (2003-12) and ranged from 86.48 mgm^-3 to 110.93 mgm^-3 with an average of (93.74±7.50 mgm^-3). Seasonally, the mean POC was highest (97.40 mgm^-3) during the post-monsoon (October-November) and lowest (79.36 mgm^-3) in the pre-monsoon (March-May). Seasons were observed to have statistically significant differences in POC concentration in the study area (F_(3,2155) = 6.298; p <0.05). A strong positive correlation between POC and Chlorophyll was observed whereas a week positive correlation between POC and SST was observed. POC was observed to be very prominent in post-monsoon (97.40 mgm^-3) and in northeast-monsoon (97.14 mgm^-3) and moderate to low in southwest (81.12 mgm^-3) and pre-monsoon (79.36 mgm^-3). The Bay of Bengal’s annual mean POC:Chlor_a ratio ranged from 97.56 mgm^-3 to 332.89 mgm^-3, indicating a significant impact of biological processes on POC composition. To see how POC fluctuation affects biogeochemical processes in the Bay of Bengal, deeper investigation is required.

The increasing expansion of the use of renewable distributed generation (RDG) technologies in electrical networks such as solar plants or wind farms and others has changed the nature of the distributed system and transformed it from the traditional system into an efficient system. This system has led to various technical effects in the host networks, with regard to voltage, electrical energy losses, fault levels, stability and electrical energy quality. These effects are not generic to any network; It can be positive, negative or neutral depending on the structure of the studied network, its operational condition and the various technology of the distributed generators. This research aims to quantitatively correct the effects of (RDG) in terms of voltage and electrical energy losses in the host networks. , since efficient distribution systems contain generators of a special nature and often contain bidirectional flux energy, it was necessary to construct a mathematical model of the distribution system hosting RDG units, which is fundamentally different from the traditional model of defining the reference electrical distribution bus bar. In order to achieve the systematic analysis, evaluation criteria and indicators were determined and mathematical formulas for them were completed. Based on the accomplished mathematical basis, an algorithm designed in such a way that it can be applied to any multi-voltage distribution system and to different distributed regenerative generation techniques is proposed. To demonstrate the algorithm's capabilities, it was tested on typical distribution networks using Factory Power DigSilent software, which is somewhat similar to MATLAB but more suitable for large capacity systems.

Dehydration of hydrogen gas is one of the important steps in many industrial purposes thus, drying systems have been developed with high-efficiency and relative effect. In this article, the basic principles and design of a three-bed TSA (Temperature Swing Adsorption) dryer for dehydration operation of hydrogen gas drying are described in detail. The text commences with an in-depth explanation of the basic principles behind TSA technology such as adsorption and desorption mechanisms, thermodynamic considerations and material selection for adsorbents. This paper also deals with the detailed design of a three-bed TSA dryer, explaining about various fabricating details that influences both performance and total operability. The third part focuses the operational phase, and especially in cycle time, regeneration strategy and efficiency of energy. Advanced optimisation techniques are employed to lower energy consumption, increase throughput capacity and improve overall system. This detailed study will be of great help for engineers and investigators working on TSA systems design and optimization to dehydrate hydrogen gas, contributing towards the betterment in this important field dealing with industrial gas processing.

In this paper, the integrated performance of a modular biomass boiler with an existing industrial Rankine steam heat and power cycle and a supplementary supercritical-CO2 (sCO2) Brayton cycle is analyzed. The aim is to leverage the high efficiency supplementary sCO2 cycle to increase net generation and energy efficiency from the existing biomass boiler. Two sCO2 heater configurations situated within the flue gas flow path are investigated, namely a single convective-dominant heater, and a dual heater configuration with a radiative and a convective heater. A quasi-steady-state 1D model was developed to simulate the integrated cycle, including detailed component characteristics for the Rankine and Brayton cycles. The model solves the mass, energy, momentum, and species balance equations. The system is analyzed for three cases: (i) the existing Rankine cycle without the sCO2 integration, (ii) with the single convective-dominant sCO2 heater configuration, and (iii) the dual sCO2 heater configuration. The results show the required rate of overfiring for the sCO2 configurations, with a 15.3% increase in fuel flowrate resulting in an additional 21.2% in net power output. The model quantifies the impact of the sCO2 heaters, with reduced heat uptakes for downstream boiler heat exchangers. Furnace water wall heat uptake increased due to overfiring, offsetting the reduced heat uptakes at downstream evaporative heat exchangers. The dual configuration has more impact on Rankine cycle operation due to the radiative sCO2 heater placement in front of the second superheater, absorbing some of the direct radiation from the furnace.

