Search

The document discusses the issue of shortages of essential generic drugs in the USA, which hinders patient access to medications like antibiotics and cancer treatments. It highlights the Affordable Drug Manufacturing Act of 2023 as a proposed solution to establish a federal Office of Drug Manufacturing for public production of off-patent drugs with limited competition. The study identifies 24 essential generic drugs with limited competition that were in shortage for a median of 16 months, emphasizing the need for policy reforms to address drug shortages effectively. The research was funded by Arnold Ventures and the Commonwealth Fund, with data availability upon request from the authors. [Extracted from the article]

This study explored magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) radiative unsteady free convective hybrid nanofluid flow over an exponentially accelerated vertical plate under the impact of transverse magnetic force with first‐order chemical reaction. The term "hybrid" or "composite" nanofluid refers to a mixture of water‐containing nanoparticles (NPs) of Ag$\rm Ag$ and TiO2$\rm TiO_2$ that have been dissolved in the base fluid to create the hybrid nanofluid. The crux of the investigation is the attention to two different cases of magnetic force, one being stationary relative to the plate and the other close to the fluid. The Dimensional equations are transformed into dimensionless forms using non‐dimensional quantities. The Laplace Transform technique is used to obtain the closed‐form solutions. Based on those outcomes, the velocity, the temperature, and the concentration distributions of the hybrid nanofluid are evaluated for several sets of values of the physical parameters related to MHD, NP's volume fraction, radiation, porosity, and plate accelerating parameters have been studied through graphs. Furthermore, it is discovered that when the magnetic force is applied to the fluid (L=0)$(L=0)$, the velocity drops with increasing magnetic parameters; nevertheless, the opposite trends occur when the magnetic force is applied to the plate (L=1)$(L=1)$. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document discusses the potential implications of expanding access to the medication semaglutide for Medicare beneficiaries with elevated body mass index (BMI). The study found that approximately 1 in 7 beneficiaries with elevated BMI would be newly eligible for semaglutide, but the majority would remain ineligible if a narrow definition of established cardiovascular disease (CVD) is used. The document highlights the importance of weight control for patients with elevated BMI and suggests that the definition of established CVD used by Part D plans for coverage of semaglutide could have significant public health implications. However, the document also acknowledges that access to semaglutide may be impacted by factors such as out-of-pocket costs, formulary placement, drug shortages, and utilization management strategies. The potential budgetary impacts of expanding access to semaglutide are also discussed, with estimates suggesting that it could generate over $10 billion in new annual federal spending. The document concludes by emphasizing the need for near-term policy solutions to control these budgetary impacts. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Direct-to-consumer (DTC) pharmacies sell generic prescription drugs, often at lower prices than traditional retail pharmacies; however, not all drugs are available, and prices vary. Objective: To determine the availability and cost of generic drugs at DTC pharmacies. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Five national DTC pharmacies in April and May 2023. Participants: Each qualifying form of 100 generic drugs with the highest cost-per-patient (expensive) and the 50 generic drugs with the highest number of patients (common) in Medicare Part D in 2020 Main Measures: Availability of these drugs and the lowest DTC pharmacy price for a standardized drug strength and supply (e.g., 30 pills), compared to GoodRx retail pharmacy prices. Key Results: Of the 118 expensive generic dosage forms, 94 (80%) were available at 1 or more DTC pharmacies; out of 52 common generic dosage forms, 51 (98%) were available (p < 0.001). Of the 88 expensive generics available in comparable quantities and strengths across pharmacies, 42 (47%) had the lowest cost at Amazon, 23 (26%) at Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company, 13 (14%) at Health Warehouse, and 12 (13%) at Costco; for 51 common generic formulations, 16 (31%) had the lowest cost at Costco, 14 (27%) at Amazon, 10 (20%) at Walmart, 6 (12%) at Health Warehouse, and 5 (10%) at Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company. For the 77 expensive generics with available GoodRx retail pharmacy prices, the median cost savings at DTC pharmacies were $231 (95% CI, $129–$792) or 76% (IQR, 53–91%); for 51 common generics, savings were $19 (95% CI, $10–$34) or 75% (IQR, 67–83%). Conclusions: Many of the most expensive generic drugs are unavailable at direct-to-consumer pharmacies. Meanwhile, less expensive, commonly used generics are widely available, but drug prices vary by pharmacy and savings are modest, requiring patients to shop around for the lowest cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapidly expanding global population and fast economic growth has led to a shortage of energy and electricity resources. The scarcity of effective energy storage technologies and environmentally friendly electrical power alternatives is one of the greatest concerns in the modern era. Asymmetric supercapacitors have garnered considerable attention due to their versatility in energy storage devices. However, they still require more effective electrode materials with superior electrochemical characteristics to improve their charge storage capacity, energy, and power parameters. To this end, in this work, nickel oxide (NiO), lanthanum phosphate (LaPO4), and nickel oxide-decorated lanthanum phosphate (NiO/LaPO4) nanosheets were synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method. The purity, crystallinity, and morphology of the materials were investigated using x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The NiO-decorated LaPO4 exhibited superior performance, providing higher specific capacity (Qs) of 1054.4 C/g at 2.0 A/g. The developed electrode also demonstrated excellent electrical conductivity and stability (88% galvanostatic charge/discharge [GCD] retention for 1500 cycles) as determined by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The capacitive and diffusive contributions indicate that the fabricated material has an asymmetric storage nature. The results suggest that the prepared material could be used in asymmetric supercapacitor applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This contribution describes the indirect electrochemical oxidation of wastewater laden with bromothymol blue and