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In this work, we have studied the spin-dependent ballistic transport and anomalous quantum tunneling in bilayer graphene horizontally placed in between two Rashba–Zeeman (RZ) leads under external electric biasing. We investigated the transmission and conductance for the proposed system using scattering matrix formalism and the Landauer–Büttiker formula considering a double delta-like barrier under a set of experimentally viable parameters. We found that the transmission characteristics are notably different for up- and down-spin incoming electrons depending upon the strength of magnetization. Moreover, the transmission of up- and down-spin electrons is found to be magnetization orientation dependent. The maximum tunneling conductance can be achieved by tuning biasing energy and magnetization strength and choosing a material with suitable Rashba spin–orbit coupling (RSOC). This astonishing property of our system can be utilized in fabricating devices, such as spin filters. We found that the Fano factor of our system is 0.4 under strong magnetization conditions, while it reduces to 0.3 under low magnetization conditions. Moreover, we also noticed that the transmission and conductance significantly depend on the Rashba–Zeeman effect. Therefore, considering a suitable RZ material, the tunneling of the electrons can be tuned and controlled. Our result suggests that considering suitable strength and orientation of magnetization with moderate RSOC, one can obtain a different transmission probability for spin species under suitable biasing energy. These results indicate the suitability of the proposed system in fabrication of spintronic devices, such as spin filter, spin transistor, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents a comprehensive study of the UV–Visible and fluorescence properties, as well as the redox behavior of the [AuIII(Salen)]Cl complex in acetonitrile. The [AuIII(Salen)]+ complex exhibited intriguing fluorescence and phosphorescence characteristics on an indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass plate when excited at wavelength λexc ~ 260 nm, with fluorescence emission observed at λems ~ 437 nm and phosphorescence at λems ~ 520 nm. The origin of fluorescence emission was attributed to the intra-ligand charge transfer effect, commonly known as the "Push–Pull" effect. The electrochemical behavior of [AuIII(Salen)]+ on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) revealed a remarkable one-step three-electron reduction process, leading to the reduction of [AuIII(Salen)]+ to Au(0). Furthermore, the reduction of [AuI(Salen)]− to Au(0) resulted in the removal of gold metal from the SalenH2 ligand. The electrochemical results suggested a mixed diffusion-adsorption redox process occurring at the GCE surface, indicating the involvement of both diffusion and adsorption during redox reactions. The cyclic voltammogram demonstrated the non-reversibility of the electrochemical redox reactions. Overall, the redox behavior of the [AuIII(Salen)]Cl complex proved to be intriguing, opening up avenues for further exploration and potential applications of this complex in various fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2D materials, owing to their nearly atomic thickness, have emerged as promising candidates across a broad spectrum of next‐generation devices and systems. In the post‐graphene era, molybdenum‐based dichalcogenides (MoX2, where X = S, Se, Te), possessing a graphene‐like structure, represent one of the most promising subsets among 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) due to their extensively researched and distinctive electronic, optical, and mechanical properties. Further with their distinct properties of different phases (2H, 1T) make it attractive for both fundamental and applied research. It finds diverse applications, spanning from optoelectronics to catalysis and sensor development. In this review article, the unique crystal structural properties of MoX2 are highlighted and their different synthesis methods, incorporating recent advancements in synthesis approaches discussed. Subsequently the recent development of MoX2 nanocomposite based on carbon, metal, metal oxide and various polymer discussed. Finally, the key challenges impeding the advancement of sensing applications and propose avenues for future development, drawing upon the current progress in 2D MoX2 and their nanocomposites also find mention in this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single‐molecule localization microscopy (SMLM), which has revolutionized nanoscale imaging, faces challenges in densely labelled samples due to fluorophore clustering, leading to compromised localization accuracy. In this paper, we propose a novel convolutional neural network (CNN)‐assisted approach to address the issue of locating the clustered fluorophores. Our CNN is trained on a diverse data set of simulated SMLM images where it learns to predict point spread function (PSF) locations by generating Gaussian blobs as output. Through rigorous evaluation, we demonstrate significant improvements in PSF localization accuracy, especially in densely labelled samples where traditional methods struggle. In addition, we employ blob detection as a post‐processing technique to refine the predicted PSF locations and enhance localization precision. Our study underscores the efficacy of CNN in addressing clustering challenges in SMLM, thereby advancing spatial resolution and enabling deeper insights into complex biological structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five compounds, [Zn2(bpe)(BPTA)2(H2O)2] ⋅ 2H2O (1); [Zn(bpe)(BPTA)] (2); [Cd(bpe)(BPTA)H2O] (3); [Cd(BPTA) (bpmh)] ⋅ 2H2O (4); and Cu2(BPTA)2(bpmh)3(H2O)2] ⋅ 2H2O (5) were prepared employing 2,5‐bis(prop‐2‐yn‐1‐yloxy)terephthalic acid (2, 5 BPTA) as the primary ligand and 1,2‐di(pyridin‐4‐yl)ethane (4, 4′ bpe) (1–3) and 1,2‐bis(pyridin‐3‐ylmethylene)hydrazine (bpmh) (4–5) as the secondary ligands. Single crystal studies indicated that the compounds 1, 3 and 5 have two‐dimensional layer structures and compounds 2 and 4 three‐dimensional structures. The luminescence behaviour of the compounds 2 and 3 were explored for the sensing of metronidazole in aqueous medium. The studies indicated that the compounds can detect metronidazole in ppm level both in solution as well as simple paper strips. The Cu compound 5 was found to lose the coordinated water molecule at 100 °C without any structural change. The coordinatively unsaturated Cu‐centre were examined towards the Lewis acidic character by carrying out the Ullmann type C−C homocoupling reaction of the aromatic halide compounds. The compounds, 4 and 5, also have the Lewis basic functionality arising out the =N−N=, aza groups. The bifunctional nature of the coordination polymers (CP) was explored towards the Chan‐Lam coupling reaction between phenyl boronic acid and aniline derivatives in the ethanol medium. In both the catalytic reactions, good yields and recyclability were observed. The present studies illustrated the rich diversity that the transition metal containing compounds exhibit in extended framework structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the nuanced perceptions of teacher involvement among adolescents and teachers, shedding light on its distinct impacts on adolescents' behavior and emotional well-being—a relatively under-explored area in the Indian educational landscape. It aims to unravel how differing perceptions of teacher involvement from both parties influence adolescents' behavior and emotional problems. Employing a mixed-methods approach across two studies, involving the same group of participants, the research utilized the Adolescents' Behavioral and Emotional Problems Scale (ABEP) and Teachers Involvement and its Impact Scale (TI) for quantitative analysis, alongside semi-structured interviews with adolescents, teachers, and parents for qualitative insights. Results reveal that while teacher involvement perceived by adolescents significantly affects their behavior and emotional well-being, teachers' assessment of their involvement lacks significant impact. Themes from interviews underscore the pivotal role of teacher behavior, including public critique and preferential treatment, in influencing students' emotional wellness and academic engagement. Additionally, the study underscores the significance of teacher performance evaluation and job security concerns in shaping positive teacher-student dynamics, particularly for academically challenged students, whose difficulties may strain