Search

Most microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices require suspended structures with high metallic thickness, which is not possible with standard sputtering techniques. Electroplating-based UV LIGA is a cost-effective technique preferred for fabricating thick metallic structures. Gold is preferred as a structural material for MEMS devices such as RF switches, among other metals, due to its high conductivity and low reactivity. For electroplating, a constant current supply is applied between the cathode (electroplating wafers) and the anode (metallic mesh) dipped in gold electrolyte. The value of electric potential is determined by the constant current supply, which is determined by the plating area/current density. The standard DC current supply produces bone structures and non-uniform deposition across the wafer. The Helmholtz or electrical double layer plays a vital role in controlling the profile of the electroplated film. This paper addresses the issues of non-uniform deposition and bone structures with agitation, wafer rotation and bipolar pulsed power supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report here a method to make a branched and partially ethoxylated polyethyleneimine derivative directly from ethanolamine. The polymerization reaction is catalysed by a pincer complex of Earth-abundant metal, manganese, and produces water as the only byproduct. Industrial processes to produce polyethyleneimines involve the transformation of ethanolamine to a highly toxic chemical, aziridine, by an energy-intensive/waste-generating process followed by the ring-opening polymerization of aziridine. The reported method bypasses the need to produce a highly toxic intermediate and presents advantages over the current state-of-the-art. We propose that the polymerization process follows a hydrogen borrowing pathway that involves (a) dehydrogenation of ethanolamine to form 2-aminoacetaldehyde, (b) dehydrative coupling of 2-aminoacetaldehyde with ethanolamine to form an imine derivative, and (c) subsequent hydrogenation of imine derivative to form alkylated amines. The industrial process for the synthesis of branched polyethylenimine (PEI) and polyethylenimine ethoxylated (PEIE) uses highly toxic and mutagenic chemicals. Here the authors report a method to make a branched and partially ethoxylated polyethyleneimine derivative directly from ethanolamine using a pincer complex of Earth-abundant manganese, and producing water as the only byproduct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Restrictive operating conditions (even exceeding 700 °C) of materials in advanced ultra super critical (AUSC) power plants and the need to minimize manufacturing and maintenance costs require the production of dissimilar metal welded joints (DMW). Significant differences in the physical and chemical properties of welded materials lead to phenomena that reduce the weldability of the metals used and force the search for solutions that limit unfavorable phenomena, e.g., the use of buttering layers. The study presents a comparison of two types of joints with Alloy 617 (UNS N06617) and ferritic P92 (UNS K92460) steel made using Inconel 82 (ENiCrFe-3) and Inconel 617 (ERNiCrCoMo-1) alloys buttering layer and the corresponding chemical composition of filler metals. All areas of the joints made with the gas tungsten arc welding process were subjected to structural investigations (optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and mechanical tests (microhardness, room and high temperature tensile, and toughness testing). Despite the more complicated welding procedure, sound welded joints were obtained with favorable properties resulting, inter alia, from the reduced thickness of the martensite layer in HAZ of P92 steel and the limited diffusion of alloy components compared to welded joints without the buttering layer. This also resulted in a reduction of the maximum hardness (especially in the case of Inconel 82 buttering—by 15–30 HV0.5 in comparison with Inconel 617 buttering) and an increase in strength while limiting the decrease in plasticity (even 663 MPa tensile strength and 21% of elongation for Inconel 617 buttered joint). Moreover, improved high-temperature performance (approximately 70–100 MPa) of the welded joint following the application of the buttering layer was confirmed. The presented results allow for drawing general conclusions that both proposed welding procedures can be recommended for use in the working conditions occurring at AUSC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cervical pedicle screw-rod fixation presents a complex approach in spinal surgery, offering enhanced spine stabilization in variable conditions considering traumatic injuries, degenerative changes, as well as orthopaedic and oncological ailments. This technique employs small diameter screw implants strategically placed to bolster the mechanical integrity of the spine. Notably, it involves minimally invasive procedures, resulting in smaller incisions and reduced patient discomfort. This study aims to assess the effects of trapezoidal thread screws in pedicle sections of the cervical spine during flexion-extension loadings, focusing on factors such as range of motion (ROM), implant stress, and stress on adjacent bone. Methods: Utilizing CT scan data, a finite element model of the cervical spine (C2-C7 vertebrae) was prepared. Trapezoidal thread screws were integrated into a single-level pedicle screw-rod fixation at the C5-C6 vertebrae. The C2 vertebra were given a compressive load of 50 N along with a moment of 1 Nm, resulting in the immobilization of the C7. Results and Discussion: The results indicate a reduction in ROM at the C5-C6 level by 69% to 77% compared to the intact spine during flexion-extension loading, with a slight increase in ROM observed at adjacent cervical spine levels. Stress analysis revealed that the trapezoidal thread screws induced stresses ranging from 24 MPa to 29 MPa in PEEK trapezoidal screw-rod implants, which fall below the material's yield stress. Conclusions: This suggests that the trapezoidal thread profile may be advantageous in minimizing stress concentration, attributed to its larger contact area with the vertebrae bone between the threads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indian agriculture transitioned from a food deficit sector to a food surplus following the Green Revolution. However, the continued progress of Indian agriculture has been hampered by climate change. This research explores the district-wise vulnerability in Madhya Pradesh, India, to climate change by assessing the composite vulnerability index using the agricultural vulnerability index (AVI) and socio-economic vulnerability index (SEVI). The study seeks to understand how