Visually impaired people encounter many impediments and challenges in their lives such as related to their mobility, education, communication, use of technology, and others. This paper reports the results of an online survey to understand the requirements and challenges blind and visually impaired people face in their daily lives regarding the availability and use of digital devices. The survey was conducted among the blind and visually impaired in Saudi Arabia using digital forms. A total of 164 people responded to the survey most of them using the VoiceOver function. People were asked about the use of smart devices, special devices, operating systems, object recognition apps, indoor and outdoor navigation apps, virtual digital assistive apps, the purpose (navigation, education, etc.) of and difficulty in using these apps, the type of assistance needed, the reliance on others in using the assistive technologies, and the level of satisfaction from the existing assistive technologies. The majority of the participants were 18 – 65 years old with 13% under 18 and 3% above 65. Sixty-five percent of the participants were graduates or postgraduates and the rest only had secondary education. White Cane, mobile phones, Apple iOS, Envision, Seeing AI, VoiceOver, and Google Maps were the most used devices, technologies, and apps used by the participants. Navigation at 39.6% was the most reported purpose of the special devices followed by education (34.1%) and office jobs (12.8%). The information from this survey along with a detailed literature review of academic and commercial technologies for the visually impaired was used to establish the research gap, design requirements, and a comprehensive understanding of the relevant landscape, which in turn was used to design smart glasses called LidSonic for visually impaired.

As urban populations and transport demand expand, Pakistani metropolitan centers face traffic congestion and environmental challenges. This research aims to assess carpooling (CP) to alleviate traffic congestion, fuel demand, and pollution. This study was conducted in Islamabad, a fast-growing city with a high percentage of personal cars in Pakistan, to assess the travelers’ perceptions, and public acceptance of CP and determine the effects on traffic congestion, fuel consumption, and CO2 emissions. The investigation of travelers' perceptions towards CP was conducted through a stated preference questionnaire survey. A total of 700 responses from one million population of Islamabad were collected as per Sloven's Formula. SPSS and Smart PLS software were used for data analysis. Various factors influencing peoples’ travel perceptions, mode choice, and tendency to carpool, were categorized to evaluate the relationship between travelers’ perception and the tendency to carpool in the presence of mode choice as a mediating variable. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted in SMART PLS to refine the number of scale items for each variable. One-way ANOVA, step-wise and mediated multiple regression analysis was conducted in SPSS to check the direct and mediating relationship between different variables. Moreover, the probability of reducing traffic congestion and assessing fuel reduction resulting from CP was also analyzed. The findings imply that travelers’ mode choice acts as a mediator between the relationship between travelers’ perception and tendency to carpool. Furthermore, results predicted that CP might reduce 0.25 million cars on the road, about 33.6% of the total private vehicles. Thereby, saving up to 546,810 barrels per year, about 3.42% of Pakistan's total petrol consumption. The findings of this study could be helpful for transport planners, environmentalists, and policymakers to implement carpool systems. Thus, reducing traffic congestion and harmful CO2 emissions and maintaining a sustainable environment.

Despite the expansion of financial institutions and proliferation of mobile financial services, reaching the unbanked and bringing them under formal financial services has become a policy concern in many developing countries. Due to the lack of financial accounts, unbanked people prefer informal, risky, and inconvenient mechanisms for receiving, sending and transferring money. Previous studies rely much on common intervention like no account maintenance and opening fees, easy documentation processes and money subsidies for opening financial accounts. This study aims to examine the impact of the motivational workshop on opening savings accounts through causality among the unbanked people in a setting where the respondents are unbanked despite having all the requirements and many institutional offers for opening savings accounts. We encouraged the unbanked people through a one-hour-long motivational workshop to open saving account. Based on our cross-sectional data and randomized controlled trial experiment among 505 unbanked Village Defense Party (VDP) members at Dhubil Union under Sirajganj in Bangladesh, we have the evidence that motivational workshop positively impacts opening ac-counts by 32.33 percent. However, the account opening rate differs in terms of respondent’s pref-erence for financial institutions. Our study also finds that unbanked people have the highest pref-erence for mobile financial services for opening accounts resulting in 15.33 percent. The result of the study has some policy implications for adopting effective strategies of financial access in many developing countries.

Zinc oxide (ZnO) as a semiconductor in its crystalline or amorphous form is still a promised material, especially under isobaric and isothermal ensembles. In this work, Parallel and Equilibrium Molecular Dynamics and DL_POLY_4 software are employed to predict the relationship between the behavior of ZnO chemical bonds and the phase transition literatures, using correlation function g(r) of Zn-Zn, Zn-O, and O-O pairs. Our system is composed of 5832 atoms of ZnO rocksalt structure (2916 atoms of Zn2+ and 2916 atoms of O2-), under the temperature of 300 (K) and the range of pressure 0-400 (GPa). The lengths of ZnO bonds, the standard error, standard deviation, the maximum of g(r), and the percentage of the variation of the bonds are analyzed. The interatomic interactions are modeled by the potential of Buckingham for short-range and Coulomb for long-range interactions. The calculations were run on the RAVEN Supercomputer of Cardiff University (UK). Our data are mostly in the vicinity of available information of bonds lengths; the rest can be deduced from the pressure of phase transition to use it as a new approach of phase transition confirmation. However, the rest of our results are still a prediction because of no results under extended pressure used in this work.