interactions further. The findings stress the importance for educators in Assam to prioritize fostering supportive relationships with students, actively listening to their perspectives, and addressing their individual needs for a conducive learning environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waste products in the bloodstream are filtered by the glomerular capillaries in the kidneys and excreted into the urine. When making a differential diagnosis of kidney diseases, structural assessment of glomeruli using histological, ultrastructural, and immunological studies is crucial. This study assessed the microscopic and ultrastructural morphometric parameters of glomerular capillaries and examined their correlation with serum creatinine and proteinuria. A total of 60 kidney biopsy cases received by the transmission electron microscope (TEM) laboratory for diagnosis were included in the study. Toluidine blue stained 300 nm thick sections of TEM tissue blocks were scanned for glomerular morphometry by a whole slide imaging system, and the estimation of Bowman's capsule (BC) area, glomerular capillary lumen diameter (GCLD), glomerular capillary density (GCD), glomerular capillary surface area density (GCSA), and percentage of glomerular capillary lumen space (%GCLS) was performed with QuPath software. TEM images of 70 nm thick sections were used for the evaluation of endothelial fenestration diameter (EFD), glomerular basement membrane (GBM) thickness, and podocyte foot process (PFP) effacement. Proteinuria and serum creatinine showed positive correlations with GBM thickness and PFP effacement. Negative correlations of serum creatinine were observed with EFD, %GCLS, and GCSA. Hence, glomerular filtration is greatly affected by the total area of the glomerular capillary surface and structural changes of GBM. Reduction of glomerulus filtration due to foot process effacement and thickening of GBM results in damage to the filtration barrier leading to the leakage of plasma protein into urine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The country's energy demand is experiencing rapid growth, and fossil fuels remain the primary resources to meet this increasing need. However, global warming poses a significant challenge for governments and industries worldwide. To address this issue, utilizing methane as a fossil fuel and implementing CO2 capture and sequestration can prove to be effective mitigation strategies. This paper presents an innovative idea to utilize unmineable coal seams in the Singrauli coal field for CO2 sequestration while extracting associated CBM to offset the cost of the sequestration process. The findings reveal that the field has great potential for CO2 sequestration. The estimated average maximum sorption capacities of CO2 and CH4 in the coal seams under in situ conditions of the basin are 39.50 m3/t and 11.15 m3/t, respectively. The total maximum sorption capacities of CO2 and CH4 in the potential coal seams are estimated to be 10,758.00 Mm3 and 3,215.00 Mm3, respectively. These results indicate that the unmineable coal seams in the Singrauli coalfield hold potential for CO2 sequestration and the extraction of available CBM from the coal seams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilization of organic phosphates and insoluble phosphates for the gradual generation of plant-available phosphorus (P) is the only sustainable solution for P fertilization. Enzymatic conversions are one of the best sustainable routes for releasing P to soil. Phosphatase enzyme aids in solubilizing organic and insoluble phosphates to plant-available P. We herein report the preparation of highly functional chitosan beads co-immobilized with acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase enzymes via a glutaraldehyde linkage. The dual enzyme co-immobilized chitosan beads were characterized using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), thermogravimetric (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive x-ray (SEM-EDX) analyses to confirm the immobilization. The co-immobilized system was found to be active for a broader pH range of ~4-10 than the individually bound enzymes and mixed soluble enzymes. The bound matrix exhibited pH optima at 6 and 9, respectively, for acid and alkaline phosphatase and a temperature optimum at 50°C. The phosphate-solubilizing abilities of the chitosan-enzyme derivatives were examined using insoluble tri-calcium phosphate (TCP) for wide pH conditions of 5.5, 7, and 8.5 up to 25 days. The liberation of phosphate was highest (27.20 mg/mL) at pH 5.5 after the defined period. The residual soil phosphatase activity was also monitored after 7 days of incubation with CBE for three different soils of pH ~5.5, 7, and 8.5. The residual phosphatase activity increased for all the soils after applying the CBE. The germination index of the Oryza sativa (rice) plant was studied using different pH buffer media upon the application of the CBE in the presence of tri-calcium phosphate as a phosphate source. Overall, the dual-enzyme co-immobilized chitosan beads were highly effective over a wide pH range for generating plant-available phosphates from insoluble phosphates. The chitosan-enzyme derivative holds the potential to be used for sustainable phosphorus fertilization with different insoluble and organic phosphorus sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1,2,3-Triazole, 1,3-imidazole, and 1,3-thiazole are a class of organic heterocyclic compounds with notable applications in a diverse range of biological and pharmacological activities. Herein, we report the synthesis of molecules having these three moieties together. Each of the fused molecule was characterized with elemental analysis, melting point determination, FTIR, NMR, and mass spectrometry. The final fused molecules were screened for in vitro biological activities against a wide spectrum of microorganisms, such as gram-positive bacteria (E. coli, P. aeruginosa, S. aureus, S. phogenes), gram-negative bacteria (S. typhi, V. cholerae, B. subtilis, C. tetani), as well as fungus (C. albicans, A. niger, and A. Clavatus). Each of the compounds showed moderate to good activity which is comparable to commercially available drugs. Further, the molecular docking study on the crystal structure of the 43K ATPase domain of Thermus thermophilus gyrase B (PDB:1KIJ) and on crystal structure of penicillin-binding protein 4 from Staphylococcus aureus COL (PDB:3HUN) revealed strong binding affinities by the synthesized compounds. The ADME study also showed the drug likeliness of the compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The utilization of coal for hydrogen generation presents a multifaceted approach employing processes like coal gasification, pyrolysis, or high-temperature steam reforming. These methodologies entail reacting coal with steam or oxygen under elevated temperatures, yielding a gas mixture comprising hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and various byproducts. This paper delves into the exploration of hydrogen generation from coal, highlighting techniques such as gasification, pyrolysis, and other emerging methods. Notably, hydrogen discoveries within coal basins have garnered significant attention due to their implications for energy production and environmental sustainability. Certain coal basins harbor deposits rich in hydrogen, surpassing conventional coal reserves in their hydrogen content. These hydrogen-rich coals, including select sub-bituminous and lignite varieties, offer promising avenues for hydrogen production and utilization. However, the utilization of coal for hydrogen generation is not without its challenges. Technical hurdles, such as process efficiency and environmental concerns, demand rigorous investigation and innovative solutions. This paper addresses the challenges faced in coal-based hydrogen generation while elucidating the potential future prospects. It explores avenues for enhancing process efficiency, mitigating environmental impacts, and integrating coal-based hydrogen generation into broader energy strategies. Moreover, it underscores the importance of interdisciplinary research and collaboration in unlocking the full potential of coal for sustainable hydrogen production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An easy, in situ growth approach led to the formation of several composites of metal–organic framewoks and Nb4C3Tx MXenes mixed intimately at the submicron scale. The high affinity of MXene surface for dopamine, enhanced by a nanostructuration induced by MOFs, resulted in superior sensing performances. The system