methyl red dyes using a laboratory-scale electrochemical reactor with a Ti/Ru0.3Ti0.7O2 anode and stainless-steel cathode. The influence of current density, pH, and electrolyte concentrations on the oxidative degradation pattern of the dyes in the wastewater was also investigated by coupling the electrochemical reactor with an Ultraviolet–Visible spectrometer. By indirect oxidation, 97% of the bromothymol blue at 10 mA cm–2 current density and pH 3.0 and 98% of the methyl red at 2 mA cm–2 current density at pH 3.0 were indirectly oxidized in 10 min Initial concentrations of each were 200 ppm. During the degradation of the dyes, electrochemically generated chlorine and hypochlorite ions (OCl)– played pivotal roles. Under the aforementioned ideal circumstances, the minimum energy consumption values for bromothymol blue and methyl red were 0.2025 and 0.0636 kW h m–3, respectively. The anode exhibited an excellent service life for treating dye wastewater, and repeated tests and surface analysis revealed no evident passivation. In this way, a variety of dyes in effluents can be cheaply degraded by electrolyzing with a Ti/Ru0.3Ti0.7O2 anode, utilizing readily available electrolytes and with minimal electricity requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-Newtonian materials have been an appealing topic for researchers because of the variety of laboratory and industrial process involving these fluids. There are several kinds of non-Newtonian fluids classified according to their properties. In this study, the Maxwell fluid model is analyzed due to the unique properties and applications of this non-Newtonian material. We have considered the Buongiorno model for nanofluid, which is a two-phase model that accounts for the effects of Brownian motion and thermophoresis on the transport of nanoparticles in a fluid. A stretching surface holding a chemically reactive fluid is assumed. In addition, the study also considers the impacts of heat flux and magnetic fields. The influence of various physical factors on the flow fields is presented and graphically highlighted. Using linear regression and the data point approach, the relationship between the physical parameters, such as rate of heat and mass transfer, at the surface is investigated. The relationship between the various physical parameters was investigated using the t-test approach. The Maxwell fluid parameter influences heat transmission at the surface. As the magnetic field and heat source parameters increases, the rate of heat transfer decreases. Increasing the Deborah number, chemical reaction parameter and magnetic field parameter enhances the mass transfer rate at the surface. The fluid's velocity decreases with rising magnetic field and Maxwell fluid parameters. The heat source parameter elevates fluid temperature, while inclusion of the chemical reactions parameter reduces nanoparticle concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The seasonal pattern of species diversity and abundance of waterbirds of the Chambal River in the extent of Mukundra Hills National Park, Rajasthan, India was evaluated. The pre-monsoon (March-April 2021) and post-monsoon surveys (August-September 2021) were carried out using the direct count method with the help of a motorboat to monitor the population status of waterbirds. A total of 44 species of waterbirds belonging to 15 families and nine orders were identified, including 11 winter migratory species. Forty species of birds were recorded during pre-monsoon and 27 species during post-monsoon seasons. The species richness and relative abundance varied significantly between observed seasons (x2 = 532.77, df = 43, p <0.05). Breeding activities of three species were recorded, namely, Grey Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, and the 'Near Threatened' Woolly-necked Stork. The present study reveals the status of waterbirds in the protected area of Mukundra Hills National Park. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inexpensive cameras, different acquisition devices and mobile phones have resulted in the production of digital images in all spheres of life. There is common of these images for extracting useful information in many fields to perform image analysis and interpretation. One of the problems being faced in the use of this information is the presence of random valued impulse noise. Impulse noise removal is a crucial step in computer vision. Many articles have been published to remove or suppress impulse noise from grayscale digital images using different approaches. Edges and details are, however, often lost during the restoration of digital images. In this research, a two-stage approach for edge detection, preservation, and impulse noise removal is proposed. An effective statistics rank ordered absolute difference (ROAD) is used in the first stage to detect noisy pixels. Trimmed global mean (TGM) with adaptive window is employed later for the filtering process. With the combination of these processes in the proposed method, a higher quality image is restored and thus becomes more suitable for extracting the desired information. Comparison with many state-of-the-art methodologies indicates that the proposed method is effective in the detection of corrupted pixels and the restoration of images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a heterogeneous disease with distinct molecular subtypes described as classical/progenitor and basal‐like/squamous PDAC. We hypothesized that integrative transcriptome and metabolome approaches can identify candidate genes whose inactivation contributes to the development of the aggressive basal‐like/squamous subtype. Using our integrated approach, we identified endosome–lysosome associated apoptosis and autophagy regulator 1 (ELAPOR1/KIAA1324) as a candidate tumor suppressor in both our NCI‐UMD‐German cohort and additional validation cohorts. Diminished ELAPOR1 expression was linked to high histological grade, advanced disease stage, the basal‐like/squamous subtype, and reduced patient survival in PDAC. In vitro experiments demonstrated that ELAPOR1 transgene expression not only inhibited the migration and invasion of PDAC cells but also induced gene expression characteristics associated with the classical/progenitor subtype. Metabolome analysis of patient tumors and PDAC cells revealed a metabolic program associated with both upregulated ELAPOR1 and the classical/progenitor subtype, encompassing upregulated lipogenesis and downregulated amino acid metabolism. 