agricultural and socio-economic factors lead to variations in vulnerability across districts and influence targeted adaptation and mitigation strategies. The trend analysis results present declining rainfall and inclining temperature from 1951 to 2021 in Madhya Pradesh, directly affecting the agricultural sector and human livelihood. The composite vulnerability index (CVI) results revealed that districts with low values (< 0.394), such as Burhanpur and Balaghat, demonstrate reduced susceptibility due to limited cultivation, low reliance on rainfall, lower drought susceptibility, and decreased population density. Districts such as Panna and Bhopal show moderate vulnerability (0.394–0.423), with lower fallow land, reduced rainfed agriculture, and socio-economic vulnerability. Extensive agriculture and marginalised workers' presence influence high vulnerability (0.423 to 0.456) in districts such as Tikamgarh and Indore. Districts like Barwani and Jhabua have the highest CVI values (> 0.456), indicating substantial susceptibility to climate impacts. The cluster analysis validates the results of the vulnerability index. The findings highlight the urgent need for tailored adaptation strategies to address the diverse agricultural and socio-economic indicators creating vulnerability in Madhya Pradesh. The study helps understand regional vulnerability patterns and provides evidence-based policy approaches for resilience to climate change effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The horticulture industry has gained significant attention at the National and International levels due to its vital role in achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) and increasing farmers' income. Despite this, the sector faces challenges like climate change, disruptions, and insufficient supply chain infrastructure, posing risks to sustainable horticultural production. This study aims to bridge the knowledge gaps related to technology usage in sustainable horticulture, particularly among smallholder farmers in the Uttarakhand Hills region of India. The study focuses on the differences in adopting digital technology between large and small farmers and highlights the importance of sustainable solutions that cover the entire farming cycle. The research explores the potential of digital technology in tackling key challenges faced by smallholding farmers, including income generation, supply chain efficiency, and post-harvest losses. The study carried out primary research in a small Himalayan fruit orchard located in Mukteshwar, Nainital District, Uttarakhand, India. The case study highlights the positive influence of digital technologies on the lives of small farmers residing in hilly regions. The methodology of research findings is based on practical implementation and fieldwork observations and concludes with recommendations for income generation, supply chain improvement, and the establishment of a digital ecosystem tailored for smallholding farmers. These insights provide a valuable foundation for future research endeavors in the domain of sustainable horticultural production and further will be helpful to achieve the targets of SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change poses significant challenges to human societies and natural ecosystems, necessitating comprehensive vulnerability assessments to develop appropriate adaptation stratigies. This study focuses on Central India and employs a multidimensional approach to evaluate the composite vulnerability at the district level. By integrating environmental (8 indicators) and socio-economic (5 indicators) factors, this study offers a nuanced understanding of vulnerability patterns in the region. The methodology involves the selection of indicators based on past literature and preliminary investigation, followed by secondary data collection from environmental and socio-economic factors. The data is analysed using an indicator-based approach, normalisation, weighting, and developing vulnerability indexes. This analysis is structured in three phases: Environmental Vulnerability Index (EVI), Socio-economic Vulnerability Index (SVI), and Composite Vulnerability Index (CVI). The results of CVI revealed that districts with a lower CVI (0.321–0.378), such as Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Bhopal, exhibited decreased vulnerability because of a lower level of climatic extremes affected areas, reduced percentage of socially deprived population and a higher value of HDI. Districts with medium CVI (0.381–0.407), such as Damoh, Indore, and Shahdol, exhibited moderate resilience. On the other hand, districts with high (0.409–0.402) and very high CVI (0.448–0.540), such as Narsimhapur, Betul, Balaghat, Chhindwara, Alirajpur, and Barwani, encountered notable susceptibility because of factors such as dependence on agriculture, a substantial proportion of socially deprived population, occurrences of droughts and floods. Hierarchical cluster analysis validated vulnerability classifications, enhancing the credibility of assessments. The research underscores the importance of considering climate change vulnerability assessments for effective policy formulation and adaptive strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the thermal performance of a solar thermal desalination system has been investigated experimentally. The desalination system consists of an evacuated tube collector (ETC), which acts as a heat source for the desalination process. A storage tank of saline water has been connected to ETC by using connecting pipes. A separate condensing unit has been used to condense water vapor generated by the desalination system. The saline water is circulated naturally throughout the ETC and storage tank. During the experiments, the data for temperature of the saline water at different locations, solar intensity, saline water pressure at inlet & outlet of ETC, and system's productivity in terms of fresh water were recorded. The performance of the present desalination system has been evaluated in terms of exergy & energy efficiency. The mass flow rate of the saline water has been calculated to understand the phenomenon of thermosiphon. The economic analysis has been also done in order to calculate the cost incurred in produced fresh water. The system was able to maintain temperature of saline water about 100 °C for 4 h continuously, which results in a good amount of fresh water i.e. 4.8 L. The average energy & exergy efficiency of the desalination system was found 50.67% and 15.61% respectively. The maximum saline water flow rate was 0.0085 kg/s, and the cost incurred to produce fresh water was 0.01902 $/L. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The photovoltaic thermal systems can concurrently produce electricity and thermal energy while maintaining a relatively low module temperature. The phase change material (PCM) can be utilized as an intermediate thermal energy storage medium in photovoltaic thermal systems. In this work, an investigation based on an experimental study on a hybrid photovoltaic thermal (PV/T) system with phase change material has been carried out under the weather condition of north India to compare its output with a standalone photovoltaic system. The organic phase change material (melting point range 37 °C to 42 °C) was utilized to store thermal energy on the backside of the photovoltaic module. A sheet and tube type absorber was constructed with a spiral-shaped cooling water circulation channel within a PCM container to extract the stored heat. The energy and exergy-based analyses were performed to evaluate the performance of the PV/T PCM system in comparison to the regular PV module. A maximum reduction of 27% in module temperature was found at a water flow rate of 1 LPM. PV/T PCM system achieved the highest electrical, exergy, and thermal efficiencies of 14.32%, 15.59%, and 53.78%, respectively, while the regular PV module achieved the highest electrical efficiency of 12%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitigating the negative environmental impacts caused by nitrogen (N) requires an understanding of its flows across and through various systems. This study fills a research gap by identifying the key N sink and sources with flows at three geographical scales (city, region, and country) using a comprehensive literature review. For a systematic literature review, the PRISMA 2020 method was used to select thirty-three studies spanning from 1995 to 2023. The findings of the study indicate that at the city scale, N enters primarily as food and miscellaneous (e.g., fossil fuel) flow and exits as emission and soil losses, while the primary stock of N occurs in landfills. At the region scale, the inflow of N is via feed and fertilizers and the main outflow is emissions and food; the N stock occurs in the soil available in the ecosystem. At the country scale, N imports come from Feed and Fertilizer, while the N outflows occur through emission and food with majority of N stocks held in the soil. The major outflows and stocks identified in this assessment can have potential to improve N management in future studies by acting as a guide for selection of key sectors, appropriate geographical scales, and flows. The main limitation in analysis originates from the varying scope of studies available in the literature. It would be better to have the data available for multi-year time periods at city and region scale so as to achieve more confidence in findings of future N flow studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the ultra-high efficiency, environmental compatibility, structural/chemical stability, and effective usage of active metal centres, new single-atom catalysts, particularly single-atom carbon-based nano-photocatalysts, are promising "materials" for environmental remediations. Owing to their outstanding structure and features, like enormous activity, the selectivity, maximal atom usage, and improved intrinsic catalytic activity, single-atom catalyst has piqued researchers' interest. There is a wide class of carbon-based nanomaterials family which can be explored for the stabilization of single-atom catalysts. The carbon and carbon-based nanomaterials provide an excellent substrate for anchoring metal/metal oxide single-atom catalysts because of low-cost production, excellent conductivity, high surface area and functionality and tunable properties. The single-atom catalyst-based materials have found applications in electrocatalyis, hydrogen generation, carbon dioxide conversion and catalytic transformations. However, limited work has been done on utilizing carbon supported single-atom catalysts for high-performance removal/degradation of broad range of noxious organic and inorganic contaminants from water. Low coordination states, quantum size effects, and strong interactions with metals in nano-dimensions give them these features, which have proven to be particularly resilient in photocatalysis. In this paper, various methodologies for the manufacture of carbon-based single-atom catalysts are described. Then, in terms of comprehending the electrical and geometric properties of catalysts based on a single carbon atom, current developments in various characterization techniques and computer achievements were summarised. Meanwhile, aquatic pollution is being tackled using catalysts based on single carbon atom photocatalysts. The materials based on single-atom catalysts anchored/supported on to carbon materials based materials as carbon, carbon quantum dots, graphene, carbon nitride, etc. have been discussed. Finally, the prospects for their development, along with future prospects, are explored. Schematic illustration of synthesis techniques including their advantages, disadvantages and waste water remediation applications of nano-carbon matrix supported single-atom catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of varying heat inputs with friction stir processing on the evolution of grains and mechanical performance of the AA7075 alloy are reported in this work. The heat input was varied via variation in tool speeds, i.e., rotational speed and welding speed. To see the effect of different heat inputs on the grains and mechanical performance, tensile, microhardness, corrosion, and electron backscatter diffraction analysis were performed in the processed region. The grain size was found consistent with the trend of AA7075's pseudo-heat index. With the reduction in heat input, the nugget zone's tensile strength and hardness steadily dropped. All the three friction stir-processed specimens prepared at different heat inputs were found to be more susceptible to corrosion compared to the base metal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of subword embedding has proved to be a major innovation in Neural machine translation (NMT). It helps NMT to learn better context vectors for Low resource languages (LRLs) so as to predict the target words by better modelling the morphologies of the two languages and also the morphosyntax transfer. Some of the NMT models that achieve state-of-the-art improvement on LRLs are Transformer, BERT, BART, and mBART, which can all use sub-word embeddings. Even so, their performance for translation in Indian language to Indian language scenario is still not as good as for resource-rich languages. One reason for this is the relative morphological richness of Indian languages, while another is that most of them fall into the extremely low resource or zero-shot categories. Since most major Indian languages use Indic or Brahmi origin