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The success of climate-smart agriculture in high rainfall zone lies in understanding the rainfall trend and planning or modifying the cropping system for maximum yield. Moisture stress in critical crop growth stages is detrimental to the crop and drastically reduces the yield. Udhagamandalam region in Western Ghats is a high rainfall area and is largely cultivated by vegetable crops. Rainfall trend based crop planning would enhance the crop yield without water stress. A study was carried out at ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Dhemaji, Assam focused on assessing the long-term seasonal and monthly rainfall trends of Udhagamandalam region, Tamil Nadu using non-parametric tests and Innovative Trend Analysis (ITA). Daily rainfall of 62 years from 1960–2021 was analyzed with non-parametric tests, viz. Mann-Kendall and modified Mann-Kendall and ITA to find the seasonal rainfall characteristics. Mann- Kendall (3.055) and modified Mann-Kendall (3.055) tests showed a significantly increasing trend in the annual and seasonal monsoonal rainfall. ITA revealed either a significant positive or a negative trend in all the months except February, with the highest trend in June (2.625). In contrast to standard non-parametric tests, ITA detected a significant positive trend in all seasons and annual rainfall, except in cold winters where the trend is negative. The long-term trend analysis results suggest that the ITA is more precise for rainfall trend analysis than standard non-parametric tests and can be used to evaluate hidden variations of rainfall trends. Hence, ITA is recommended for analyzing rainfall trends for crop planning in high-rainfall regions. IT analysis of 62 years of rainfall data of Udhagamandalam suggested that vegetable crop planning can be done by farmers from August–November months as the rainfall trend during this period is assured as an increasing trend of rainfall pattern was observed.

The present era sees the dominance of wind energy conversion systems as a leading technology in renewable energy. Various technologies have been devised to harness wind energy, with variable speed systems emerging as particularly advantageous. Consequently, these systems are designed to operate at specified speeds using power electronic interfaces, maximizing power extraction from the wind. The integration of Permanent Magnet Generators (PMGs), directly linked to the wind turbine lacking a gearbox, allows operation at minimum speeds. To stabilize the continuously fluctuating output voltage of the PMG, power electronic converters are extensively utilized in Wind Energy Conversion Systems (WECS), ensuring a consistent voltage and frequency output. The voltage gain of Traditional matrix converters (MCs) is limited to less than 0.866. In turn, the Z-source (ZS) and discontinuous QZSDMC, as well as ZS IMCs, topologies have achieved voltage gains exceeding 0.866. However, the former provides complicated commutation issues from DMC, while the latter incorporates a Z source network in the DC link, resulting in a non-all-silicon solution. A novel continuous QZSDMC and QZSIMC are suggested, wherein a qZS network incorporates the grid-side filtering function. This design eliminates the need for an additional input filter in the proposed system. Three newly introduced topologies of ZSDMC, QZSDMC and QZSIMC are thoroughly compared across various parameters including voltage gain, current and voltage ripples, inductor current and capacitor voltage stresses, filtering capabilities, input current, and output voltage Total Harmonic Distortion (THD), finally efficiency. The paper presents their control and modulation methods to achieve the desired performance levels. Experimental comparisons validate the theoretical analysis and demonstrate the potential of the proposed QZSDMC as a promising topology.

The challenges facing tree orchard production in the coming years will be largely driven by changes in the climate affecting the sustainability of farming practices in specific geographical regions. Identifying key traits that enable tree crops to modify their growth to varying environmental conditions and taking advantage of new crop improvement opportunities and technologies will ensure the tree crop industry remains viable and profitable into the future. In this review article we 1) outline climate and sustainability challenges relevant to horticultural tree crop industries, 2) describe key tree crop traits targeted for improvement in agroecosystem productivity and resilience to environmental change, and 3) discuss existing and emerging genomic technologies that provide opportunities for industries to future proof the next generation of orchards.