1‐Methylnicotinamide, a known oncometabolite derived from S‐adenosylmethionine, was inversely associated with ELAPOR1 expression and promoted migration and invasion of PDAC cells in vitro. Taken together, our data suggest that enhanced ELAPOR1 expression promotes transcriptome and metabolome characteristics that are indicative of the classical/progenitor subtype, whereas its reduction associates with basal‐like/squamous tumors with increased disease aggressiveness in PDAC patients. These findings position ELAPOR1 as a promising candidate for diagnostic and therapeutic targeting in PDAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) encompasses diverse molecular subtypes, including the classical/progenitor and basal-like/squamous subtypes, each exhibiting distinct characteristics, with the latter known for its aggressiveness. We employed an integrative approach combining transcriptome and metabolome analyses to pinpoint potential genes contributing to the basal-like/squamous subtype differentiation. Applying this approach to our NCI-UMD-German and a validation cohort, we identified LIM Domain Only 3 (LMO3), a transcription co-factor, as a candidate suppressor of the basal-like/squamous subtype. Reduced LMO3 expression was significantly associated with higher pathological grade, advanced disease stage, induction of the basal-like/squamous subtype and decreased survival among PDAC patients. In vitro experiments demonstrated that LMO3 transgene expression inhibited PDAC cell proliferation and migration/invasion, concurrently downregulating the basal-like/squamous gene signature. Metabolome analysis of patient tumors and PDAC cells revealed a metabolic program linked to elevated LMO3 and the classical/progenitor subtype, characterized by enhanced lipogenesis and suppressed amino acid metabolism. Notably, glycerol 3-phosphate (G3P) levels positively correlated with LMO3 expression and associated with improved patient survival. Furthermore, glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase 1 (GPD1), a crucial enzyme in G3P synthesis, showed upregulation in LMO3 -high and classical/progenitor PDAC, suggesting its potential role in mitigating disease aggressiveness. Collectively, our findings suggest that heightened LMO3 expression reduces transcriptome and metabolome characteristics indicative of basal-like/squamous tumors with decreased disease aggressiveness in PDAC patients. The observations describe LMO3 as a candidate for diagnostic and therapeutic targeting in PDAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we examine the Carreau nanofluid flow past a nonlinearly stretchable surface accompanied by chemical reactions, thermal slip parameter and thermal radiation. A two-phase nanofluid criterion is considered to examine the behavior of flowing fluid and temperature profile. We used the similarity transition to change the basic equations into the set of ordinary differential equations in order to obtain the results. Shooting criteria are applied to calculate the solution of momentum, energy, and concentration fields using MATLAB. The effects of physical entities on the velocity, concentration, and temperature fields are analyzed by numeric tabular data. Furthermore, it is analyzed that the temperature field and concentration profile are diminished while velocity and thermal slip parameters are increased. The increasing nature of Brownian movement N b corresponds to a lower nanoparticle profile concentration is observed. The temperature profile is a growing function of magnetic parameter. As the Eckert number rises, so does the thermal pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A scale was constructed and standardized to measure the attitude of fish farmers towards scientific technologies demonstrated by "Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project (APART)" from May 2021 to September 2022 in APART-fishery operated districts of Assam using the 'Scale Product Method'. Sixty-five (65) experts responded unbiased to the 50 attitude statements related to recommended technologies of fish farming by the project. On the basis of scale values and Q values, only 28 statements were incorporated in the final attitude scale. When administered in a non-sample area, the reliability coefficient of the whole test was 0.90 using Rulon's formula. Moreover, when the constructed attitude scale was administered among 180 APART beneficiaries during July, 2022 to September, 2022, majority i.e. 87.22 per cent of the respondents had most favourable attitude towards technologies demonstrated by APART project which is depicts the impact of the development programme. This attitude scale can be applied practically for measuring the attitude of fish farmers under similar programmes which will aid policy-makers in right decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the data paucity on dairy farmers' perspectives regarding bovine lameness and hoof diseases, particularly in South East Asian countries, this study was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices toward lameness and hoof health among dairy cattle farmers in Malaysia. An online-based and face-to-face survey was conducted among 114 dairy farmers from four states in Peninsular Malaysia. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, principal component analysis and an independent sample t-test. Overall, farmers demonstrated satisfactory knowledge and attitude regarding lameness and its impact on dairy cattle welfare and production. Lameness was ranked the second most important health issue in dairy farms after mastitis. Notably, 90% reported the presence of at least one lame cow on their farms, and 55% stated lameness as the reason for culling their cows. While sole ulcer was the hoof lesion mostly identified by farmers, 75% of them underestimated lameness prevalence on their farms and rarely implemented management strategies such as preventive hoof trimming and footbath. Farmers' educational qualification influenced their understanding of the impact of lameness on dairy cattle production. Despite reflecting satisfactory knowledge and attitude towards lameness in dairy cows, farmers in this study need to improve their current management practices to address lameness problem in their herds. Educating farmers on the importance of early detection and prompt treatment, and preventive measures are crucial for lameness control and improving hoof health in these dairy farms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dogs Canis lupus familiaris, among canids, have emerged as the most successful predators and facultative scavengers, and have prevented other carnivores from approaching human habitats through intraguild competition. Over time with increasing population and livestock predation, they have become a matter of concern for pastoralists. The present study was conducted to understand the patterns of free-ranging dogs’ predation on livestock and wildlife, from 2015 to 2017 in Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary (CWLS), Ladakh, India. Information was collected on (a) dog populations in 10 sites using polygon search in Spatially Explicit Capture-Recapture framework and block count, (b) their diet using scat analysis (n = 205) and (c) perceptions of pastoralists towards dogs through questionnaire-based interviews (n = 210). Dog densities varied between 10 and 310 individuals/ 100 km² and were high in and around human habitations. A