scripts, the text written in them is highly phonetic in nature and phonetically similar in terms of abstract letters and their arrangements. We use these characteristics of Indian languages and their scripts to propose an approach based on common multilingual Latin-based encoding (WX notation) that takes advantage of language similarity while addressing the morphological complexity issue in NMT. Such multilingual Latin-based encodings in NMT, together with Byte Pair Embedding allow us to better exploit their phonetic and orthographic as well as lexical similarities to improve the translation quality by projecting different but similar languages on the same orthographic-phonetic character space. We verify the proposed approach by demonstrating experiments on similar language pairs (Gujarati ↔ Hindi, Marathi ↔ Hindi, Nepali ↔ Hindi, Maithili ↔ Hindi, Punjabi ↔ Hindi, and Urdu ↔ Hindi) under low resource conditions. The proposed approach shows an improvement in a majority of cases, in one case as much as ∼ 10 BLEU points compared to baseline techniques for similar language pairs. We also get up to ∼ 1 BLEU points improvement on distant and zero-shot language pairs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal nanoparticle-organic interfaces are common but remain elusive for controlling reactions due to the complex interactions of randomly formed ligand-layers. This paper presents an approach for enhancing the selectivity of catalytic reactions by constructing a skin-like few-nanometre ultrathin crystalline porous covalent organic overlayer on a plasmonic nanoparticle surface. This organic overlayer features a highly ordered layout of pore openings that facilitates molecule entry without any surface poisoning effects and simultaneously endows favourable electronic effects to control molecular adsorption–desorption. Conformal organic overlayers are synthesised through the plasmonic oxidative activation and intermolecular covalent crosslinking of molecular units. We develop a light-operated multicomponent interfaced plasmonic catalytic platform comprising Pd-modified gold nanoparticles inside hollow silica to achieve the highly efficient and selective semihydrogenation of alkynes. This approach demonstrates a way to control molecular adsorption behaviours on metal surfaces, breaking the linear scaling relationship and simultaneously enhancing activity and selectivity. Controlling molecular interactions on metal surfaces for selective chemical synthesis remains difficult to achieve. Here, we report thin, porous covalent organic overlayers on metal nanocrystals to improve selectivity through plasmonic activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complex structure formation inside or through turbid media is a challenging task due to refractive index inhomogeneity, random light scattering, and speckle noise formation. In this article, we have coupled the data regression model in the R-squared metric and used its advantages as a fitness function in the genetic algorithm to advance the resolution and structural uniformity. As a compatible system with the binary genetic algorithm, we have presented a cost-effective iterative wavefront shaping system-design with binary phase modulation using an affordable ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) based binary-phase spatial light modulator (SLM). R-squared metric in the genetic algorithm is analyzed to optimize the binary phase mask, and the prototype system based on iterative binary phase modulation has been validated with a 120-grit ground glass diffuser and fresh chicken tissues of thickness 307 μ m and 812 μ m . The detailed results show that the proposed cost-effective wavefront shaping system with data regression model assisted R-squared fitness function can construct high-resolution multiple complex hetero-structures simultaneously in 3D volume using an optimized single phase-mask. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the leading infectious congenital infection globally and the most common viral infection in transplant recipients, therefore identifying a vaccine for HCMV is a top priority. Humoral immunity is a correlate of protection for HCMV infection. The most effective vaccine tested to date, which achieved 50% reduction in acquisition of HCMV, was comprised of the glycoprotein B protein given with an oil-in-water emulsion adjuvant MF59. We characterize gB-specific monoclonal antibodies isolated from individuals vaccinated with a disabled infectious single cycle (DISC) CMV vaccine, V160, and compare these to the gB-specific monoclonal antibody repertoire isolated from naturally-infected individuals. We find that vaccination with V160 resulted in gB-specific antibodies that bound homogenously to gB expressed on the surface of a cell in contrast to antibodies isolated from natural infection which variably bound to cell-associated gB. Vaccination resulted in a similar breadth of gB-specific antibodies, with binding profile to gB genotypes 1–5 comparable to that of natural infection. Few gB-specific neutralizing antibodies were isolated from V160 vaccinees and fewer antibodies had identifiable gB antigenic domain specificity compared to that of naturally-infected individuals. We also show that glycosylation of gB residue N73 may shield binding of gB-specific antibodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the dynamics of temperature trends is vital for assessing the impacts of climate change on a regional scale. In this context, the present study focuses on Madhya Pradesh state in Central Indian region to explore the spatial-temporal distribution patterns of temperature changes from 1951 to 2021. Gridded temperature data obtained from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) in 1° × 1° across the state are utilised to analyse long-term trends and variations in temperature. The Mann-Kendall (MK) test and Sen’s slope (SS) estimator were used to detect the trends, and Pettitt’s test was utilised for change point detection. The analysis reveals significant warming trends in Madhya Pradesh during the study period during specific time frames. The temperature variables, such as the annual mean temperature (Tmean), maximum temperature (Tmax), and minimum temperature (Tmin), consistently increase, with the most pronounced warming observed during winter. The trend analysis reveals that the rate of warming has increased in the past few years, particularly since the 1990s. However, Pettitt’s test points out significant changes in the temperature, with Tmean rising from 25.46 °C in 1951–2004 to 25.78 °C in 2005–2021 (+0.33 °C), Tmax shifting from 45.77 °C in 1951–2010 to 46.24 °C in 2011–2021 (+0.47°C), and Tmin increasing from 2.65 °C in 1951–1999 to 3.19 °C in 2000–2021 (+0.46 °C). These results, along