The permeation of dioxin-like pollutants, namely, chlorinated dibenzodioxins and dibenzofurans, through lipid membranes has been simulated using classic molecular dynamics (CMD) combined with the umbrella sampling approach. The most toxic forms of chlorinated dibenzodioxin and dibenzofuran, 2,3,7,8-tetrachloro-p-dibenzodioxin (TCDD) and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran (TCDF), and a dioleyl-phosphatidylcholine (DOPC) lipid membrane of 50 Å wide have been chosen for our study. The free energy profile shows the penetration process is largely favoured thermodynamically (DG≈-12 kcal/mol), with a progressively decrease of the free energy until reaching the energy minima at distances of 8Å and 9.5Å from the centre of the membrane for, respectively, TCDD and TCDF. At the centre of the membrane, both molecules display subtle local maxima with free energy differences of 0.5 and 1 kcal/mol with respect to the energy minima for TCDD and TCDF, respectively. Furthermore, the intermolecular interactions between the molecules and the lipid membrane have been characterized at the minima and the local maxima using hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics energy decomposition analysis (QM/MM-EDA). Total interaction energies of -17.5 and -16.5 kcal/mol have been found at the energy minima for TCDD and TCDF, respectively. In both cases, the dispersion forces govern the molecule-membrane interactions, no significant changes have been found at the local maxima, in agreement with the classical free energy profile. The small differences found in the results obtained for TCDD and TCDF point out the adsorption and diffusion processes through the cell membrane are not related to the different toxicity shown by these pollutants.

The COVID-19 pandemic remains a serious public health problem globally. During winter flu seasons, more aggressive SARS-CoV-2 infections with fatalities have been documented, indicating that influenza co-infections may significantly impact the disease outcome of COVID-19. Both influenza and SARS-CoV-2 viruses share many similarities in their transmission and cellular tropism for their replication in the human respiratory tract. However, it is still unclear how the two pathogens interplay to ensure their survival in the same lung microenvironment. In addition, clinical studies on influenza co-infections in COVID-19 patients do not provide conclusive evidence on how influenza co-infection mechanistically modifies the disease outcome in COVID-19. This mini-review discusses various viral as well as host factors that potentially influence the survival or synergism of these two respiratory pathogens in the infected lung microenvironment.

Conclusions: The quantitative method provides a large-scale overview of the biometry measurements of an entire practice. Image audits can then be focused on sonographers whose measurements are outliers, avoiding the time, complexity, and expense of auditing those whose measurements fall within the expected range. We encourage commercial software developers to include tools in their ultrasound reporting software to facilitate such quantitative review.

Convolutional neural network architectures have become increasingly complex, which has improved the performance slowly on well-known benchmark datasets in the recent years. In this research, we have analyzed the true need for such complexity. We have introduced G-Net light, a lightweight modified GoogleNet with improved filter count per layer to reduce feature overlaps and complexity. Additionally, by limiting the amount of pooling layers in the proposed architecture, we have exploited the skip connections to minimize the spatial information loss. The investigations on the proposed architecture are evaluated on three retinal vessel segmentation publicly available datasets. The proposed G-Net light outperforms other vessel segmentation architectures by reducing the number of trainable parameters..

(1) Background: Various cutaneous adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are observed with the development of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. To gain insight into the clinicopathologic features, we analyzed the correlation of histological and clinical data in 48 patients with these ADRs.; (2) Methods: Single-center retrospective study in patients with ADRs post-mRNA COVID-19 vaccination (mRNA-1273 and BNT162b2 vaccines).; (3) Results: Distant generalized ADRs prevailed (91%), often appearing clinically as spongiotic dermatitis or maculo-papular exanthema. Histopathological analysis revealed spongiotic changes (46%) and dermal superficial perivascular lympho-histiocytic infiltrates (17%). Eosinophils were found in 66% of biopsies, neutrophils in 29%, and plasma cells only in 8% of biopsies. Most ADRs occurred post-second vaccine dose (44%). Histologically spongiotic changes were associated with clinical features of spongiotic dermatitis in only 50% and maculo-papular exanthema in the remaining patients. ADRs represented an aggravation of preexisting skin disease in 23% of patients. ADRs regressed within 28 days or less in 53% of patients and persisted beyond a month in the remaining patients.; (4) Conclusions: Our study demonstrates a diverse spectrum of generalized ADRs, revealing correlations between histology and clinical features but also instances of divergence. The majority of ADRs are self-limited with a few extending beyond a month.

Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most threatening neurodegenerative diseases, is characterized by the loss of memory and language function, an unbalanced perception of space and other cognitive and physical manifestations. Pathology of the AD is characterized by neuronal loss, and the extensive distribution of senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). The role of environment and the diet in the AD is being studied actively, and nutrition is certainly one of the main factors playing a prominent role in the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases. In this context, the relationship between dementia and wine use/abuse has received increased research interest in recent times, with varying and often conflicting results. Scope and approach: This review aims to critically summarize the most recent studies conducted to clarify the relationship between wine drinking and AD, as well as whether effects are influenced by quantity and/or frequency of drinking. Key findings and Conclusion: Overall, based on the interpretation of various studies, it can be concluded that there is no indication that light to moderate alcohol drinking is detrimental to cognition and dementia, and it is not possible to define whether alcohol could be used as a means to reduce risk of developing AD.

Hydrogels have gained significant attention as vehicles for transdermal delivery systems. These polymeric-structured substances have been implemented in pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications. Many factors are employed in their preparation. Light, pH, temperature and specific molecules ligands are commonly used in the production of hydrogels. The Transdermal delivery system (TDD) is a widely used route, used to deliver actives/drugs via the skin. Hydrogels as a TDD have been shown to be efficient in enhancing the efficacy in delivering the actives and drugs. The aim of this review is to discuss the hydrogels application in both dermatological therapeutic and cosmetic applications, covering the types, and properties of hydrogel polymer networks. Furthermore, this review presents one of the most extensively used polymers (Hyaluronic acid HA) in this field and discusses the properties, preparation methods and applications of HA hydrogel patches as a delivery system, including methods of loading the actives and the releasing of these actives from them.

Sustainable water resource management in Bangladesh's Gumti River Basin faces challenges from climate change, urbanization, and population growth. This study aimed to calibrate and validate the HEC-HMS model for the Gumti River to enhance flood prediction and water resource planning. The model was set up using precipitation, temperature, and discharge data from 2019-2021, with SRTM elevation data for catchment delineation. Manual calibration was performed for 2019-2020, followed by validation for 2021, using parameters such as Muskingum routing and SCS Curve Number. Model performance was evaluated using R², Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE), RSR, and PBIAS metrics. Results showed satisfactory to good performance, with R² values of 0.64 and 0.68 for calibration and validation, respectively. NSE values were within the satisfactory range, while PBIAS indicated very good performance with slight underestimation. The study concludes that the calibrated HEC-HMS model provides a reliable tool for simulating the Gumti River's hydrology, though there's room for improvement. Integration with flood frequency analysis, water quality monitoring, and climate change projections is recommended for comprehensive water resource management, alongside the implementation of Sustainable Water Resource Management principles and community engagement strategies.

Drinking water supplies in the developing world often serve as a biosphere for various organisms. Viral gastroenteritis is a neglected area of research in Pakistan, there is no data for the prevalence of enteric viruses in drinking water of the largest city of Karachi. The present study aimed to provide a survey of the existence of enteric viruses: human adenovirus (HAdV), human enteroviruses (hEV), and genotype A rotavirus (GARV) in tap water. Using a simple PCR approach, we detected 20%, 43%, and 23% of HAdV, hEV, and GARV in tap water respectively. We have also shown an overall quality of tap water at the pumping station and consumer tap. Moreover, we assessed the efficiency of small-scale water treatment methods for the removal of viruses.

The details of antigen-antibody interactions and the identification of epitopes are critical for the development of monoclonal antibody drugs. Ab42 is a native human-derived anti-CFH monoclonal antibody. In this study, the interaction between antigen pCFH and antibody (Ab42) was theoretically demonstrated by molecular docking and MD simulation, combined with free energy calculation and computational alanine scanning (CAS), and key amino acids and epitopes were identified. Experimental alanine scanning (EAS) was then carried out to verify the results of the calculation, and our results indicated that Ab42 antibody forms hydrogen bonds and interacts hydrophobically with pCFH through the Tyr315, Ser100, Gly33, and Tyr53 residues on its CDR, while the main pCFH epitopes are located at the six sites of Pro441, Ile442, Asp443, Asn444, Ile447, and Thr448. In conclusion, this study has explored the mechanism of antigen-antibody interaction from both theoretical and experimental aspects, and our results have important theoretical significance for the design and development of relevant antibody drugs.