major part of their diet constituted of livestock (74.29%) and wild species (13.06%). Among wild prey species, birds (4.49%), lagomorphs (3.67%), rodents (2.45%) and Tibetan wild ass (1.63%) had high occurrence in dog diet. The local people admitted that dogs pose a threat to livestock and wildlife. As unowned free-ranging dogs harm livestock and wildlife, about 40% of the respondents had negative perceptions towards them. The perception varied with occupation and pastoralists were more negative than non-pastoralists (P < 0.001). We suggest that effective mechanisms need to be identified or developed to manage dog populations in ecologically and economically sensitive areas to minimise the threats and safeguard the endangered wildlife and local livelihoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Internet of Things – Low-Power and Lossy Networks (IoT-LLN) can operate with low power consumption and support reliable communication even in noisy and congested environments. Minimal 6TiSCH Configuration (6TiSCH-MC) and Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks (RPL) protocols bootstrap the IoT-LLN with minimum resources. The 6TiSCH and RPL protocols transmit different control messages for network bootstrapping and maintenance. The 6TiSCH-MC allows only a single minimal cell in each slotframe for transferring and receiving control messages. All network-associated nodes transmit their control messages simultaneously, using the same channel, which leads to collisions. Due to these control message collisions, new nodes waiting to associate with the network are not receiving the required control messages. It delays network formation, and nodes consume more energy. This research work proposes Two Minimal Cells with Dynamic ChannelOffset (TMDC) to overcome the bootstrapping issue of the 6TiSCH-MC. The TMDC increases the minimal cell count to two and provides mutual synchronization between parent and child nodes for transmitting and receiving control messages. The Contiki-NG's COOJA simulator was used for extensive simulation analysis. The TMDC bootstraps networks quicker with less energy and associates more nodes into the network than the 6TiSCH-MC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A modified version of a Neutrosophic Set (NS), a Complex Neutrosophic Set (CNS) offers a more accurate description of ambiguous situations than established fuzzy sets (FSs). It is widely applied in uncertain control. This study offers the idea of Single-Valued Complex Neutrophilic Graph Structure (SVCNGS). Further research is done into the relationship between an ηJ - edge regular SVCNGS degree and the ηJ -degree of a vertex. Also, we introduce the notions of totally ηJ - edge regular and regular ηJ - edge SVCNGS. There is an explanation of the conditions in which ηJ - edge regular SVCNGS and totally ηJ - edge regular SVCNGS are same. Moreover, this study several ηJ - edge regular and totally ηJ - edge regular SVCNGS properties using an example, and we have discussed their application in SVCNGS. Finally, we develop an algorithm that explains the fundamental workings of our application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy metal contamination usually causes depletion in feed utilization in fish, and such disturbance may result in reduced metabolic rate and hence causing reduction in their growth. The present study assessed theharmful effect of sublethal concentrations of four different heavy metal mixturesi.e., Mix-I (Mn+Ni), Mix-II(Mn+Ni+Pb), Mix-III (Mn+Pb+Zn+Fe), and Mix-IV (Mn+Ni+Pb+Zn+Fe) on five fish species including Labeorohita, Catla catla, Cirrhinamrigala, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, and Ctenopharyngodonidella. The experiment was carried out in triplicate for each species separately in glass aquarium for 12 weeks. The results showed a significant(p < 0.001)effect on the treated group as compared to the control group. The average weight gain was as C. catla>L. rohita>C. mrigala>C. idella>H. molitrix. The condition factor was as C. idella>C. mrigala>L. rohita>C. catla>H. molitrix. Similarly, the feed intake also reduced significantly (p>0.001) in the treated group, and the feed conversion efficiency showed significant (p>0.05) effect of metal mixtures on fish metabolism and growth activity. The current study concluded that the studied heavy metals are toxic to different fish species, even at sub-lethal concentrations, and affect different biological parameters of fish growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought stress causes negative effects on soil nutrients dynamics as well as their mutual interactions. Negative interaction between phosphorus (P) and zinc (Zn) vis-à-vis plant uptake exists under adequate moisture availability but this phenomenon is still unclear under drought condition. A pot study was conducted to investigate the effect of this interaction on maize plants (var. FH-1046) at three moisture levels, viz., optimum (80% of water holding capacity-WHC), moderate drought (50% of WHC) and severe drought (30% of WHC). The P and Zn were added alone (only-P and only-Zn) or in combination (P + Zn) at the rate of 57 and 6 mg kg-1 soil at three moisture levels with complete randomization. Soil moisture levels were introduced after two weeks of plant growth and maintained after every three days by weighing. After 60 days of plant growth, plants were harvested and analyzed for their growth and nutrients contents, viz., P, Zn, nitrogen (N), and potassium (K). The findings showed that combined P and Zn caused a significant reduction in P and Zn contents at the root and shoot levels at higher moisture (80% and 50% of WHC) relative to alone P and Zn additions, but the extent of this reduction reduced with increasing drought intensity, showing the negative effect of drought on plant nutrients uptake. The effect of combined nutrients addition was positive on plant growth and the absence of P (only Zn addition) reduced plant height by 14% and 28% at 80% and 30% of WHC levels. Shoot and root dry weights increased significantly by 41% and 43% with combined P and Zn applications. The plant growth also declined with the increasing drought levels. Under severe drought (30% of WHC), the extent of the negative interaction of P and Zn diminished considerably but there was an overall negative effect on plant growth and nutrient contents at 30% of WHC. The findings suggest that increasing drought intensity can reduce the negative effect of P and Zn on each other's uptake and accumulation in plants but with concurrent reductions in absolute nutrients contents and plant growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This paper reports a case of balloon Eustachian tuboplasty with delayed presentation of extensive surgical emphysema. Methods: This is a clinical case report with a review of literature. Results: Eustachian tube dysfunction is a functional disorder that results in inadequate middle-ear ventilation, causing aural fullness