Venetoclax and obinutuzumab are becoming frontline therapies for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients. Unfortunately, drug resistance still occurs, and the combination could be immunosuppressive. Lysosomes have previously been identified as a target for obinutuzumab cytotoxicity in CLL cells, but the mechanism remains unclear. In addition, studies have shown that lysosomotropic agents can cause synergistic cell death in vitro when combined with the BTK inhibitor, ibrutinib, in primary CLL cells. This indicates that targeting lysosomes could be a treatment strategy for CLL. In this study, we have shown that obinutuzumab induces lysosome membrane permeabilization (LMP) and cathepsin D release in CLL cells. Inhibition of cathepsins reduced obinutuzumab-induced cell death in CLL cells. We further determined that the lysosomotropic agent siramesine in combination with venetoclax increased cell death in primary CLL cells through an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cathepsin release. Siramesine treatment also induced synergistic cytotoxicity when combined with venetoclax. Microenvironmental factors IL4 and CD40L or incubation with HS-5 stromal cells failed to significantly protect CLL cells from siramesine- and venetoclax-induced apoptosis. We also found that siramesine treatment inhibited autophagy through reduced autolysosomes. Finally, the autophagy inhibitor chloroquine failed to further increase siramesine-induced cell death. Taken together, lysosome-targeting drugs could be an effective strategy in combination with venetoclax to overcome drug resistance in CLL.

This article proposes a dual space vector PWM control technique for a three-phase to five-phase quasi Z-source direct matrix converter (QZSDMC). The proposed circuit consists of a quasi-impedance source network along with a five-phase traditional matrix converter. With the observation of bidirectional operating capability and the utilization of shoot-through duty ratio, the proposed converter can ensure both buck and boost operations. This converter overcomes the voltage transfer ratio restriction and poor voltage regulation of the traditional matrix converter. Also, this converter ensures continuous input current with an absence of input LC filter components. The proposed direct AC to AC power converter gives an alternate solution to the multiphase drive system instead of the traditional voltage source inverter. The developed dual space vector PWM control technique for three-phase to five-phase voltage conversion is derived from the basic space vector PWM approach. The proposed dual space vector PWM technique utilizes 90 active states and 3 zero vector states among 243 switching states. The QZSDMC has been analysed with a dual space vector PWM approach along with the distribution of shoot-through state in the zero vector. The proposed topology along with the control strategy has been simulated using MATLAB/Simulink environment.

The Gas Tungsten Arc Welding process weld for the 4 mm thickness of the ASTM A36 steel plate with varied heat input parameters of 0.608 kJ/mm, 0.900 kJ/mm and 1.466 kJ/mm, respectively. The effect of different heat inputs on microstructure, corrosion, and mechanical characteristics of developed weld joints are examined by three zones: heat-affected zone, welded zone, and base metal zone. The optical microscopic results of weld joints illustrate that fine grain structure leads to enhance welding strength. It is revealed that the increased heat input parameter on the weld joint shows a decreased tensile strength and hardness of the weld joint. The corrosion resistance of the weld joint is evaluated by Potentio-dynamic polarization. It facilitates that the corrosion rate of the weld joint is decreased with increasing heat input, which results indicate the best and worst corrosion micrograph of the polygonal ferrite and ferrite plus polygonal ferrite. However, the weld joint prepared with 0.900 kJ/mm heat input found maximum corrosion resistance.

Research and developments on preparing electrode material for lithium-ion batteries are burgeoning nowadays widely. In this study, we used the high energy ball-milling method to prepare pure and samarium-doped lithium manganese oxide (Li4Mn5O12) and investigated its structural, morphological, and electrical properties. The XRD spectrum for the produced materials confirmed the phase purity and crystallinity of the material. The fourier transform infrared spectrum was used to determine the different sorts of vibrations between molecules. The particle size with the presence of polyhedral-shaped morphology was certified by using SEM and TEM analysis. EDS mapping was used to assess the elemental composition and purity of the samples. Complex impedance spectroscopy analysis was used to investigate the temperature dependency of the materials’ electrical properties, and high conductivity (1.15 × 10−7 S cm−1) was reported for samarium-doped lithium manganese oxide at 100°C, and its dielectric relaxation behavior was examined.