exhibited good linearity over the 1–100 nM range, with an excellent limit of detection of 0.2 nM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study employs plasma–liquid interaction technique to synthesize different phases of molybdenum oxide using air and argon as plasma-forming gases. In situ plasma-generated nitrogen species primarily NO3−/NO2− and hydrogen species (H+) facilitate the reduction of the molybdenum precursor anion (Mo7O24−). The reduced Mo species subsequently reacts with reactive oxygen species, forming MoO6 octahedra, which is the building block of a molybdenum oxide crystal. Varied concentrations of NO3−/NO2− and H+ species in air and argon plasma treatment significantly influence the growth process. Air plasma synthesis yields hexagonal molybdenum oxide microrods, which upon calcination changes its phase to orthorhombic 2D layered structure. Moreover, the argon plasma synthesized sample exhibits a mixed phase of hexagonal and orthorhombic molybdenum oxide due to the heavy argon ion bombardment, inducing material porosity and surface oxygen vacancies. The mixed-phase material exhibits superior adsorption and photo-degradation towards cationic dye compared to the other two phases. The higher photocatalytic performance may be responsible for the extended lifetime of the photo-generated charge carriers possessed by the mixed-phase material. Radical scavenging tests have identified holes and hydroxyl radicals as the key reactive species that take part in the photo-degradation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

α‐Azidochalcones have emerged as remarkably versatile precursors within organic azides, showcasing a broad spectrum of reactivity as a cornerstone for synthesizing diverse molecular scaffolds. The ongoing progress in this field has opened new opportunities for constructing complex organic molecules through diverse chemical transformations due to the versatile reactivity of α‐azidochalcones for further functionalization. The comprehensive review presented herein provides a concise yet detailed examination of the synthesis, reactivity, and potential applications of α‐azidochalcones. Focusing on both thermal and photochemical pathways, this review highlights the versatility of α‐azidochalcones as pivotal precursors in the synthesis of various heterocyclic frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work presented here establishes the experimental findings of the reaction between secondary/tertiary propargylic alcohol (PA) and 1,3,5‐trimethoxybenzene (TMB) in the presence of acetonitrile solvent (MeCN) based on theoretical calculations. When secondary PA reacts, the reaction goes via SN2 pathway, where the reaction barrier is about 14.32 kcal/mol. On the other hand, tertiary PA reacts with TMB via SN2′ and SN1′ pathway, and the corresponding reaction barriers are 17.59 and 17.86 kcal/mol. Other possible pathways, namely, SN1, SN1′, etc. for secondary PA, and SN2, SN1 pathways for tertiary PA are also investigated and the associated barrier heights are found higher. Rates of those reactions are also calculated considering the rate‐determining steps only. Reaction of secondary PA with TMB is found to be much faster than the reaction of tertiary PA and the results are in accordance with the experimental findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The understanding of the external characteristics of objects that need to be grasped is crucial for enhancing the dexterity of a robotic hand. Utilizing ontology-based knowledge representation (KR) approaches in the field of grasping presents novel opportunities for designing effective object recognition modules. This research paper proposes the development of an ontology aimed at recognizing objects that have been grasped. The ontology, named OntOGrasp, encompasses various concepts, attributes, and relationships concerning the kinematics of the hand and the structural components of the object. To generate a dataset for grasp kinematics, a series of grasping experiments were conducted using carefully selected objects. A semantic feature selection approach was then introduced, leveraging the knowledge graph embedding technique, to identify practical features from the ontology. The grasp dataset was processed to extract relevant data pertaining to the selected features, which were subsequently employed to train classification algorithms for the task of object recognition. The integration of semantically suggested features resulted in a significant improvement in recognition accuracy for the classifiers, surpassing the performance achieved by using the complete feature set. The semantic features demonstrated an accuracy increase ranging from 1% to 9% across all classification algorithms, accompanied by a notable reduction in false positives and false negatives during object prediction. This enhanced object recognition accuracy substantiates the importance of knowledge modeling in incorporating practical aspects of a domain described through experimentation, thereby yielding plausible outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Liver cirrhosis patients commonly progress to minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) with cognitive impairment and raised blood ammonia and proinflammatory cytokines levels. This study aims to identify the subjects of MHE in patients with liver cirrhosis by hydrogen 1 magnetic resonance (¹H-MR) spectroscopy of the brain, serum proinflammatory cytokines, and neuropsychiatric tests. Materials and Methods: This prospective was carried out on 100 patients of liver cirrhosis without overt hepatic encephalopathy (HE) and compared with 100 healthy controls in a tertiary care hospital in Northeast India between September 2017 and October 2019. The psychometric hepatic encephalopathy score (PHES) neuropsychological tests, cranial MRIwith ¹H-MR spectroscopy, and estimation of serum interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factoralpha (TNF-α) were done. The PHES scores and serum proinflammatory markers levels were correlated with the conventional and ¹H-MR spectroscopy findings of the brain. Results: The mean PHES score in the case group was -7.58±3.43 (standard deviation [SD]) and the control group was -3.41 ± 3.87 (SD). Patients with Child-Pugh class A (n = 8) had a PHES score of -8.7 ± 2.5 (SD), class B (n = 42) -7.62 ± 3.7 (SD), and class C (n = 50) had a score of -7.36 ± 3.3 (SD). The mean value of IL-6 and TNF-α in the case group was 219 ± 180 (SD) pg/mL and 99 ± 118 (SD) pg/mL and the control group was 67.4 ± 77 (SD) pg/mL and 57.5 ± 76 (SD) pg/mL. Globus pallidus T1-weighted hyperintensities on the visibility scale with a visibility score of 0 were observed in 39 cases, a score of 1 in 38 cases, and a score of 2 in 23 cases. Increased glutamate/glutamine/creatine (Glx/Cr) ratio was identified in the case group on MR spectroscopy as compared to the control (0.95 ± 0.24 vs. 0.31 ± 0.19, P < 0.0005), a decrease of myoinositol/creatine (mI/Cr) ratio (0.11 ± 0.13 vs. 0.30 ± 0.12, P < 0.0005), and increase choline/creatine (Cho/Cr) ratio (0.69 ± 0.26 vs. 0.61 ± 0.20, P < 0.0005). There was a statistically significant difference in Glx/Cr, mI/Cr and Cho/Cr ratio between the case and control groups with P < 0.0005. Conclusion: Predicting the development of MHE in established cases of liver cirrhosis using non-invasive modalities like PHES, IL-6, TNF-α levels, and ¹H-MR spectroscopy plays an important role in further progression to overt HE and coma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the high toxicity and easy availability of fluoride ions in surface as well as ground water, an on–off–on fluorescence process-based fluoride ion sensor is developed by using highly fluorescent carbon quantum dots (CQDs) derived from coal washery rejects/waste coal (CWRs). The chemical properties of the fabricated CQDs are evaluated by using high resolution-transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies. The as-synthesized CQDs/Fe3+ was validated to be an excellent nanoprobe in aqueous conditions based on fluorescence quenching with high sensitivity towards F− ions. The "turn off" fluorescence mechanism of the developed sensor (i.e., CQDs/Fe3+) was investigated by using fluorescence quenching, TRPL (time resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy), XPS, and HR-TEM analysis. The developed CQDs/Fe3+ sensor was found to have promising applications in estimating trace F− ions in real water samples with the working range of 0–20 ppm with a detection limit of as low as 0.3 ppm. The nanoprobe also shows high sensitivity of F− ion detection