and tinnitus. A 36-year-old male presented with the sudden onset of an isolated, painful, left-sided neck swelling. The patient underwent balloon Eustachian tuboplasty, which was uneventful, but subsequently developed a sudden onset of isolated left-sided neck swelling on the 5th post-operative day during Valsalva manoeuvre. Neck examination revealed extensive crepitus on the left side of the neck. Examination findings were confirmed by imaging. The patient was conservatively managed and subsequently discharged home. Conclusion: Balloon Eustachian tuboplasty is a safe procedure; however, extra care must be taken to avoid possible complications. Patients should be counselled against Valsalva manoeuvre and heavy weightlifting. They also should be instructed to sneeze with an open mouth and consider the use of stool softeners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air-conditioning system applies dehumidification by condensation technique, where the cooling coil handles both latent and sensible load. Energy consumption by the system increases by handling both loads. In order to reduce operating energy and load on cooling coil, latent load needs to be reduced or eliminated. Latent load can be handled separately using desiccant-type dehumidifiers irrespective of cooling coil temperature. This paper investigates the dehumidification performance of a desiccant wheels (DWs) made of fiber paper substrates such as Ceramic Fiber, Glass Fiber, Wood Pulp Fiber, Nomex Fiber, and Brown Wood Pulp Paper (BWPP) coated with synthesized mesoporous nano-titania desiccant for energy-efficient air-conditioning. Moisture adsorption ability test was conducted for different fiber papers at 30 °C and 75% RH, where BWPP has maximum moisture adsorption of 38 g m−2 and 0.42 g g−1 due to its hydrophilic nature, with the highest coating ratio of 3.5 g cm−3. The thermal conductivity, nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherm, pore structure, and thermal stability of the fiber substrates were also analyzed before and after coating. The thermal conductivity of the fiber papers coated with nano-titania desiccant has enhanced compared to the raw fiber papers, and it reaches 0.116 W m−1 K−1 for BWPP. The dehumidification coefficient of performance of BWPP–DW at a 1:1 airflow area ratio, 60 °C regeneration temperature, and 10 rph is 0.82. The BWPP matrix DWs can be reactivated by low-grade energy sources with 0.82 kg kW−1 h−1 and saves energy up to 2.39 times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crystal violet (CV) is the most commonly used cationic dye that is highly carcinogenic in nature. In this study, synthesis of cobalt ferrite and zinc ferrites nanoparticles and grafting of CoFe2O4 and ZnFe2O4 on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) was carried out by using hydrothermal technique. The prepared nanostructures were characterized by employing various techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FES-EM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). XRD studies confirmed the formation of CoFe2O4 and ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles with average crystallite size of 25 nm and 18.5 nm, respectively. The influence of concentration, pH, and temperature on the adsorption of CV dye was monitored. Batch adsorption experiments were performed to evaluate and optimize the factors that affect the adsorption capacity of nanoadsorbents such as temperature and concentration of dye solution. The removal efficiency of CV for CoFe2O4 and ZnFe2O4 NPs was found 88% and 87%, while it was 96% and 97% for CoFe2O4/MWCNTs and ZnFe2O4/MWCNTs, respectively. The sorption data was fitted to Langmuir, Freundilch and Temkin adsorption isotherms. The thermodynamic parameters like ∆G, ∆H and ∆S have also been calculated. The optimum pH for maximum adsorption of CV onto nanostructures was found out to be 4.5, while with the increase in temperature, an increase in adsorption of dye has been observed which indicates the endothermic nature of the adsorption process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In comparison to conventional fuzzy sets, the idea of intervalvalued intuitionistic fuzzy sets provides a more accurate definition of uncertainty. Defuzzification is the aspect of fuzzy control that requires the most processing. It has numerous applications in fuzzy control. In this paper, the concepts strength, length, distance, eccentricity, radius, diameter, centred, selfcentered, path cover, and edge cover of an interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy graph (IVIFG) are defined in this work. Further, we introduce the definition of a self-centered IVIFG and the necessary and sufficient conditions for an IVIFG to be self-centered are given. Moreover, we investigate some properties of self-centered IVIFG with an illustration and we have discussed applications in IVIFG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vanadium-based hybrid capacitors are highly promising and emerging candidates for energy storage and battery applications on a pilot scale owing to collective complementary advantages. In this study, vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) and its composites with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and cerium oxide (CeO2) were successfully synthesized by employing the hydrothermal method. The structural, morphological, and optical characteristics were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, and photoluminescence, respectively. The crystallite size calculated from the XRD pattern was found in the range of 17 nm to 20 nm approximately. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis indicated the existence of variable oxidation states of Ce (+3 and +4) in the V2O5/CeO2 composite materials. The V2O5/CeO2 nanocomposite material showed excellent electrochemical response as compared to V2O5/rGO and bare V2O5. The V2O5/CeO2 materials demonstrated a higher specific capacity (Qs) of 308 C/g as compared to V2O5/rGO (200 C/g) and V2O5 (190 C/g) at the current density of 1 A/g. Theoretical investigations using Dunn's model showed that the capacitive behavior of pristine V2O5 was changed into a hybrid (capacitive and battery) and battery type when blended with rGO and CeO2, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Surgical robots have innovated the microsurgical field by providing advantages that improve surgical performance. These robots have been adopted by certain specialties more than others. This study discusses the potential advantages of robotics in plastic and reconstructive surgery. Method: This study is a literature review of articles investigating "robotic microsurgery in plastic and reconstructive surgery" using the PubMed database and the Cochrane Library. Result: A total of nineteen relevant articles were found and 5 articles performed a direct comparison between the robotic and manual approaches. Longer operating times were reported in the robotic