with spatial-temporal distribution maps, shed important light on the alterations and variations in monthly Tmean, Tmax, and Tmin across the area, underlining the dynamic character of climate change and highlighting the demand for methods for adaptation and mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper identified severe groundwater depletion and land subsidence in parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT Delhi), India, by long-term groundwater level (GWL) data analysis and spaceborne geodetic observations. For long-term geodetic observation, multi-frequency conventional differential interferometric SAR (DInSAR) and persistent scatterer-based advanced DInSAR supplemented with collateral high-precision GPS and terrestrial levelling were adopted. In DInSAR analyses since 2005, two prominent subsiding areas were identified in NCT Delhi: (1) Dwarka-Palam-Raj Nagar (DPR) and (2) Kapashera-Gurugram (KG) areas. In NCT Delhi, land subsidence was first detected in DPR and KG areas in 2005–2006 and 2008, respectively. Initially, land subsidence increased consistently in both places with an average subsidence rate of ~ 3 cm/year (2005–2006) to ~ 9 cm/year (2010–2011) in the DPR area and ~ 5 cm/year (2008–2009) to ~ 8 cm/year (2010–2011) in the KG area. Later, in the DPR area, land subsidence has sharply reduced in spatial coverage and rate since 2014. In contrast, in the KG area, land subsidence has consistently increased spatially with accelerated subsidence rates of ~ 10 to ~ 13 cm/year. Besides, several new subsiding areas were identified in the advanced DInSAR of the 2014–2019 period. During the overlapping period (2017–2018) of conventional and advanced DInSAR, high-precision GPS, and terrestrial levelling, the subsidence rates were compared; those were found to be closely agreeable. Finally, the nature and cause of subsidence were characterised by analysing GWL decline vs urban built-up growth vs subsidence rates, spatiotemporal patterns of micro-seismicity, spatial locations of active faults and aquifer-system compaction in two test sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coix (Coix lacryma-jobi) comes under underutilized crops as it is neither cultivated commercially on a large scale nor widely traded. The Northeastern region of India harbours a rich diversity of Coix. This crop has diverse varieties from food to ethnic ornaments worn by the Mizo people. The soft-shelled type (var ma-yuen), locally called 'Mim' has been an important cereal crop among the Mizo rural communities for a long time. The grains are highly nutritious and its exceptional medicinal aspects have been extensively researched. Meanwhile, the seeds of the wild type (var lacryma-jobi) are excellent beads for ornamental purposes and are key components in making traditional head gear 'Vakiria' worn by Mizo ladies on festive occasions. It is recently gaining importance as a 'functional food', because it is a rich source of nutrients and bioactive compounds. Its grains are gluten free which benefits people with celiac disease. It is used for preparing flour, soups, porridge, gruels, salads, desserts, snack, wine, sweets, etc. It is found to have diuretic, anti-inflammatory, antidiarrheal, antioxidant, antipyretic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, analgesic, hypotensive, and sedative properties. Coix germplasm are rapidly disappearing from wild and jhum lands, and without conservation a large population of genetic diversity will be lost from Northeast India. Mizoram also possesses a wide array of germplasm which could potentially contribute to research priorities. However, the ignorance on nutritional value of the crop, lack of standard agronomic practice, unavailability of high yielding quality seeds, potential varieties suitable for Mizoram conditions, processing infrastructures and marketing have diminished the interest of farmers in popularizing this crop. In this regards, thirty-nine Coix genotypes were evaluated owing to their agronomic characteristics to identify promising genotypes suitable for Mizoram conditions. Based on the overall mean performances for yield and yield components, two genotypes RJT-1 (39.74 q/ha) and RJT-2 (35.27 q/ha) were found superior for seed yield and other yield-related traits under Mizoram conditions. In addition, the occurrence of invasive fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) on Coix was observed and the damage incidence ranged between 7.23 and 10.86% in the vegetative growth stages (45–75 days crop) from the last week of August to the end of September. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of fall armyworm occurrence on Coix crop from India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advancement of networks-on-chip (NoCs) is noteworthy as the number of cores increases. The bandwidth demand has grown steadily as network traffic has increased owing to high-workload applications. The NoC traffic broadly divided into control messages and data messages in which data messages are bigger in size. As NoC channel bandwidth sets in proportion to the size of the data messages, the NoC bandwidth remains underutilized during control messages transmission. This adversely affects NoC power and performance efficiency. In modern NoC architectures, multiple NoC is popular to efficiently utilize NoC bandwidth because it offers more than one physical channel for traffic communication. The conventional multiple-NoC architectures statically distribute traffic between the NoCs. This significantly affects the power-performance metrics. We have observed up to fivefold variation in energy efficiency during the analysis of static traffic distribution for multiple NoC. In this paper, we propose an adaptive distribution of control messages for multiple NoC to improve bandwidth utilization. The traversal of control messages switch between the NoC networks according to the runtime utilization of networks. The proposed adaptive distribution of control messages improves energy efficiency up to 72.7 % and 66.9 % on average over single-NoC and static traffic distribution in multiple NoC, respectively. The link utilization also improves by 1.37 × and 40 % on average over single-NoC and conventional static traffic distribution, respectively. Thus, the proposed adaptive distribution overcomes the implications of static traffic distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adoption of 5G mobile technology has the potential of revolutionary enhancement in connectivity and communication that will revolutionize many sectors and improve user experiences. A large demand for smart electronic devices and GHz range communication have led to the technical advancements in this field, however, this is affecting the environment by causing