in the presence of various anions, and was found to be non-toxic, environmentally benign, cheap, rapid, efficient, and most significantly selective. Furthermore, the nanoprobe was satisfactorily employed as a simple and alternative typical laboratory-based fluoride monitoring technique by using a smartphone based on image processing and machine learning approaches. In addition to that, CQDs used in the nanoprobe are considered to be bio-compatible and eco-friendly provided its safety against normal cells with an average cell viability of more than 80% (500 μg ml−1) and as such no apparent DNA fragmentation in the treated cells was observed at a concentration of 500 μg ml−1. CQDs will not only serve a significant role in fluoride diagnostic tools, but they are also safer and less hazardous than other conventional nanomaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we report non-enzymatic glucose oxidation with N, N′-Bis(2-hydroxybenzylidineamino) benzene gold (III) complex on reduced graphene oxide-gold (rGO-Au) nanoparticle coated modified copper (Cu) electrode. Potassium ferricyanide in 50 mM phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.0) was used as a mediator. The [(Salophen)Au]+ on rGO shows good catalytic property for the oxidation of glucose to gluconic acid (GA). The maximum current response produced by Au3+/Au+ redox potential was monitored by the linear sweep voltammetric method (LSV). As glucose concentration increases the current response at Au+3/Au+ redox potential decreases simultaneously. On catalytic oxidation of glucose to GA by the complex [(Salophen)Au]+, the solution pH reduces to 2.75, which results the decrease of current responses at the Au3+/Au+ working potential. Direct oxidation of glucose to gluconic acid is achieved adopting non­enzytnatic technique by rGO based heterogeneous catalyst is reported in the present study. N,N'-Bis (2-hydroxy benzylidineatnino) benzene gold (III) complex on rGO-Au nanoparticles is used to fabricate the tnodified electrode. The oxidation mechanism is demonstrated. This work showed the potential of using [(Salophen)Au]+ Schiff base complex as a non­enzymatic substitute for glucose oxidize enzyme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Acute poisoning in children is an important public health problem. It is a significant paediatric emergency in both developing and developed countries, leading to preventable morbidity and mortality. While there is substantial research literature on acute childhood poisoning from developed countries, there is a lack of data from developing countries like India due to inadequate and poor surveillance of poisoning-related data. Aim: To investigate the clinical and epidemiological profile, as well as the outcome, of acute poisoning in children admitted to the paediatric emergency department of a tertiary care hospital in Northeast India. Materials and Methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted in the Paediatrics department of Assam Medical College and Hospital, Dibrugarh, Assam, India, from April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022. All children under the age of 12 years who presented to the paediatric department with a history of exposure to toxic substances were included in the study. The admitted children were assessed in terms of demographic variables, type of poison, route of poisoning, time of presentation, circumstances of poisoning, storage place of poison, clinical presentation, and interventions provided. Data were presented as mean and frequency. Results: A total of 78 children under 12 years of age were enrolled in the study, with a mean age of three years and three months at presentation. The majority of cases (96.2%) involved accidental poisoning, while a small proportion (3.8%) was due to suicidal poisoning. Of the two reported cases of suicidal poisoning, one involved a male child and the other involved a female child. Both children were above six years of age. The most common causes of poisoning were kerosene (34.6%), organophosphorus compounds (10.3%), and liquid mosquito repellents (9.1%). Conclusion: This study revealed both unintentional and intentional poisoning cases, with a high prevalence of accidental poisoning observed in children below three years of age. Kerosene was identified as the most common cause of childhood poisoning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field-level inference is emerging as a promising technique for optimally extracting information from cosmological data sets. Previous analyses have shown field-based inference produces tighter parameter constraints than power spectrum analyses. However, estimates of the detailed quantitative gain in constraining power differ. Here, we demonstrate the gain in constraining power depends on the parameter space being constrained. As a specific example, we find that lognormal field-based analysis of an LSST Y1-like mock data set only marginally improves constraints relative to a 2-point function analysis in Lambda cold dark matter (ΛCDM), yet it more than doubles the constraining power of the data in the context of w CDM models. This effect reconciles some, but not all, of the discrepant results found in the literature. Our results suggest the importance of using a full systematics model when quantifying the information gain for realistic field-level analyses of future data sets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unbiased high-throughput sequencing (HTS) has enabled new insights into the diversity of agents implicated in central nervous system (CNS) infections. The addition of positive selection capture methods to HTS has enhanced the sensitivity while reducing sequencing costs and the complexity of bioinformatic analysis. Here we report the use of virus capture-based sequencing for vertebrate viruses (VirCapSeq-VERT) and bacterial capture sequencing (BacCapSeq) in investigating CNS infections. Thirty-four samples were categorized: (1) patients with definitive CNS infection by routine testing; (2) patients meeting clinically the Brighton criteria (BC) for meningoencephalitis; (3) patients with presumptive infectious etiology highest on the differential. RNA extracts from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were used for VirCapSeq-VERT, and DNA extracts were used for BacCapSeq analysis. Among 8 samples from known CNS infections in group 1, VirCapSeq and BacCapSeq confirmed 3 expected diagnoses (42.8%), were negative in 2 (25%), yielded an alternative result in 1 (11.1%), and did not detect 2 expected negative pathogens. The confirmed cases identified HHV-6, HSV-2, and VZV while the negative samples included JCV and HSV-2. In groups 2 and 3, 11/26 samples (42%) were positive for at least one pathogen; however, 27% of the total samples (7/26) were positive for commensal organisms. No microbial nucleic acids were detected in negative control samples. HTS showed limited promise for pathogen identification in presumed CNS infectious diseases in our small sample. Before conducting larger-scale prospective studies to assess the clinical value of this novel technique, clinicians should understand the benefits and limitations of using this modality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a new species of the genus Alcalus from the northeast Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh based on molecular, morphological, and osteological characters. The new species differs from its congeners based on a combination of morphological characters including snout-vent length (27–28 mm in males; 29.9–36.2 mm in females), disc on fingers and toes with horizontal/transverse groove on the dorsal surface, dorsal skin wrinkled, and a pair of faint dorsolateral stripes on back. The new species also differs from its congeners by a DNA sequence divergence of 7.6–25.4% in the mitochondrial gene fragment 12S–tVal–16S rRNA (1533 base pairs). We include a detailed osteological description of the new species and compare it with the type of this genus. This is the first record of this genus from India, which was recently also reported from Myanmar and Western China. Discovery of a new species from northeast India indicates the need for a systematic study to uncover the hidden diversity of the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research work the electrochemical oxidation of ortho-aminophenol (oAP) is studied using modified reduced graphene oxide/indium tin oxide (rGO/ITO) glass electrode in acetonitrile medium, tetrabutyl ammonium perchlorate (TBAP) supporting electrolyte. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and linear-sweep voltammetry (LSV) techniques were used to study the redox behavior of oAP. The graphene oxide-initiated auto-oxidized 2-aminophenoxazine-3-one is irreversibly reduced by modified rGO/ITO glass electrode at −0.048 V (versus Ag–AgCl electrode). LSV response shows that the cathodic peak current increases notably compared to that of bare rGO/ITO glass electrode and with the increasing concentration of oAP. The oxidized product of oAP was characterized by UV–Visible and FT-IR spectroscopy. The redox behavior of oAP of modified rGO/ITO glass electrode was compared with the electrochemical behavior of oAP at bare glassy carbon electrode. Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) modified ITO glass electrode in acetonitrile medium was used to electrochemically oxidize ortho-aminophenol (OAP). The results of modified rGO/ITO glass electrode were also compared with the bare glassy carbon electrode. Linear sweep voltammetry results showed an increase in cathodic current for rGO/ITO glass electrode compared to bare glassy carbon electrode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mineral composition, organic matter, thermal maturity, and diagenesis control the shale reservoir properties, including the pore distribution, variable fluid distribution, microstructure, heterogeneity, etc. The shale layers of the Cambay Formation and the Raniganj Formation are considered prospective shale gas resources in India. This paper focuses on the detailed analysis of shale from the Cambay Formation (Eocene age) of the Cambay Basin and the Raniganj Formation (Permian age) of the Raniganj Basin, India. The whole rock X-ray diffraction data indicates that quartz is the dominant mineral in both the shales (Raniganj and Cambay shale) of the Raniganj and the Cambay Basin. The main clay minerals are clinochlore, smectite-kaolinite, illite, and kaolinite in the Raniganj shale, while kaolinite, montmorillonite, and illite-smectite are the dominant clay minerals in the Cambay shale. The total organic content (TOC) ranges from 4.97 to 17.88 wt.% and 1.16–7.6% in the Raniganj and Cambay shales respectively. For the studied shale section, the TOC shows a gradual decrease with respect to depth in both shale types. The Raniganj shale has 3.8 to 8.3 percent total porosity, and the Cambay shale contains 1.16 to 6.5% total porosity. The increasing thermal maturity with the higher TOC corresponds to the more developed organic pores in the Raniganj shale. In contrast, the secondary pores are developing in the Cambay shale due to dissolution activities and enhancing the storage capacity. The study infers that the mineral composition and diagenesis are playing a crucial role in the pore system evolution of the shale in both the basins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper brings light to the existing practice of cataloging in the college libraries of Assam in terms of utilizing the MARC 21 standard and its structure, i.e., the tags, subfield codes, and indicators. Catalog records from six college libraries are collected and a survey is conducted to understand the local users' information requirements for the catalog. Places, where libraries have scope to improve and which divisions of tags could be more helpful for them in information retrieval, are identified and suggested. This study fulfilled the need for local-level assessment of the catalogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein,a protocol for the chemoselective formation of C−N bond using Cu(OTf)2 as catalyst has been described using heterocyclic thiones. The reaction occurs preferentially at the nitrogen centre over the sulphur atom leading to C−N bond formation. Water being the only by‐product, the reaction is environmentally friendly. The reaction proceeds without any additive, ligand or inert atmosphere and shows good tolerance towards variety of alcohols and thiotetrazole derivatives. Our developed protocol could be scaled up to gram scale efficiently, which highlights the efficacy of this method and might offer potential application in synthetic industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we have realized the left–right symmetric model (LRSM) with modular symmetry. Most of the previous works on LRSM have been done considering discrete flavor symmetry, but this work has been carried out using Γ (3) modular group which is isomorphic to nonabelian discrete symmetry group A 4 . The advantage of using modular symmetry is the nonrequirement for the use of extra particles called "flavons". In this model, the Yukawa couplings are expressed in terms of modular forms (Y 1 , Y 2 , Y 3). In this work, we have studied minimal LRSM for both type-I and type-II dominances. Here, we have calculated the values for the Yukawa couplings and then plotted it against the sum of the neutrino masses. The results obtained are well within the experimental limits for the desired values of sum of neutrino masses. We have also briefly analyzed the effects of the implications of modular symmetry on neutrinoless double beta decay with the new physics contributions and the correlation of lepton flavor violation and lightest neutrino mass within the framework of modular symmetric LRSM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is one of the many variants of the retrovirus and it affects the human immune system. HIV integration site (IS) is a key determinant in the entire infection process and in finding a cure for the fatal disease owing to the fact that it is critical in determining the entire latent viral reservoir formation process. The ISs are specific to the retrovirus and in the case of HIV, the integration may take place at any stage of the cell cycle. The extent and process of the rebound of the virus when the antiretroviral therapy is disturbed is also determined by the IS. IS databases are mainly populated by lab-based observations/experiments which are performed for their isolation and analysis of some 'other' related characteristics in an attempt to influence the integration process. This work proposes a unique Deep Learning (DL) approach, using the recently developed Capsule Network along with attention, for the prediction of IS. Retrovirus Integration Database has been used as it is one amongst the few publicly available gold standard databases of retrovirus IS in the human genome and has the cells transfected under lab conditions. This work achieves a performance much better than the existing state-of-the-art method (both with and without additional genomic markers), presented here in terms of the metrics AUC-ROC, AUC-PR and F-score. It looks beyond lab-based studies for HIV IS analysis and suggests that some advanced DL- based automated architecture can help in progressing towards a cure to the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cognitive intent of a highly ordered and robust adsorbent is extremely sensible and, in this context, Covalent Organic Framework (COF) materials have significantly burgeoned their scope in diverse applications. Herein, a simple time‐competent hydrothermal procedure is presented to construct a covalent framework with an ultrahigh surface area of 1428 m2/g that shows active adsorption of carbon dioxide (CO2) at variable temperature ranges. Moreover, a facile scalably controlled post‐synthetic air liquid interfacial plasma (ALIP) induced protocol is substantiated that explicitly amplifies the surface area of the pristine framework even to a higher value of 2051 m2/g. The post‐synthetic plasma approach presented here led to the rapid enhancement of the surface area of the pristine COF by 43 %, which concurrently advances the CO2 uptake up to 67 %. Hence, the current study may open up a new frontier in the design as well as fine‐tune the properties of the covalent framework that unfolds the advanced outlook in addressing the challenges of CO2 capture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spectacularly preserved yet least studied middle to late Eocene Kopili Formation in parts of East Jaintia Hills district, Meghalaya has been documented to understand the provenance, tectonic setting and palaeoweathering employing petrological and geochemical attributes. The Kopili Formation is characterized by alternations of fossiliferous marl-splintery grey to black shale-siltstone and fine to medium grained ferruginous sandstone with occasional coal streaks. Petrographically, Kopili sandstone has been grouped into two categories i.e. subarkose and sublitharenite. Geochemically, Kopili sandstone possesses high SiO2 and relatively low Al2O3 and Fe2O3 confirming to the modal composition Q72.70 F6.57 RF7.01 CT3.12 Mx2.28 M2.07 HM1.82. These are quartz-rich (SiO2 75.96%) clean sandstone depicting strong negative correlation of SiO2 with rest of the major oxide except for CaO which is relatively weak. High SiO2 is in conformity with quartz enrichment (73.50%), does indicate a passive (atlantic type) continental margin set up for the deposition of Kopili Formation. Neo-development of quartz and feldspar in parts reflect high degree of diagenesis. Chemical indices like CIA, CIW, PIA and ICV reveal intense weathering under semi-arid to semi-humid climatic conditions. Besides minor contributions from continent interior, sediments were largely derived from recycled orogen involving rhyolitic / granitic sources containing plagioclase feldspars in the range of An0-An70 as evident from geochemical attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Cu2(μ‐2‐chlorobenzoato‐O,O')4Cl2].2(4‐DMAPH) (1) and [Zn2(μ‐2‐chlorobenzoato‐O,O')4(4‐DMAP)2] (2) (4‐DMAP=4‐Dimethylaminopyridine) were synthesized from CuCl2/Zn(NO)3)2. 