Abstract Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with poor clinical outcomes; autopsy studies of TBI victims demonstrate significant oligodendrocyte progenitor cell (OPC) death post TBI; an observation, which may explain the lack of meaningful repair of injured axons. Whilst high-mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) and its key receptors TLR2/4 are identified as key initiators of neuroinflammation post-TBI, they have been identified as attractive targets for development of novel therapeutic approaches to improve post-TBI clinical outcomes. In this report we establish unequivocal evidence that HMGB1 released in vitro impairs OPC response to mechanical injury; an effect that is pharmacologically reversible. We show that needle scratch injury hyper-acutely induced microglial HMGB1 nucleus-to-cytoplasm translocation and subsequent release into culture medium. Application of injury-conditioned media resulted in significant decreases in OPC number through anti-proliferative effects. This effect was reversed by co-treatment with the TLR2/4 receptor antagonist BoxA. Furthermore, whilst injury conditioned medium drove OPCs towards an activated reactive morphology, this was also abolished after BoxA co-treatment. We conclude that HMGB1, through TLR2/4 dependant mechanisms, may be detrimental to OPC proliferation following injury in vitro, negatively affecting the potential for restoring a mature oligodendrocyte population, and subsequent axonal remyelination. Further study is required to assess how HMGB1-TLR signalling influences OPC maturation and myelination capacity.

Cathodic electrodeposition (CED) was used to coat the cast magnesium alloy Mg-9Al-1Zn-xRE with aluminum powder and epoxy. Immersion and salt spray tests (ASTM B117) at room temperature for a total of 240 hours have been performed to assess the corrosion performances of AZ91D magnesium alloy. At each 24-hour interval, the samples were checked for any damage or deterioration of the coating surface morphology. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the phases, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with EDS analysis confirmed the phase composition. The electrochemical results show that CED epoxy coatings have superior adhesiveness and corrosion resistance compared to powder-coated aluminum and cast magnesium. The salt spray and immersion test results also confirm that CED epoxy coating exhibits good corrosion resistance.

Lightweight materials are extremely needed for the manufacturing of industrial parts and are used in aerospace, automobile body shops, biomedical instruments, etc. Aluminium alloy is one of the light-weight materials, and it fulfills the industrial demands based on their natural strength/stiffness, enhanced temperature permanence, superior wear, and corrosion resistance. This experimental work considered aluminium alloy (AA8014) with reinforced particles of silicon nitride (Si3N4) and zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) for preparing aluminium hybrid composites. Hybrid composites are prepared by a stir casting process involving different process parameters. L27 orthogonal array is used for optimizing the stir casting parameters with the assistance of the statistical Taguchi approach. Stir casting parameters are the percentage of reinforcement (4%, 6%, and 8%), stir speed (400 rpm, 500 rpm, and 600 rpm), stir time (20 min, 25 min, and 30 min), and molten temperature (700 oC, 800 oC, and 900 oC). Mechanical performance such as wear and microhardness of the hybrid composites is evaluated. Minimum wear and higher microhardness are encountered at a percentage of reinforcement = 6%, stir speed = 400 rpm, stir time = 30 min, and molten temperature = 900°C. In wear analysis, the percentage of reinforcement highly influences the wear properties (7.06% contribution). In microhardness analysis, molten temperature parameter is the extreme influencer (11.15% contribution).

In this research work, the analysis of mechanical and metallurgical properties of AZ91D + XCe + XLi cast magnesium (Mg) alloys in adding cerium (Ce) and lithium (Li), where X can be varied. The destructive tests viz. mechanical test, tensile strength test, and microhardness test are used to investigate mechanical properties of AZ91D alloy in adding various weight percentages viz. 0.5, 1, 2, of Ce and Li. This result of this present investigation reveals that there will be refinement of grain size on AZ91D alloy in adding Ce and Li. The formation of second phase Al2Ce that has superior melting point, changes the distribution of the phase Mg17Al12 from a continuous network morphological transition to a tiny and dispersive distribution along the grain boundary. Furthermore, adding Li to the AZ91D magnesium alloy lowers the corrosion current density in a 3.5 percent NaCl solution, improving the alloy’s corrosion resistance. The results show that the AZ91D magnesium alloy, which contains 0.5 percent Ce + 1.0wt.%, outperforms other magnesium alloys.