electromagnetic interference (EMI) or electromagnetic (EM) pollution. To prevent from electromagnetic pollution, in the present study, composites of polystyrene were synthesized using a solution mixing process with the inclusion of aluminum metal dust, graphite, and carbon nanofibers. The efficiency of composite shielding was evaluated in the X-band (8.2–12.4 GHz) frequency range using a vector network analyzer (VNA). At 12.3 GHz, the overall shielding efficiency of polystyrene–aluminum metal dust and carbon nanofibers was measured to be − 23.53 dB, whereas at 8.2 GHz, it was observed to be − 6.64 dB for polystyrene–aluminum composites and − 14.43 dB for polystyrene–aluminum–graphite composites. Thickness for all the samples was taken as 2 mm. Synthetic composites were characterized by XRD, SEM, and TGA. D-shore hardness tester was employed to gauge the hardness. The fabricated composites are supposed to be a good alternative for applications requiring EM pollution supression or radar absorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design and selection of ideal emitter discharge rates can be aided by accurate information regarding the wetted soil pattern under surface drip irrigation. The current field investigation was conducted in an apple orchard in SKUAST- Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir, a Union Territory of India, during 2017–2019. The objective of the experiment was to examine the movement of moisture over time and assess the extent of wetting in both horizontal and vertical directions under point source drip irrigation with discharge rates of 2, 4, and 8 L h−1. At 30, 60, and 120 min since the beginning of irrigation, a soil pit was dug across the length of the wetted area on the surface in order to measure the wetting pattern. For measuring the soil moisture movement and wetted soil width and depth, three replicas of soil samples were collected according to the treatment and the average value were considered. As a result, 54 different experiments were conducted, resulting in the digging of pits [3 emitter discharge rates × 3 application times × 3 replications × 2 (after application and 24 after application)]. This study utilized the Drip-Irriwater model to evaluate and validate the accuracy of predictions of wetting fronts and soil moisture dynamics in both orientations. Results showed that the modeled values were very close to the actual field values, with a mean absolute error of 0.018, a mean bias error of 0.0005, a mean absolute percentage error of 7.3, a root mean square error of 0.023, a Pearson coefficient of 0.951, a coefficient of correlation of 0.918, and a Nash–Sutcliffe model efficiency coefficient of 0.887. The wetted width just after irrigation was measured at 14.65, 16.65, and 20.62 cm; 16.20, 20.25, and 23.90 cm; and 20.00, 24.50, and 28.81 cm in 2, 4, and 8 L h−1, at 30, 60, and 120 min, respectively, while the wetted depth was observed 13.10, 16.20, and 20.44 cm; 15.10, 21.50, and 26.00 cm; 19.40, 25.00, and 31.00 cm, respectively. As the flow rate from the emitter increased, the amount of moisture dissemination grew (both immediately and 24 h after irrigation). The soil moisture contents were observed 0.4300, 0.3808, 0.2298, 0.1604, and 0.1600 cm3 cm−3 just after irrigation in 2 L h−1 while 0.4300, 0.3841, 0.2385, 0.1607, and 0.1600 cm3 cm−3 were in 4 L h−1 and 0.4300, 0.3852, 0.2417, 0.1608, and 0.1600 cm3 cm−3 were in 8 L h−1 at 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 cm soil depth in 30 min of application time. Similar distinct increments were found in 60, and 120 min of irrigation. The findings suggest that this simple model, which only requires soil, irrigation, and simulation parameters, is a valuable and practical tool for irrigation design. It provides information on soil wetting patterns and soil moisture distribution under a single emitter, which is important for effectively planning and designing a drip irrigation system. Investigating soil wetting patterns and moisture redistribution in the soil profile under point source drip irrigation helps promote efficient planning and design of a drip irrigation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photocatalysis utilizing titanium dioxide (TiO2) photocatalysts doped with metal/non-metal has shown great potential in degradation of recalcitrant pollutant like Diclofenac sodium (DCLF). DCLF is one of the most detected pharmaceuticals in water matrices. In this study, a straight-forward sol–gel method for synthesis of cerium (Ce)-doped and boron (B)–Ce co-doped TiO2 photocatalysts has been used. By adjusting the ratio of Ce and B in TiO2 in the prepared photocatalysts, the optimum dopants' concentration was selected and the photocatalytic characteristics of the prepared materials were investigated. The prepared photocatalysts were thoroughly characterized using common physiochemical methods, such X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), physisorption (BET), and UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), in order to know more about the structure. Structure and elemental mapping analyses proved the presence of Ce and B in the TiO2 containing anatase phase with a tetragonal structure. The optical properties using a UV–Vis DRS showed a reduction in the bandgap upon Ce/B co-doping. The photocatalytic results obtained showed that Ce–B-doped TiO2 outperforms undoped TiO2 and Ce-doped TiO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fresh water scarcity is turning into a serious and worrying challenge to the sustainable growth of human being. This issue highlights the necessity of seawater desalination techniques. There are various desalination technologies available and among them solar thermal humidification-dehumidification (HDH) desalination was reported as the most efficient technology for small-to-medium scale applications. In this review, firstly the basic principle of solar thermal HDH desalination system is discussed. The effect of different packing materials used in humidifier, different designs of dehumidifier and various types of solar water & air heating system on system performance has been discussed. It is observed that the polypropylene & porous plastic balls are the best packing material for humidifier. Similarly, in dehumidifier, the fin-tube type heat exchanger along with saline water as working medium is best choice of researchers, but the flow of saline water inside the tube of heat exchanger increases fouling problem, which further increases the cost of freshwater production by 5%. In case of heat source, the solar water heater outperformed the solar air heater due to higher heat capacity of water. The optimized operating & design parameters of the system, i.e., flow rate and temperature of saline water & process air