groups featuring higher learning curves. Reported advantages to robotic use included higher accuracy, precision and flexibility, elimination of tremor and improvement of ergonomic factors. Conclusion: While the results provide an outlook into the outcome of robotic platforms in this field, current research is limited and further studies are required to provide a fundamental analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multichannel, audio processing approaches are widely examined in human–computer interaction, autonomous robots, audio surveillance, and teleconferencing systems. The numerous applications are linked to the speech technology and acoustic analysis area. Much attention is received to the active speakers and spatial localization of acoustic sources on the acoustic sensor arrays. Baseline approaches provide negotiable performance in a real‐world comprised of far‐field/near‐field monitoring, reverberant and noisy environments, and also the outdoor/indoor scenarios. A practical system to detect defects in complex structures is the time difference mapping (TDM) technique. The significant scope of the research is to search the location using the minimum distance point in the time difference database to be apart from the verification point. In the case of the improved "time difference mapping (I‐TDM)" technique and traditional "time difference mapping (T‐TDM)" technique, the denser grids and vast database permit increased accuracy. In the database, if the location points are not present, then the accurate localization of the I‐TDM and T‐TDM techniques is damaged. Hence, to handle these problems, this article plans to develop acoustic source localization according to the deep learning strategy. The audio dataset is gathered from the benchmark source called the SSLR dataset and is initially subjected to preprocessing, which involves artifact removal and smoothing for effective processing. Further, the adaptive convolutional neural network (CNN)‐based feature set creation is performed. Here, the adaptive CNN is accomplished by the improved optimization algorithm called distance mating‐based red deer algorithm (DM‐RDA). With this trained feature set, the acoustic source localization is done by the weight updated deep neural network, in which the same DM‐RDA is used for optimizing the training weight. The simulation outcome proves that the designed model produced enhanced performance compared to other traditional source localization estimators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enicostemma hyssopifolium is a perineal herb widely used as an antidiabetic agent in folklore medicine. The present work was focused on the assessment of its antiinflammatory and cytotoxic properties. Its methanolic extract was evaluated for antiinflammatory activity using murine monocytic macrophage RAW 264.7 cells, and screened for its cytotoxic property in different cancer cell lines. The methanolic extract was able to potentially inhibit the bacterial lipopolysaccharides-induced inflammatory response in RAW 264.7 cells. Results of the cytotoxicity studies revealed that the methanolic extract effectively induced the cytotoxicity at considerably lower concentration in MCF-7, A-549, and COLO-205 cell lines, while the viability of HeLa, CasKi, and HT-29 cells were inhibited at comparatively higher concentrations. Results thus indicated that E. hyssopifolium possessed potent anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic properties. This necessitates further exploration of bioactive phytochemical compounds responsible for these properties for therapeutic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water deficiency in Agriculture sector is the main factor that limits the production of crops. During the cropping years 2016-17 and 2017-18, a field experiment was conducted at Central Cotton Research Institute, Multan, Pakistan with the objective to minimize the adverse impacts of water deficiency on wheat. In this study, two wheat cultivars Johar-2016 (Jr) and Gold-2016 (Gd) were tested with three types of osmoprotectants with control treatment (Cl = Control, Gb = Glycine betaine, Th = Trehalose, Pl = Proline) along with three different application methods (Sp = Seed priming, As = Application on Anthesis stage, Sp + As = Seed priming + Application on Anthesis stage) of osmoprotectants. All the osmoprotectants were applied at the rate of 150 mg/l of water while in control only water was sprayed. The crop was sown under RCBD with the splitsplit- plot arrangement. Water scarcity was enforced on the crop by giving 25.4 cm (62.5%) depth of water out of 40.64 cm (100%) of crop water requirement. Data was collected regarding crop growth and yield, crop water relation, grains quality, antioxidant contents and osmoprotectant contents. Mean data of both years were statistically analyzed. Results showed that interactive treatment Jr x Gb x Sp + As performed better in most of the parameters (e.g. 1000 Grain weight = 35.905 g, Grain yield = 4.6883 t ha-1, Biological yield = 10.367 t ha- 1) however interactive treatments Jr x Th x Sp + As (Starch contents = 58.14%) and Jr x Pl x Sp + As (Protein contents = 13.79%) were also remained fruitful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inclusion of intermittent natured renewable energy resources in microgrid to reduce global warming, especially in shipboard power system and due to highly fluctuating propulsion load, frequency control strategy of isolated shipboard hybrid microgrid (ISHMG) is major point of attraction. Hence, a power system of marine vessel with dish‐stirling solar thermal system (DSTS), wind‐driven generation (WDG), solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), super‐conducting magnetic energy storage (SMES), two different AC‐loads, and propulsion loads are considered as an ISHMG. The main objective of this paper is reducing the mismatch between generation and demand with the help of fractional‐order proportional integral‐derivative (FOPID) controller. To improve the frequency control, the tuning of the controller coefficients plays a major role as the controller's performance fully dependent on the parameters. Accordingly, the recently developed butterfly optimization algorithm (BOA) has been used to optimize the FOPID controller's parameters. Comparative analysis of several techniques like FA, PSO, GOA, SSA, and BOA used for PID, PI, FOPID controllers' optimization, and sensitivity analysis under different parametric variation has been presented to prove the stability of the ISHMG model. Analyzing all the results, it is found that BOA‐based FOPID controller is performing the frequency control far better than other techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phishing assaults are one of the more prevalent types of cybercrime in the world today. To steal information, users are sent emails and messages. Moreover, websites are used for it. Phishing primarily targets corporate websites, such as