6H2O, 2‐chlorobenzoic acid and 4‐dimethylaminopyridine in methanol under reflux. Compounds were comprehensively characterized by elemental analyses, conductance measurement, spectroscopic and X‐ray diffraction studies. Complexes crystallized in the monoclinic space group P21/n having dinuclear paddle‐wheel structure. DFT studies along with NCI plot, QTAIM analysis indicate presence of N−H⋯Cl, C−H⋯O, C−H⋯π interactions in 1 and CH3⋯π, π⋯π and C−H⋯Cl in 2. The charge distribution in the complexes was shown via MEP analysis. Complexes interact with CT‐DNA in moderately strong non‐intercalative mode of binding. Antimicrobial study against Shigella flexneri (B), Streptococcus pneumoniae (K), Klebsiella pneumoniae (P) and Shigella boydii (Q) shows appreciable activity of 1 whereas compound 2 is comparatively less active. In vitro cytotoxicity study against cell lines (L‐132) exhibits moderate activity by the complexes, but compound 2 shows significant cell inhibition activity against cell lines K‐562. The complexes are emissive in nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyrazole and oxadiazole are pharmacologically important heterocyclic cores. Nowadays, these cores are present in a great variety of therapeutics, such as the antipsychotic CDPPB, antidepressant Fezolamide, antiphlogistic Celecoxib, H2-receptor agonist Betazole, HIV integrase inhibitor Reltregravir, antiretroviral Zibotenten, antibacterial Furamizole, antihypertensives tiodazosin and nesapidil, etc. In this review, we describe some synthetic approaches to pyrazole and oxadiazole derivatives along with their pharmacological activities. The review also covers the synthesis of heterocyclic composed of a pyrazole ring fused with an oxadiazole ring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The benefits of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination significantly outweigh its risks on a public health scale, and vaccination has been crucial in controlling the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Nonetheless, several reports of adverse events following vaccination have been published. To summarize reports to date and assess the extent and quality of evidence regarding possible serious adverse neurological events following COVID-19 vaccination, focusing on Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved vaccines in the United States (BNT162b2, mRNA-1273, and Ad26.COV2.S). A review of literature from five major electronic databases (PubMed, Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar) was conducted between December 1, 2020 and June 5, 2022. Articles included in the review were systematic reviews and meta-analysis, cohort studies, retrospective studies, case–control studies, case series, and reports. Editorials, letters, and animal studies were excluded, since these studies did not include quantitative data regarding adverse side effects of vaccination in human subjects. Of 149 total articles and 97 (65%) were case reports or case series. Three phase 3 trials initially conducted for BNT162b2, MRNA-1273, and Ad26.COV2.S were included in the analysis. The amount and quality of evidence for possible neurological adverse events in the context of FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccinations is overall low tier. The current body of evidence continues to suggest that COVID-19 vaccinations have a high neurological safety profile; however, the risks and benefits of vaccination must continue to be closely monitored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the diversity of diazotrophic bacteria of orchid Rhynchostylis retusa (L.) Blume and its potential application in plant growth promotion were evaluated. About 183 nitrogen-fixing bacteria were isolated to screen various plant growth-promoting traits viz. phosphate solubilization,IAA, siderophore, HCN, biofilm and ammonia production. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis Achromobacter, Arthrobacter, Acinetobacter, Bacillus, Brevibacterium, Curtobacterium, Erwinia, Kosakonia, Lysinibacillus, Klebseilla, Microbacterium, Mixta, Pantoea, Pseudomonas and Stenotrophomonas isolates were selected and showed positive results for PGP traits. Overall, genus Pantoea, Brevibacterium, Achromobacter, Arthrobacter, Klebsiella, Mixta, Bacillus, and Pseudomonas had the most pronounced PGP characteristics and acetylene reduction among the screened isolates. BOX PCR fingerprinting analysis showed variation in polymorphic banding patterns among diazotrophic strains. PCR amplification of nifH gene and the presence of 37 kDa nitrogenase reductase enzyme band in western blot indicated presence of nitrogenase activity. Our study showed that orchid R. retusa diazotroph interaction helps orchid plant to fix nitrogen, essential nutrients, and control pathogen entry. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on characterization of diazotrophic bacterial community from aerial roots of R. retusa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common progressive neurodegenerative disorder that occurs due to corrosion of the substantianigra, located in the thalamic region of the human brain, and is responsible for the transmission of neural signals throughout the human body using brain chemical, termed as "dopamine." Diagnosis of PD is difficult, as it is often affected by the characteristics of the medical data of the patients, which include the presence of various indicators, imbalance cases of patients' data records, similar cases of healthy/affected persons, etc. Hence, sometimes the process of diagnosis may also be affected by human error. To overcome this problem some intelligent models have been proposed; however, most of them are single classifier-based models and due to this these models cannot handle noisy and imbalanced data properly and thus sometimes overfit the model. To reduce bias and variance, and to avoid overfitting of a single classifier-based model, this paper proposes an ensemble-based PD diagnosis model, named Ensembled Expert System for Diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease (EESDPD) with relevant features and a simple stacking ensemble technique. The proposed EESDPD aggregates diverse assumptions for making the prediction. The performance of the proposed EESDPD is compared with the performances of logistic regression, SVM, Naïve Bayes, Random Forest, XGBoost, simple Decision Tree, B-TDS-PD and B-TESM-PD in terms of classification accuracy, precision, recall and F1-score measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The components of an operational wind turbine are continuously impacted by both static and dynamic loads. Regular inspections and maintenance are required to keep these components healthy. The main bearing of a wind turbine is one such component that experiences heavy loading forces during operation. These forces depend on various parameters such as wind speed, operating regime and control actions. When a wind turbine provides frequency containment reserve (FCR) to support the grid frequency, the forces acting upon the main bearing are also expected to exhibit more dynamic variations. These forces have a direct impact on the lifetime of the main bearing. With an increasing trend of wind turbines participating in the frequency ancillary services market, an analysis of these dynamic forces becomes necessary. To this end, this paper assesses the effect of FCR-based control on the main bearing lifetime of the wind turbine. Firstly, a control algorithm is implemented such that the output power of the wind turbine is regulated as a function of grid frequency and the