Nanocrystalline powders of 4 mol.% GdO1.5-4 mol.% SmO1.5 doped ZrO2 (4Gd4SmSZ) has been synthesized by co-precipitation process. Their phase transformation and crystalline growth behavior was investigated by Thermo gravimetric-Differential Thermal Analysis (TG-DTA), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy and High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HR-TEM) after calcinations at different temperatures. The XRD, Raman spectra and HRTEM results confirm the nature of tetragonal zirconia (t-ZrO2). The prepared 4Gd4SmSZ powders, remains in the single metastable tetragonal phase over the whole calcination temperature ranging from 873 K to 1273 K for 2 h. The crystallite size varies from 11.98 nm to 18.90 nm with increase of temperature from 873 K to 1273 K. The activation energy of the prepared powders at low temperature is considerably lesser than that at a higher temperature. The annealed 4Gd4SmSZ powders had shown excellent phase stability at 1573 K for 100 h. Keywords: Zirconia, Coprecipitation, Rare earth oxide, Phase transformation, Tetragonal, Activation energy

Due to high vapour pressure at ambient conditions, exposed mercury contributes significant vapour concentration in working atmosphere. Ventilation is a conventional, cheap and very effective method to bring down the concentration of hazardous materials like mercury vapour below permissible limit. In this work a numerical model was developed to obtain intuitive understandings of the spatial distribution of mercury vapors from an exposed surface. The model was validated with experimental data generated using a precinct ventilation system with 8.14% absolute average error. a Validated model was used to study the effect of air flow rate (100–1200 LPM) and impact of architectural design of the containment for fixed exposed mercury surfaceon the final (diluted) mercury concentration. Comparative analysis shows that modification in structural design offers a reduced volume averaged exit mercury concentration and also the reduced peak mercury concentration(Cpeak) in the computational domain. Computational approach outlined in this work can be used to estimate spatial variation of mercury vapor concentration and to locate and quantify regions of high local concentration of mercury in various geometries.

The corrosion behaviour of Mg–6Al–1Zn + XCe (where X = 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 wt% Ce) alloys, aged for 18 h at different temperatures of 180 °C, 200 °C, 220 °C and 240 °C, was studied in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution. The salt spray test was conducted in accordance with ASTM-B117 standard (fog test). The corrosion morphologies, corrosion rate and the composition of the corrosion products were investigated by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Optical Microscopy (OM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) techniques. The results show the cerium addition and ageing treatment has significantly influenced the corrosion morphologies and the corrosion rate. In AZ61 alloy, the intermetallic β (Mg17Al12) phase acts as a corrosion barrier and upon ageing the Al4Ce phase precipitates along the α grain boundaries. The precipitation modifies the β phase to form more continuous network which subsequently reduces the corrosion attack in the chlorine environment. Salt spray test result shows the AZ61 alloy with 1.5 wt% Ce aged at 220 °C exhibits the better corrosion resistance.

Slope stabilization is a tedious process since various human activities being carried out in various parts of the world have led to land use changes that has indirectly affected slope stability. Permanent structures are being used for slope stabilization which are costly and cannot be adopted in a large scale. Slope stabilization by establishing grasses with the support of Jute Geotextiles is an alternative method for stabilization of slopes in hilly areas. Set of field studies were conducted at ICAR- Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation (IISWC), Regional Centre, Udhagamandalam, Tamil Nadu, India with the objective to study the effect of various Jute Geotextiles (JGT) on runoff, soil loss, survival and growth of tea. Results of three years field study on efficacy of various types of open weave JGT namely 500, 600 and 700 GSM on slope stabilization showed that 700 GSM open weave JGT proved to be more effective in reducing runoff, soil and nutrient loss and increased soil moisture retention capacity of the soil. However, height and growth of tea plants were better under 500 and 600 GSM JGT. Considering the scope of tea cultivation in sloppy areas, rehabilitation of land slide areas using tea plants, optimal moisture requirement and better growth of tea plants, it is suggested that 500 GSM open weave JGT will be more effective for slope stabilization with tea plants.