Modern day construction is widely influenced using concrete-steel composite columns. A lot of research on concrete-steel composite columns is being carried out around the world. The rapid growth in concrete-steel composite construction has widely decreased the use of conventional reinforced cement concrete construction (R.C.C), and the steel construction practices. The concrete-steel composite construction has obtained an extensive receiving around the globe. As Pakistan is a developing country, so, it is relatively a new concept for its construction industry when compared with the developed countries around the globe. Although, the R.C.C construction is suitable and economical for construction of framing systems of low-rise buildings, however, the increased dead load, span restrictions, less stiffness and risky formwork makes it uneconomical and unviable when it comes across the construction of intermediate to high-rise buildings. This research is an effort to learn the cost effectiveness, increased or decreased stiffness, and change on the functionality of the composite construction for intermediate to high-rise buildings constructed in Pakistan. A Base + Ground + 11 storey commercial building is selected for this study. A comparison is made between conventional R.C.C columns structure and concrete-encased composite columns structure. The equivalent static nonlinear analysis is performed using ETABS 2017 software. Although, for Base + Ground + 11 storey building, the construction cost of concrete-encased composite structure is 7.7% more than the conventional R.C.C columns structure, but the concrete-encased composite structure will have 13.013% more constructed floor area. This increased floor area helps to settle the cost difference between the two structures.

A cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the prevalence of subclinical mastitis (SCM) among medium to large scale household dairy farms in southwestern district, Jhenaidah, Bangladesh during July to December 2019. A total of 78 (n=100) lactating cows from household dairy farms (N=32) having three or more dairy cows were selected randomly as sampled populations. Milk samples were screened for SCM by using Surf Field Mastitis Test (SFMT). The prevalence of SCM varied among farm level [71.9% (95% CI: 53.3-86.3)], individual animal level [67.9% (95% CI: 56.4-86.3)] and quarter level [29.5% (95% CI: 24.5-34.9)]. Descriptive statistics represented the farmers and farm demography, characteristics of the sampled population, and overall management feature. Random Effect Logistic Regression identified, Body Condition Score (BCS) [OR=3.8 and 2.9, at cows level and quarter level respectively (BCS-2 vs. BCS-≥3)], and breed [OR=5.1 and 2.9, at cows level and quarter level respectively (HF× Sahiwal vs. HF × Local)] as potential risk factors. This study shows that SCM is highly prevalent in the study area, which is a major threat to the dairy industry's production performance. Regular screening by SFMT, proper hygiene, improve the management system, and farmer’s awareness is required to control the disease.

Abstract: Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is a clinical diagnosis based on abnormalities in patients' vital signs and white blood cell count. Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is used as an easily accessible parameter to assess the patient's inflammatory status and stress. There are some studies showing that NLR affected by the inflammatory response is a criterion to support the diagnosis of SIRS. In this study, it was aimed to compare the interrelation between SIRS (+) and SIRS (-) groups in patients with high positive feline coronavirus (FCoV) in the light of NLR. Based on the anamneses, physical examination findings, laboratory findings, enzyme immunoassay antibody test kit titer were included in the sick groups. These patients were further categorized based on the presence of SIRS symptoms, vital signs and laboratory findings. The NLR as diagnostic marker demonstrated to differ between high antibody titer FCoV positive and healthy cats. However the diagnostic significance of NLR remains questionable between the high antibody titer FCoV positive cats with SIRS (+) and SIRS (-). As a result of our study NLR can be used as a blood parameter like albumin/globulin ratio and elevated total bilirubin in cats with high FCoV antibody titer and high probability of developing FIP.

Lower extremity joint kinetic factors are thought to modulate walk–to–run transition (WRT) and run–to–walk transition (RWT). This study aimed to investigate joint stiffness and energetic patterns during the WRT and RWT processes and identify whether gait transitions occurred within a single step or not. Ten healthy subjects participated in treadmill WRT (1.8 m/s – 2.4 m/s) and RWT (2.4 m/s – 1.8 m/s) tests. We investigated two steps before transition (S–2, S–1), two steps after transition (S1, S2) and the transition step (S0). We found significant differences between S2 and S–2 for ankle joint stiffness during WRT and RWT (p &lt; 0.001); and for hip joint stiffness, we found significant differences between S1 and S–1 during WRT and RWT (p ≤ 0.001). Additionally, stance phase mechanical energy generation was observed to transfer from proximal to distal joints at S0 during WRT, and from distal to proximal at S0 during RWT. Transition step ankle kinematic and kinetic patterns were similar to the target locomotion task gait format in both WRT and RWT. Moreover, RWT required longer adaptation time compared with WRT. These findings indicate that WRT and RWT were modulated before and after the actual transitions, not within a single step. Redistribution of joint mechanical work generation was related to gait transition triggers, which modulate the WRT and RWT process.