amount of FCR. Simulations are performed for a range of FCR to study the changing behaviour of dynamical forces acting on the main bearing with respect to the amount of FCR provided. Then, based on the outputs from these simulations and using 2 years of LiDAR wind data, the lifetime of the main bearing of the wind turbine is calculated and compared for each of the cases. Finally, based on the results obtained from this study, the impact of FCR provision on the main bearing lifetime is quantified and recommendations are made, that could be taken into account in the operation strategy of a wind farm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Programmed cell death ligand‑1 (PD‑L1) immunoexpression status determines the response to immunotherapy in many cancers. Limited data exist on PD‑L1 status in aggressive thyroid tumors. We investigated PD‑L1 expression across thyroid cancers and correlated it with their molecular profile. Materials and Methods: Sixty‑five cases of differentiated thyroid carcinoma, poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma (PDTC), and anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) were assessed for PD‑L1 expression (clone SP263, VENTANA). The differentiated cases encompassed the aggressive hobnail and tall cell subtypes of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) besides classical PTC and follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC). Ten nodular goiters (NG) were also evaluated. Tumor proportion score (TPS) and H‑score were calculated. BRAFV600E and H‑/K‑/N‑RAS were assessed using allele‑specific real‑time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Fisher’s exact and Kruskal–Wallis tests were used to investigate the associations between the categorical variables and compare PD‑L1 scores with the mutation status. Results: Most PTC (87%) and ATC (73%) cases were PD‑L1 positive (TPS ≥1%), with significantly higher positivity rates than NG (20%). TPS >50% was seen in 60% ATC and 7% PTC cases. The median TPS and H‑score of ATC were 56 (0–96.6) and 168 (0–275), respectively, and of PTC were 9.6 (4–16.8) and 17.8 (6.6–38.6), respectively. The scores were similar across the PTC subtypes. Only one case each of FTC and PDTC was PD‑L1 positive. PD‑L1 expression correlated significantly with BRAFV600E, but not with RAS mutation. Conclusions: ATC showed intense and diffuse PD‑L1 staining. Although most PTCs were PD‑L1 positive, the expression was weaker and patchy, irrespective of the histological subtype. Results of this pilot study indicate that ATC is most likely to respond to immunotherapy. PTC, FTC, and PDTC may be less amenable to immunotherapy. PD‑L1 expression correlated significantly with BRAFV600E, allowing for combined targeted therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The activity of a green tissue-specific promoter of the Rubisco small subunit gene from Arabidopsis (AraSSU) was studied using transgenic chickpea lines. We generated transgenic chickpea lines expressing an AraSSU promoter-driven cry2Aa gene through the Agrobacterium-mediated transformation method. Lines with AraSSU expressed the gene in all green tissues at high levels (> 90 ng/mg of fresh weight tissue) compared to lines generated using CaMV35S (< 10 ng/mg FW). We used vertical cross sections of various tissues of homozygous progeny using microtome for immunolocalization. The immunolocalization showed the expression of the cry2Aa gene in the green mesophyll cells of the leaves of both AraSSU and CaMV35 chickpea lines. Moreover, the accumulation of AraSSU-regulated Cry2Aa protein was also observed in vascular tissues, including enucleate sieve elements and their companion cells. However, no expression was observed in the roots of AraSSU lines. In the case of CaMV35 lines, the transgene expression was observed in all the tissues. Since our data indicated that the AraSSU promoter is active in non-green tissues such as vascular bundles. Therefore, we validated this by RT-PCR. We found Cry2Aa RNA transcripts in leaves, stems without epidermis (for vascular tissues), and roots with and without epidermis. Thus, the AraSSU promoter is active in all above-ground tissues of the chickpea plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to demonstrate the capability of the digital image correlation (DIC) technique for evaluating full-field residual stresses in wire and arc additive manufactured (WAAM) components. Investigations were carried out on WAAM steel parts (wall deposited on a substrate) with two different wall heights: 24 mm and 48 mm. Mild steel solid wire AWS ER70S-6 was used to print WAAM walls on substrates that were rigidly clamped to H-profiles. DIC was used to monitor the bending deformation of WAAM parts during unclamping from the H-profiles, and residual stresses were calculated from the strain field captured during unclamping. Residual stresses determined from the proposed DIC-based method were verified with an analytical model and validated by the results from established residual stress measurement techniques, i.e., the contour method and X-ray diffraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studying the impact of systematic effects, optimizing survey strategies, assessing tensions between different probes and exploring synergies of different data sets require a large number of simulated likelihood analyses, each of which cost thousands of CPU hours. In this paper, we present a method to accelerate cosmological inference using emulators based on Gaussian process regression and neural networks. We iteratively acquire training samples in regions of high posterior probability which enables accurate emulation of data vectors even in high dimensional parameter spaces. We showcase the performance of our emulator with a simulated 3×2 point analysis of LSST-Y1 with realistic theoretical and systematics modelling. We show that our emulator leads to high-fidelity posterior contours, with an order of magnitude speed-up. Most importantly, the trained emulator can be re-used for extremely fast impact and optimization studies. We demonstrate this feature by studying baryonic physics effects in LSST-Y1 3×2 point analyses where each one of our MCMC runs takes approximately 5 min. This technique enables future cosmological analyses to map out the science return as a function of analysis choices and survey strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clay materials are widely used in sheet-type platforms with peculiar characteristics and diverse applications. However, due to some disadvantages—such as weak mechanical strength and low reactivity—they are often subjected to modifications. Such tuning leads to better output than pure clay materials. This review describes some of the clay hybrids in the form of nanocomposites with carbon nanomaterials. Generally, graphene oxide or its derivatives—such as reduced graphene oxide, carbon nanotubes, carbon dots, carbon nanoclusters, and polymeric components—have been utilized so far to make efficient clay composites that have applications such as catalysis, wastewater treatment for toxin removal, cargo delivery, stimulus-responsive advanced tools, optoelectronics, mechanically stable films for filtration, etc. It is interesting to note that nearly all of these applications tend to show the efficacy of modified clay nanocomposites as being significantly greater than that of pure clay, especially in terms of mechanical strength, loading capacity, increased surface area, and tunable functionality. According to the literature, the evidence proves the beneficial effects of these clay nanocomposites with carbon nanomaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • New Zn(II) carboxylate complex containing 2-aminopyridine ligand was synthesized and structurally characterized. • FT-IR, UV–visible, fluorescence spectroscopy; single crystal XRD studies were performed. • DNA binding ability of the complex was assessed using absorption and emission spectral studies. • Sensing ability of the complex towards nitroaromatic compounds were explored by fluorescence quenching measurements. • Selective sensing of picric acid in presence of other nitroaromatics explored. • Theoretical studies (DFT) carried out to ascertain complex's preferential binding towards nitroaromatics, especially picric acid revealing involvement of π-stacking and spodium bonding interactions. A mononuclear zinc(II) carboxylate complex containing 4-hydroxybenzoic acid and N -donor 2-aminopyridine was synthesized in aqueous methanol and comprehensively characterized by elemental, spectroscopic, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. The complex crystallized in monoclinic space group P 2 1 / c having a distorted square pyramidal structure. Spectral and X-ray diffraction analyses confirm the molecular composition of the complex. The complex has shown strong fluorescence emission, acts as a selective and sensitive chemosensor for nitroaromatics. The complex is able to selectively detect picric acid in the presence of other nitroaromatics. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations further elucidate the complex's preferential binding towards nitroaromatics, revealing the involvement of π-stacking and spodium bonding interactions. This work not only expands the understanding of zinc(II) carboxylate complexes in supramolecular chemistry but also highlights their promising applications in environmental monitoring and biological studies due to their significant fluorescence quenching in the presence of nitroaromatics and moderate DNA binding affinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The document is a correction to a study on optimizing cold spray parameters for high entropy alloy coatings. It addresses errors in Table 5 and Figure 10, as well as changes in units of measurement for thickness per pass. The study compares coating properties produced via mechanically alloyed powder with atomized powders. The corrected article is available online and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. [Extracted from the article]

Water pollution has created an urgent need for eco-friendly and sustainable technologies to remediate water contaminated with emerging pollutants such as nitrophenols and pathogens. In this study, we developed a Z-scheme photocatalytic system using In2S3 and Ag2S semiconductors to treat water contaminated with 4-nitrophenol and bacterium Escherichia coli. The Ag2S-In2S3 (AI) composite was synthesized using a hydrothermal method. The phase purity and oxidation states of the elements in the catalysts were analysed using X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The formation of the composite facilitated the effective separation of charge carriers, as demonstrated by time-resolved fluorescence analysis. Compared to pure Ag2S or In2S3, the AI composite exhibited superior activity in the inactivation of bacteria and achieved nearly complete degradation of 4-NP within 1 h. The mechanism of photocatalysis was elucidated through combined analyses using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS). The band gap was determined by DRS, while the band edges were obtained from UPS. Additionally, radical trapping experiments confirmed that hydroxyl radicals were the primary active species, followed by photogenerated holes and superoxide radicals, responsible for the photodegradation of pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study focused on optimizing the cold spray (CS) process parameters for depositing Fe20Cr20Mn20Ni20Co20 (Cantor alloy) coatings using mechanically alloyed (MA) powder. A two-step design of experiments approach was employed, beginning with the initial screening of input variables using the L8 Taguchi method, followed by the refinement of process parameters through the Box–Behnken design of experiments. Key performance indicators included deposition efficiency (DE), coating thickness per pass, and microstructural parameters including porosity, cracks, and interfacial defects/delamination. The study identified process gas temperature as the primary factor influencing both DE and thickness per pass. Higher gas temperature and pressure, combined with increased scanning speed, resulted in higher DE. The DE of the MA Cantor alloy powder peaked at around 14-15%, with a deposit density greater than 99% achieved at the highest process gas temperature and pressure (1000 °C and 60 bar, respectively). The average hardness of the optimal CS coating deposited using MA powder was found to be 679 ± 17 HV0.1, which is approximately 90% greater than the average hardness reported for CS coatings deposited using atomized powder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper-based assays have revolutionized POC diagnostics, offering significant values across diverse sectors due to their simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and portability. Detecting E. coli is critical for public health but faces challenges in traditional methods, prompting ongoing exploration of alternative approaches. To address the need for heightened sensitivity, this study introduces lithium acetate as a novel element in a paper-based E. coli detection assay, accompanying absorbance analysis using microplate readers. Utilization of lithium acetate as a lysis reagent and carrying out absorbance measurements in paper microtiter plates provide a significant stride in improving sensitivity and assay efficiency. The assay substantially reduced the analysis time to 4 hours with a lower quantification limit of 103 cfu/ml for detecting E. coli in pure cultures. The results suggest that the assay could determine 10 cfu/ml of E. coli in a contaminated milk sample with 4 hours of enrichment time. Thus, the study contributes towards improving E. coli detection with lower quantification limits and shorter analysis times. It is anticipated that the diagnostic methodology would circumvent the challenges in conventional E. coli detection methods, placing emphasis on absorbance analysis to achieve a streamlined, accurate, and rapid paper-based detection technique. [Display omitted] • Colorimetric detection of E. coli using a novel paper-based assay. • An improved assay using lithium acetate for cell lysis. • Absorbance analyses using microplate readers for analyte quantification and assessment. • Obtained LOD is 10 cfu/ml in contaminated milk samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most cosmic shear analyses to date have relied on summary statistics (e.g. ξ+ and ξ−). These types of analyses are necessarily suboptimal, as the use of summary statistics is lossy. In this paper, we forward-model the convergence field of the Universe as a lognormal random field conditioned on the observed shear data. This new map-based inference framework enables us to recover the joint posterior of the cosmological parameters and the convergence field of the Universe. Our analysis properly accounts for the covariance in the mass maps across tomographic bins, which significantly improves the fidelity of the maps relative to single-bin reconstructions. We verify that applying our inference pipeline to Gaussian random fields recovers posteriors that are in excellent agreement with their analytical counterparts. At the resolution of our maps – and to the extent that the convergence field can be described by the lognormal model – our map posteriors allow us to reconstruct all summary statistics (including non-Gaussian statistics). We forecast that a map-based inference analysis of LSST-Y10 data can improve cosmological constraints in the σ8–Ωm plane by |$\approx\!{30}{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| relative to the currently standard cosmic shear analysis. This improvement happens almost entirely along the |$S_8=\sigma _8\Omega _{\rm m}^{1/2}$| directions, meaning map-based inference fails to significantly improve constraints on S 8. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last decade, artificial enzymes (nanozymes) have undergone substantial development in the field of sensing. In this study, Au−Ag bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) decorated on reduced graphene oxide sheets (AuAg‐rGO) nanocomposite has been developed as a novel colorimetric probe based on the peroxidase imitating activity of the nanozyme. AuAg‐rGO nanocomposite proved to feature an intrinsic peroxidase mimic activity, facilitating the oxidation of a peroxidase substrate like 3,3',5,5'‐tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) with high efficiency to oxidised TMB (blue coloured product) with the aid of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The characteristic Michaelis‐Menten kinetics study allowed the establishment of the catalytic performance of AuAg‐rGO as an artificial enzyme. Glutathione (GSH) displays inhibiting effect on the oxidation of the peroxidase substrate, TMB. Therefore, AuAg‐rGO nanozyme was applied for detection of GSH and exhibited exceptional selectivity and sensitivity with a low limit of detection (LOD) of 38 nM within the 0–200 μM concentration range. The artificial nanozyme system reported here is simple, convenient, and straightforward for colorimetric sensing of GSH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]