are also reported. Finally, various performance parameters, thermal and economic analysis of solar HDH desalination system is reported along with major research finding and recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present report communicates the first complete genome sequence of S-type Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis, isolated from an organised goat herd in Uttar Pradesh, India. Bacteria were isolated in pure culture on Herrold's egg yolk medium (HEYM) slants containing mycobactin J from the faecal sample collected per-rectally from a clinical diseased goat, and next-generation sequencing (NGS) revealed that the genome sequence length of the isolated strain named MAP-Gt-9 is 4,509,428 bp with no plasmid DNA, with a GC content of 69.5%, an N50 value of 125,474 bp, and an L50 value of 12, containing 4235 coding DNA sequences (CDSs), 44 tRNAs, 3 ncRNAs and 1 each 5S, 16S, 23S rRNA genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The optical and charge transport properties of any material are highly useful for their applications in electronic devices. Effect of solvent on the UV–visible and photoluminescence spectra of zinc quinoline complexes, namely bis(8-hydroxyquinolinato)Zinc(II), bis(2-methyl-8-hydroxyquinolinato)Zinc(II), and bis(5,7-dichloro-8-hydroxyquinolinato)Zinc(II) has been studied. The highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of the materials were calculated using density functional theory (DFT) calculations and compared with experimental data of absorption spectra shows good agreement with experimentally observed absorption spectra. The electron mobility of these complexes has been estimated by transient electroluminescent method and found to be in the range of 3 × 10–5–4 × 10–4 cm2/V sec for electric field range 1000–1200 (V/cm)1/2. The zinc quinoline complexes possess high thermal stability and have good film-forming property and hence can be easily processed for the fabrication of organic electronic devices. The organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) were fabricated in a bottom-gate, top-contact configuration using cross-linked poly(4-vinylphenol) (CL-PVP) on patterned indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass substrate with good on to off current ratio of the order of 102. The electron mobility of bis(5,7-dichloro-8-hydroxyquinolinato)Zinc(II) as channel layer material has been found to be 8.84 × 10–3 cm2/V sec. These results demonstrate the utility of zinc quinolate complexes as potential n-channel materials for various opto-electronic device applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study demonstrates the charge transport properties of Tris[4-(diethylamino) phenyl]amine (TDAPA) in the frequency and temperature range of 0.1 Hz–1 MHz and 253–333 K, respectively using impedance spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction patterns of TDAPA powder and thin film indicate the polycrystalline nature of the studied material. The depressed semicircle in Nyquist’s plot indicates a non-Debye-type relaxation mechanism. The Almond-West power law and the Jump relaxation model were applied to investigate the charge transport and hopping mechanism. The exponent value was calculated and found well within range and the dc conductivity was determined using the same. Activation energy corresponding to dc conductivity and hopping was calculated and found to be 0.37 eV and 0.31 eV, respectively. The temperature-dependent behaviour of the exponent (s) is investigated in detail. The charge carrier mobility of TDAPA was also calculated by fabricating an organic field effect transistor in bottom gate top contact geometry on Si/SiO2 substrate. OFET characteristics of the material indicate the p-type behaviour with charge carrier mobility of 5.14 × 10−4cm2/Vs, 2.36 Vs, the threshold voltage of 33.61 V, and 2.19 × 103 On/Off. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The preparation and characterization of ultrafine superparamagnetic Fe3O4 (magnetite) nanoparticles and their composites with the PMMA polymer matrix are described. The cubic structure with space group (Fd 3 ¯ m) of the nanofiller particle Fe3O4 is revealed by x-ray diffraction (XRD) studies. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were used to examine the microstructure and elemental compositions of PMMA-Fe3O4 polymer composites. The interaction of the filler particles with the characteristic functional group of the polymer PMMA was detected using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). UV-spectroscopy studies revealed that PMMA-Fe3O4 nanocomposite films have tunable energy band gap properties, with the band gap decreasing as the magnetite filler particles (Fe3O4) in the polymer matrix increased. Magnetic measurements revealed the superparamagnetic nature of the Fe3O4 nanoparticles at room temperature, which was also found to be present in the nanocomposites. These nanocomposites were found to be ferrimagnetic at low temperatures (5 K) similar to that of the nanoparticles (Fe3O4). The blocking temperature (TB) of the nanocomposites was found to increase with the superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticle content, while the saturation magnetization (Ms) of the polymer nanocomposites decreased consistently. The Ms value was also estimated using TGA data, and the Ms values of different nanoparticles and nanocomposites calculated via TGA correlates with those determined from VSM analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work focuses on enhancing the photocatalytic activity of Co1−xZnxFe2O4 (cobalt-zinc nanoferrite) via peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation for high-performance sulfosalicylic acid (SSA) degradation. The optimal Co0.7Zn0.3Fe2O4 (C2) sample led to the best photocatalytic performance for PMS activation under visible light. The photoluminescence and electrochemical impedance measurements confirmed the higher charge separation for C2 catalyst. The radical quenching and ESR tests revealed that SO4−• and •OH radicals were the dominant reactive species with little contribution from singlet oxygen for SSA degradation. The presence of Fe3+/Fe2+ and Co3+/Co2+ redox cycles enhanced the PMS activation to a great extent. Interestingly, the hydroxyl radicals were generated via the PMS activation route and contributed to degradation. As a result, photocatalysis and PMS activation complemented one another and improved performance. The best catalyst was also tested for the photocatalytic activity coupled with PMS activation for other pollutants including bisphenol A, tetracycline, rhodamine B, and 2,4-dichlorophenol. Additionally, due to their strong ferromagnetism and stability, the ferrites can be readily isolated magnetically from