Since the first coronavirus patient was identified in Bangladesh on March 8, the most controversial issue is about the exact level of the infection in Bangladesh. Conformity with the population density the number of COVID-19 tests is inadequate. As the number of tests increases, so does the number of infections, making it difficult to predict the spread of COVID-19 in Bangladesh. In this case, the unplanned initiatives are particularly responsible in other for unplanned measures, lack of public awareness, and lack of proper knowledge. In this case, the Ministry of Health has made three major mistakes, three important features of the medical system in Bangladesh have been mentioned. It is more effective to prevent COVID-19 by isolating the infected person by further testing COVID-19 until effective treatment is available and to provide adequate and effective masks and personal protective equipment (PPE). In this case, the COVID-19 testing kit invention has received a good response in many countries of the world. This study focuses on the comprehensive data verification, selection, and evaluation of COVID-19 in Bangladesh and its implications for the future, what to do to address and prevent the COVID-19 challenge, and effective treatment against the coronavirus (COVID-19). It is hopeful that the discussion of the material mentioned in this research paper will help to strike a balance between the government, citizens, and experts which will be feasible in improving the current situation in COVID-19 Bangladesh and reducing its severity.

Dried blood spot (DBS) testing on confetti is one of the most common methods used to collect and extract DNA from field samples for molecular epidemiology of malaria studies. Here, we investigated whether ethanol or other solutions used to clean scissors are a source of sample contamination. DBS were prepared from 3 drops of blood from two Plasmodium falciparum cultures spotted on confetti, and 3 solutions (water, ethanol and DNase) were used to clean scissors between spots during DNA extraction. For each cleaning solution, two blank confetti were used as negative controls. Samples were analyzed by PCR-based genotyping of merozoite surface proteins 1 & 2 (msp-1 and msp-2), and P. falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter (Pfcrt). A total of 15 samples were analyzed. Based on msp-1 and msp-2 amplification, P. falciparum was detected on blank confetti when scissors were washed with ethanol. Based on Pfcrt amplification, DNA of P. falciparum was detected on blank confetti when scissors were cleaned with ethanol or water. No P. falciparum genes were detected on blank confetti when scissors were cleaned with DNase. Scissors cleaned with DNase prevented cross-contamination between samples during processing of dried blood spots, whereas ethanol (which is commonly used) fails to avert cross-contamination.

The present study was carried out at the north-eastern part of Bangladesh to investigate organochlorine pesticide (OCP) residues and microbiological quality of dried barb (Puntius sophore). Samples were collected from both producers and retailers from December 2016 to April 2017. A control sample was also prepared with the same raw fish used by the producers in the laboratory to compare the result. Gas Chromatography with Electron Capture Detector (GC-ECD) was used to detect and quantify OCP residues. Around 22 % (6) samples out of 27 were found contaminated with OCP residues. Among these six adulterated samples, four were from retailers and two from producers. Only Aldrin was detected in four samples and rest two samples were detected with both Aldrin + Dieldrin and Aldrin + Endrin. Aldrin was found between 0.332 to 0.967 ppm, Dieldrin 0.762 ppm, and Endrin 0.828 ppm. All these values were much higher than the Maximum Residual Limit (MRL) 0.1 ppm. Aerobic Plate Count (APC) of producer samples were ranged between log5.3 ± 0.02 to log5.4 ± 0.03, log6.2 ± 0.02 to log6.4 ± 0.02 for retailer samples and log5.0 ± 0.03 to log5.2 ± 0.04 for control samples. While fungal count was ranged between log3.2 ± 0.04 to log3.5 ± 0.04, log3.4 ± 0.04 to log3.6 ± 0.03 and log2.2 ± 0.05 to log2.5 ± 0.03 for producer, retailer and control samples respectively. All the producer and retailer samples and one-third of the control samples were found contaminated with Escherichia coli. Whereas, Salmonella sp. was detected as 13.3% in producer samples, 20% in retailer samples except for the control. In case of Vibrio sp., maximum count was found for retailer samples (13.3%), whereas, producer and control samples showed no detection. The finding of the present study revealed the presence of pesticides and poor microbiological quality of dried barb are alarming for the consumers of Bangladesh and which may cause chronic disease and potential long-term risk for human health.