The corrosion behavior of cast Mg–6Al–1Zn + XCa (Where X = 0.5,1.0,1.5 and 2.0 wt.% Ca) magnesium alloy, aged at different temperatures of 180 °C, 200 °C, 220 °C and 240 °C was investigated in accelerated corrosion test chamber according to ASTM-B117 Standard (salt spray test). The exposed alloys were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Optical Microscopy (OM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) techniques. The microstructural refinement due to calcium addition and ageing treatment results in the improvement of corrosion resistance of the experimental alloy. Corrosion rate decreases due to fine precipitation of the β (Mg17Al12) phase distributed along the α-grain boundaries during ageing. Intermetallic phases act as a barrier, which makes the alloy more resistant to corrosion. Results found that better corrosion resistance of the alloy was observed in Mg–6Al–1Zn + 1.5 wt.% Ca with 180 °C ageing temperature. The corrosion behavior of Mg–6Al–1Zn + XCa alloy exhibited by ASTM B117 salt spray testing and electrochemical polarization measurements showed similar trends concluding that the calcium addition and ageing temperature decreases the corrosion rate.

In the present study, we investigated the fumigant potential of five edible essential oils (EOs) against Sitophilus oryzae and their phytochemical residues in treated grains. Among the tested EOs, peppermint oil proved significantly effective (P ≤ 0.05) on S.oryzae at 400 μl/L air concentration, inducing 83 and 100% mortalities in with-food and without-food conditions respectively over 72 h exposure. In addition, it was also observed that the binary mixtures of peppermint + lemon oil (1:1 ratio) produced an equivalent effect to that of peppermint oil alone treatments. The phytochemical residue analysis by GC-MS revealed the presence of six compounds upon 72 h exposure to EOs. Further, the analysis of physico-chemical properties of the compounds indicated a positive correlation between polar surface area (PSA) and its residual nature. The residue levels of eugenol were significantly elevated corresponding to its high PSA value (29) in clove and cinnamon oils. On the other hand, the compounds with zero PSA value imparted very less or no (D-Limonene, caryophyllene, pinene and terpinolene) residues in treated grains. With respect to the most active peppermint oil, L-menthone, menthyl acetate and eucalyptol residues were at 67, 41 and 23% levels respectively. The outcome of the present study indicate the peppermint oil as a potent fumigant against S. oryzae, and although the residues of phytochemicals in treated grains is higher; they belong to the generally recognised as safe (GRAS) status leaving no harmful effect.

In the crystal of the title hydrated molecular salt, C8H12NO+·Cl−·H2O, the water molecule makes two O—H...Cl hydrogen bonds, generating [010] zigzag chains of alternating water molecules and chloride ions. The cation is bonded to the chain by an O—H...O hydrogen bond and two weak C—H...Cl interactions. Weak aromatic π–π stacking [centroid–centroid separation = 3.5175 (15) Å] occurs between the chains.

The title salt, C8H12NO+·Br−·H2O, is isomorphous with the chloride analogue [Seethalakshmi et al. (2013). Acta Cryst. E69, o835–o836]. In the solid state, the cations, anions and water molecules are interlinked by a network of O—H...O, O—H...Br and C—H...Br interactions. The water molecule makes two O—H...Br hydrogen bonds, generating [010] zigzag chains of alternating water molecules and bromide anions. The cation is involved in two intermolecular C—H...Cl interactions in the chloride salt, whereas three intermolecular C—H...Br interactions are observed in the title bromide salt. This additional intermolecular C—H...Br interaction links the adjacent water and bromide zigzag chains via cationic molecules. In addition, weak π–π stacking interactions are observed between pyridinium rings [centroid–centroid distance = 3.5664 (13) Å].