those for ecommerce, finance, and governmental organizations. To obtain sensitive user information, attackers impersonate websites, a phenomenon known as phishing. In addition to exploring the use of machine learning algorithms to identify and stop web phishing assaults, this research suggests utilizing machine learning techniques to detect phishing URLs by analyzing various aspects of the URLs. The study includes classification models like Logistic Regression, Random Forest, Decision trees, KNN, Naive Bayes, SVM, and other ensemble learning techniques like Gradient Boosting, XGBoost, Histogram Gradient Boosting, Light Gradient Boosting, and Ada Boost were used to detect phishing websites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conventional power systems are evolving as smart grids. In recent times cyberattacks on smart grids have been increasing. Among different attacks, False Data Injection (FDI) is considered as an emerging threat that has significant impact. By exploiting the vulnerabilities of IEC 61850 Generic Object-Oriented Substation Events (GOOSE) and Sampled Values (SV) attackers can launch different FDI attacks. In this paper, a real-time set up capable of simulating FDI on GOOSE and SV protocols is developed to evaluate the impact of such attacks on power grid. IEC 62351 stipulates cybersecurity guidelines for GOOSE and SV, but only at communication or Information Technology (IT) level. Hence there is a need to develop a holistic security both at IT and Operation Technology (OT) level. In this regard, a novel sequence content resolver-based hybrid security scheme suitable to tackle FDI attacks on GOOSE and SV is proposed. Furthermore, the computational performance of the proposed hybrid security scheme is presented to demonstrate its applicability to the time critical GOOSE and SV protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a novel frequency regulation solution for renewables (wind‐solar tower)‐bio (biodiesel‐biogas) cogenerated independent dual‐area interlinked microgrid power system (IµPS) with collective effect of time delay and flexible gate‐controlled series capacitor (GCSC). As a component, a non‐integer proportional fractional integral fractional derivative (PFIFD) controller is introduced whose dynamic responses is compared with integer order PID (IOPID) and fractional order PI (FOPI) controllers. The findings demonstrate that the suggested non‐integer PFIFD controller performs better than IOPID and FOPI at giving superior dynamic properties, such as different decision parameters and minimum error function (J). Subsequently, to obtain the optimally tuned controllers' parameters, a recently developed yellow saddle goatfish technique (YSGA) is leveraged. In this study, the comparative effect of time delay, interline power flow controller (IPFC) and GCSC scheme have been analyzed under real time wind data in IµPS. Further, a meticulous sensitivity assessment of YSGA tuned PFIFD controller is performed under different uncertainties. The improved results show that the recommended YSGA‐based PFIFD controller offers a wonderful improvement in system frequency stability under a variety of situations, including system uncertainties, physical constraints, and significant renewables penetration. Finally, real‐time hardware‐in‐the‐loop (HIL) simulation platform is utilized to validate the proposed control approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid spread of medical rumors and false or misleading medical information on social media is a vexing challenge that threatens health. Understanding the information ecosystem can provide critical insights for strong coordination between stakeholders and funders to counter this threat. This article describes ThisIsOurShot and VacunateYa's efforts to spread accurate health information about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines and discusses lessons learned. The authors provide recommendations for future coordinated efforts to counter the digital spread of medical rumors, misinformation, and disinformation. The rapid spread of medical rumors and false or misleading information on social media during times of uncertainty is a vexing challenge that threatens public health. Understanding the information ecosystem, social media networks, and the scope of incentives that drive users and social media platforms can provide critical insights for strong coordination between stakeholders and funders to address this challenge. The COVID-19 pandemic created an opportunity to demonstrate the role of media monitoring and counter-messaging efforts in responding to dangerous medical rumors, misinformation, and disinformation. It also highlighted the challenges. The efforts of ThisIsOurShot and VacunateYa to spread accurate health information about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines are described and lessons learned are discussed. These lessons include the need for substantial financial investments at the local and national levels to sustain and scale these types of programs. Examples in other fields that offer a path forward include Information Sharing and Analysis Centers and Public Health Emergency Operations Centers. Understanding the scale and scope of what it takes to address viral medical rumors, misinformation, and disinformation in a networked information environment should inspire elected leaders to consider policy and regulatory reforms. Our transformed information ecosystem requires new public health infrastructure to address information that threatens personal safety and population health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chickpea is one of the drought tolerant leguminous crops mostly cultivated in the arid region of Pakistan. Global warming is the main cause of changing rainfall pattern in the arid regions, which indirectly affecting the production of chickpea. ß-aminobutyric acid (BABA) is known as the drought mitigating agent mostly used for boosting the production of drought susceptible plants. For checking the effect of BABA on the growth, yield and quality traits of chickpea cultivars against drought stress, a field experiment was conducted at the research field of B.Z.U. Bahadur Sub-Campus Layyah, Pakistan (latitude-32°N, longitude-73°E and altitude-184 msl) during rabi seasons 2016-17. For this purpose chickpea cultivars (Noor 2013 and Bhakkar 2011) were tested under irrigated as well as rainfed condition. Different doses of BABA (Dry seed, Hydropriming, 1 mM, 2 mM and 3 mM) were applied by seed priming method. Findings of this research study elaborate that irrigated condition enhanced all the growth and yield traits as well as total protein contents but decrease the antioxidants in comparison to the rainfed condition. Noor 2013 performed best by increasing germination count, no. of pods plant-1, no. of seeds plant-1, harvest index, days to anthesis, superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase and total phenolic contents. Whereas, Bhakkar 2011 showed the highest performance for no. of primary branches per plant, biological yield, grain yield, thousand seed weight and total soluble protein. 