The Global natural and manmade events are exposing the fragility of the tourism industry and its impact on the global economy. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism contributed 10.3% to the global GDP and employed 333 million people but saw a significant decline due to the pandemic. Sustainable and smart tourism requires collaboration from all stakeholders and a comprehensive understanding of global and local issues to drive responsible and innovative growth in the sector. This paper presents an approach for leveraging big data and deep learning to dis-cover holistic, multi-perspective (e.g., local, cultural, national, and international) and objective information on a subject. Specifically, we develop a machine learning pipeline to extract parameters from academic literature and public opinions on Twitter, providing a unique and comprehensive view of the industry from both academic and public perspectives. The academic-view dataset was created from the Scopus database and contains 156,759 research articles from 2000 to 2022, which were modelled to identify 33 distinct parameters in 4 categories: Tourism Types, Planning, Challenges, and Media &amp; Technologies. A Twitter dataset of 485,813 tweets was collected over 18 months starting March 2021 to August 2022 to showcase public perception of tourism in Saudi Arabia, which was modelled to reveal 13 parameters categorized into two broader sets: Tourist Attractions and Tourism Services. Discovering system parameters are re-quired to embed autonomous capabilities in systems and for decision-making and problem-solving during system design and operations. The proposed approach improves AI-based information discovery by extending the use of scientific literature, Twitter, and other sources for autonomous, dynamic optimizations of systems, promoting novel research in the tourism sector and contributing to the development of smart and sustainable societies. The paper also presents a comprehensive knowledge structure and literature review of the tourism sector based on over 250 research articles.

Increasing genetic diversity in crop plants has been used for chemical mutagenesis. Through the application of various mutagenic agents, over 430 new varieties have been derived as rice mutants (Oryza sativa L.) Chemical mutagens such as ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS), diepoxybutane derivative (DEB), sodium azide, and gamma ray, x-ray, and quick neutron irradiation have been commonly used to induce a large number of functional variations in rice and others crops. Among chemical mutagens, ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS) is the alkylating agent most widely used in plants because it induces nucleotide substitutions to be extremely frequent, as detected in various genomes. In this study, seeds of potential genotype of the popular variety, (Oryza sativa L. Super Basmati variety) were treated with EMS at concentrations of 0.25%, 0.50%, 0.75%, 1% and 1.5%. Various measurements on the M1 generation determined EMS sensitivity. As concentration of applied EMS increased, will decrease in germination, shoot length, root length, plant height, productive tillers, Panicle Length, Total Spikelet, sterile spikelet and fertility under field conditions were observed in M1 generation as compared to the non-treatment control. Emergence, shoot length, root length, plant height, productive tillers, Panicle Length, Total Spikelet, sterile spikelet and fertility also decreased with increases in EMS mutagenesis in an approximately linear fashion. The LD₅₀ values were observed based on growth reduction of seedlings after EMS treatment with 0.25% and 0.50% on the rice variety (Oryza sativa L. spp.).

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic led to rapid growth in telemental health services and investment in digital mental health technologies. Digital mental health technologies could expand access to mental health care amid increasing provider deficit by providing tools for expedited psychiatric symptom assessment and treatment augmentation. This systematic review explores the recent evidence for the use of scalable digital tools, including virtual reality, neurofeedback training, wearables, mobile apps, digital phenotyping, and machine learning for PTSD symptom assessment, diagnosis, and treatment. Methods: A PubMed search identified studies on digital technologies with current or future potential for scalability (accessible through a small, digital device without the virtual or in-person presence of a mental health care provider)–and PTSD diagnosis, symptom assessment, or symptom treatment as the primary outcome. Thirty-five studies inform this review. Results: Virtual reality exposure therapy is efficacious for combat-related PTSD treatment. Conclusions of studies investigating apps and neurofeedback training are limited by low sample size and methodological heterogeneity. Machine learning models demonstrate capability in detecting PTSD symptoms via passively collected data from smartphones, wearables, and actively collected data from patient speech, writing, and videos, but standardization of data collection and modeling are needed before application to clinical settings. Conclusions: Advancements in scalable digital tools could address barriers in healthcare access and improve patient engagement by providing asynchronous assessment and treatment augmentation. Future research utilizing diverse patient populations in standardized controlled trials is needed to determine evidence-based protocols for implementation.

This article investigates the features of heat and mass transfer for the steady two-dimensional Williamson nanofluid flow across an exponentially stretched surface depending on suction/injection. The boundary conditions incorporate the impacts of the Brownian motion and thermophoresis boundary. The analysis of heat transfer is carried out for the two cases of prescribed exponential order surface temperature (PEST) and prescribed exponential order heat flux (PEHF). The ongoing flow problem is mathematically modeled under the basic laws of motion and heat transfer. The similarity variables are allowed to transmute the governing equations of the problem into a similarity ordinary differential equation (ODEs). The solution of this reduced non-linear system of ODEs is supported by the Homotopy analysis method (HAM). The combination of HAM arrangements is acquired by plotting the h-curve. In order to evaluate the influence of several emergent parameters, the outcomes are presented numerically and are plotted diagrammatically as a consequence of velocity, temperature and concentration proles.

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.

Alkaloids are the most diversified nitrogen-containing secondary metabolites having antioxi-dant, and antimicrobial properties and are extensively used in pharmaceuticals to treat different types of cancer. Nicotiana serves as a reservoir of anticancer alkaloids and is also used as a model plant for the de novo synthesis of various anti-cancer molecules through genetic engineering. Up to 4% of the total dry weight of Nicotiana was found to be composed of alkaloids where nicotine, nornicotine, anatabine, and anabasine are reported as the dominant alkaloids. And, among the alkaloids present in Nicotiana, β-carboline (Harmane and Norharmane), Kynurenines are found to show anti-tumor effects, especially in the case of colon and breast cancer. Creating new or shunting of existing biosynthesis pathways in different species of Nicotiana resulted in de novo or increased synthesis of different anti-tumor molecules or their derivatives or precursors includ-ing Taxadiane (~22.5 µg/g), Artemisinin (~120 μg/g), Parthenolide (~2.05 ng/g), Costunolide (~60 ng/g), Etoposide (~1 mg/g), Crocin (~400 µg/g), Catharanthine (~60 ng/g), Tabersonine (~10 ng/g), Strictosidine (~0.23 mg/g), etc. Enrich precursor pool especially Dimethylallyl Diphos-phate (DMAPP) and down-regulating of other bi-product pathways, compartmentalization or metabolic shunting, or organelle-specific reconstitution of the precursor pool might trigger the enhanced accumulation of the targeted anticancer alkaloid in Nicotiana.

The cross-linked microspheres were prepared and loaded with Favipiravir SARS-CoV-2 antiviral drug, by copolymerization of chitosan (CS) with a polysaccharide extracted from fresh pomegranate peels. Moreover, glutaraldehyde (Glu) has been used as chemical cross-linker ,and sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) as physical cross-linker. The extracted polysaccharide was analyzed and different techniques have been used and the analyses leads to the fact that it is pectin .The surface morphology of the prepared microspheres was studied use scanning electron microscope where the size and the shape factor (S) of Glu microspheres have shown high values(74.27μm) and (0.852) respectively means their surfaces are tends to roughness, whereas the SHMP microspheres have shown size particle(20.47μm)and shape factor (0.748) which gives indication that the SHMP microspheres have smooth surfaces. The swelling studies have shown that Glu microspheres have higher degree of swelling which means SHMP microspheres are more compact. The prepared microspheres have shown more Loading percentage of Favipiravir antiviral drug in SHMP microspheres(37%w/w)in comparison with Glu microspheres(35%w/w) where the electrostatic interaction between the Favipiravir ions and SHMP anions help for more loading. The microspheres prepared under different types of cross-linking have shown initially burst release of Favipiravir and followed by a step of controlled release for a certain time where its period depends on the pH of the release media. Both Glu and SHMP cross-linked microspheres have shown high controlled release time in buffered release solution of pH 7.4 and for a less periods in pH 1.3 and pH 9.4 which may related to the type of electrostatic interactions between drug and polymer system and their reactions with release solution ions.

The need for integrated high-frequency systems has increased significantly, leading to the development of efficient antennas operating in the 0.1-10 terahertz (THz) range. Using graphene as the conducting 2D material and hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) as the dielectric substrate, this research effort examines the design and performance evaluation of a THz band antenna functioning on supporting nanotechnology. The researchers contrasted the system’s performance with the 6G wireless network requirements after analyzing the antenna performance, radiation patterns, and impedance matching. According to this research, graphene, along with hBN can enhance antenna performance overall in the THz band and open pathways for advanced communication. The application of the designed antenna in a 6G wireless network will be tested through um MIMO configuration to achieve a higher data rate.

The two combined technologies WPT and AI still have huge prospects for several industries such as consumer electronics and industry. This paper looks at the recent developments in WPT, particularly concerning AI-improved efficiency, range, and reliability. AI-driven also works to control power, manage device alignment, and test when maintenance is necessary, this makes powering smarter and more efficient. Accuracy is given by deploying machine learning and computer vision, and on the other hand, the maintenance procedure is done through predictions. Furthermore, the ability of the management system to include the use of AI in power regulation enables the control of consumption based on the load. In this study, the positive future effect of AI is discussed concerning improvements in WPT technologies, which is paramount in subsequent applications. Based on the results, it is essential to continue the investigation of the topic within this interdisciplinary science to advance existing problems and discover novel possibilities for evolution. Data based on experiments shows a significant improvement in the efficiency of information transfer where AI is used with rates up to 25% higher than those using the traditional ways. Additionally, advanced maintenance forecasting algorithms improve system availability by cutting down on 30% of the downtimes when applied in real-life applications of AI technology. The study also looks at the possibilities of the outlook to the future including emergence of the distributed artificial intelligence for autonomous WPT network, and additional potential of quantum computing for the use to improve the algorithm. This indicates that there is a new era for the convergence of WPT and AI to enhance the progress of power transfer system in conditions of elegant, efficient, and robust.