2 mM of BABA is the best dose for all the growth and yield traits, while maximum antioxidant activity was found by the application of 3 mM of BABA. In short, cultivation of both chickpea cultivars should be promoted in irrigated areas. Priming with 2 and 3 mM of BABA is the best solution for minimizing the impact of moderate drought stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel control scheme for combined frequency and voltage stabilization of an islanded multi‐generator hybrid microgrid (IHμG). The control concept incorporates an improved virtual inertia support scheme (IVIS) and the recently developed yellow saddle goatfish technique (YSGA) to obtain optimal control parameters. IHμG model consists of an AVR‐based voltage compensating loop for synchronous biodiesel generator, wind generator, wave generator, photon exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), and controllable heat pump and freezer. An integer order proportional‐integral‐derivative (IOPID) controller is leveraged for frequency‐voltage stabilization. A comparative response assessment has been performed with/without IVIS. The utilization of YSGA has been justified by comparative assessment with particle swarm optimization, firefly, and sine‐cosine techniques. A meticulous performance evaluation of YSGA optimized IOPID control scheme in the IHμG has been conducted through several case studies. Furthermore, the rigorous sturdiness assessment of YSGA optimized IOPID controller was performed under different uncertainties such as: variation of amplifier gain, ±30% variation in demanded loading magnitude, moment of inertia and droop co‐efficient. Finally, real‐time hardware‐in‐the‐loop (HIL) simulation platform is utilized to validate the proposed control approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: During lactation, mammary epithelial cells exhibit a high metabolic rate and thus produce large amounts of ROS and lipid peroxides in vivo (Jin et al., 2014; Ganguly et al., 2016). A surplus of ROS and the absence of optimal amounts of antioxidants (which neutralize these free radicals or ROS) results in oxidative stress (Lykkesfeldt and Svendsen, 2007). A clinical study was undertaken on Bovine Mastitis in Kashmir valley to study the relation between oxidative stress and clinical mastitis. An attempt was also made to see the effect of supplementation of self-formulated anti-oxidant trace mineral mixture on recovery and prophylaxis of Bovine mastitis through amelioration of oxidative stress. Methods: The oxidative stress was assessed through estimation of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, reduced glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO). In addition, blood trace mineral status for copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn) and selenium (Se) were also assessed in mastitic animals and compared with normal healthy lactating animals. The utility of anti-oxidants in clinical management of mastitis was measured through response to treatment with trace minerals like Cu, Zn, Mn and Se in addition to conventional antibiotic therapy. Two groups of mastitic animals received two therapeutic regimens. Group I animals received antibiotics and self formulated anti-oxidant mixture at therapeutic doses while as Group II animals received only antibiotics (at same dose rate and frequency). Clinical recovery was assessed on the basis of CMT point score, milk somatic cell count and milk biochemistry. For prophylactic study, forty recently parturated lactating animals having susceptibility to occurrence of mastitis were divided into two groups of twenty animals each. One group of animals was supplemented with self-formulated anti-oxidant mixture at prophylactic doses for a period of thirty days so as to see the effect of supplementation on oxidative stress parameters and occurrence of clinical mastitis. Result: A significant decrease was found in the values of SOD, catalase, GSH and Cu, Zn, Mn and Se but a significant increase was found in the values of MDA and NO in clinical cases of mastitis as compared to healthy control group. Therapeutic regimen I proved efficacious than the therapeutic regimen II in treatment of clinical mastitis with higher recovery rates and lesser number of mean days required for recovery in group I than group II animals. The efficacy of prophylactic treatment was monitored by occurrence of mastitis during the course of therapy and one month after therapy. Group I animals did not suffer from clinical mastitis and showed considerable improvement in oxidative stress parameters, milk SCC and blood trace mineral status as compared to group II. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dental trauma poses unique challenges for both patients and dental practitioners, requiring prompt and effective management to minimize long-term complications and preserve oral health. This publication delves into the multifaceted nature of dental trauma, encompassing etiology, classification, diagnosis, and treatment strategies across various age groups and injury severities. It explores the common types of dental trauma, including avulsion, luxation, and crown fractures, elucidating their clinical manifestations and potential complications. Moreover, this paper discusses the importance of timely intervention and appropriate treatment modalities, ranging from immediate first aid measures to comprehensive restorative procedures. Additionally, it addresses preventive strategies and patient education initiatives aimed at reducing the incidence of dental trauma and promoting oral safety awareness. By enhancing understanding and proficiency in managing dental trauma, dental professionals can mitigate the impact of injuries, optimize treatment outcomes, and improve overall patient well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interval-valued quadripartitioned neutrosophic set is represented by the partition of the interval-valued neutrosophic set's indeterminacy function into contradiction and ignorance parts. This article introduces the properties of interval quadripartitioned single valued neutrosophic graph. The properties like complementary, self-complementary, strong and complete interval-valued quadripartitioned neutrosophic graphs are investigated. The finest illustration of locating a climate conducive to apricot cultivation in Ladakh is provided by the notion that has been offered. The model gives us details on the location that should be chosen for apricot farming. Using the proposed concepts, we highlight potential applications of the usual apricot plant that thrives in extremely cold climates and is appropriate for higher production. The adopted approach makes a superior fit to consider the problems in application viewpoint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]