treated waste water, indicating their potential application in large-scale wastewater treatment for various contaminants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tuberous sclerosis is an autosomal dominant neurocutaneous disorder characterized by hamartoma formation in various organ systems leading to highly variable clinical presentation. These patients pose a challenge to anesthesiologists due to multisystem involvement. Case presentation: Herein, we report the successful anesthetic management of a 25-year-old parturient with tuberous sclerosis who underwent an emergency cesarean section in view of cephalopelvic disproportion. She had a seizure disorder, bilateral renal angiomyolipomas, angiofibroma over the cheeks, periungual fibroma on the right toe, and nodular lesions near the base of the tongue and oropharynx. We opted for regional anesthesia to avoid airway instrumentation, drug interaction, and renal insult. Conclusions: Anesthetic management of tuberous sclerosis depends upon the extent and severity of the involvement of various organs. Careful assessment, thorough evaluation, and preoperative planning are crucial for dealing with the difficulties and complications encountered during the management of these cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to evaluate the performance of rotating aluminum electrodes in the electrocoagulation reactor for removing hexavalent chromium (Cr6+) from synthetic tannery wastewater. Taguchi and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) based models were developed to obtain the optimum condition for maximum Cr6+ removal. The optimum working condition obtained by Taguchi approach for the maximum Cr6+ removal (94%) was: Initial Cr6+ concentration (Cr6+i) = 15 mg/L; Current Density (CD) = 14.25 mA/cm2; Intial pH = 5; Rotational Speed of Electrode (RSE) = 70 rpm. In contrast, the optimal condition for maximum Cr6+ ions removal (98.83%) obtained from the BR-ANN model was: Cr6+i = 15 mg/L; CD = 14.36 mA/cm2; pHi = 5.2; RSE = 73 rpm. Compared to the Taguchi model, the BR-ANN model outperformed in terms of providing higher Cr6+ removal (+ 4.83%); reduced energy demand (-0.035 KWh/gm Cr6+ remove); lower error function value (χ2 = -7.9674 and RMSE = -3.5414); and highest R2 value (0.9991). The data for the conditions 91,007 < Re < 227,517 and Sc = 102.834 were found to fit the equation for the initial Cr6+ concentration of 15 mg/l; Sh = 3.143Re0.125 Sc0.33. The Cr6+ removal kinetics was best described by Pseudo 2nd Order model, as validated by high R2 and lower error functions value. The SEM and XRF analysis confirmed that Cr6+ was adsorbed and precipitated along with metal hydroxide sludge. The rotating electrode led to lower SEEC (10.25 kWh/m3), as well as maximum Cr6+ removal (98.83%), compared to EC process with stationary electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to simulate the combined effects of land use/land cover (LU/LC) and climate change on the hydrological response of the Upper Betwa River Catchment (UBRC), a semi-arid region in Central India. We execute this model for two different time periods, 1982–2000 and 2001–2018, using the LU/LC data of 1990 and 2018, respectively. We classified the Landsat satellite images of 1990 and 2018 to obtain the dominant LU/LC classes (water body, built-up, forest, agriculture, and open land) in the catchment. The water body, built-up areas, and cropland have increased by 63%, 65%, and 3%, respectively, whereas forest cover and open land decreased by 16% and 23% in the UBRC from 1990 to 2018. The observed climate data in UBRC shows an increase in the average temperature and decrease in the total rainfall during the period between 1980 to 2018. Once the model is set up, we perform the calibration and validation by using the SWAT Calibration Uncertainty Program (SWAT-CUP). We considered two time periods (1991–1994 and 2001–2007) for the calibration and (1995–1998 and 2008–2014) for the validation. For both these time periods, the calibration and validation result of our model is satisfactory. The output of our calibrated model shows a relative decrease in rainfall (12%), surface runoff (21%), and percolation (9%) in the catchment during the period between 2001–2018 as compared to 1982–2000. Finally, we simulate the surface runoff and percolation in the UBRC using the future climate change scenario. We used the bias-corrected multi-model ensemble of CMIP6 GCMs for four different climate scenarios (2023–2100) by assuming no change in the existing LU/LC. We do this for two different time slices: one from 2023–2060 and the other from 2061–2100. For all the climate scenarios, rainfall and surface runoff in the catchment are expected to decrease by 15–40% and 50–79% as compared to the baseline period of 1982–2018. Percolation in the catchment will have a mixed response. It is expected to decrease by 18% in the middle part of the catchment and increase about 25% in the remaining parts of the catchment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we report fabrication of a new Zn3V2O8/g-C3N4 Z-scheme nano-heterojunction for superior photodegradation of organo-phosphorous pesticide diazinon under visible light irradiation. The crystal structure, morphology, elemental composition, photo-electrochemical response and band structure of nano-photo-catalysts were investigated using various analytical techniques. The as-synthesized photocatalyst with best optimized ratio Zn3V2O8/40 wt% g-C3N4 (ZC-40) composites led to 95.2% diazinon (DZN) degradation in 60 min exposure and maintaining high structural stability after multiple reuse cycles (10 mg L−1 initial DZN concentration, pH = 6, catalyst dosage 0.35 g L−1 and visible light intensity 180 mW cm−2). Moreover, the experiments were performed under various reaction conditions as pH conditions, co-existing electrolytes, humic acid, tap water, river water and natural solar light. The improved photocatalytic activity of the heterojunction was ascribed to the synergistic effect of Z-scheme mechanism, high visible light absorption, oxygen vacancies, charge separation and metallic redox mediator. The reduced recombination and high charge transfer capacity was confirmed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and photoluminescence. The Z-scheme transfer between Zn3V2O8 and g-C3N4 boosted by V5+/V3+ metallic redox mediator retains the strong redox capacity, and diminishes the recombination. LC–MS results confirm the degradation intermediates and a detailed degradation mechanism were also predicted. Superoxide radicals (●O2–) and hydroxyl radicals (HO●) were found as major oxidative species involved in the photocatalytic degradation. The ZC-40 photocatalyst exhibited high degradation of other pesticides as malathion (90.1%), glyphosate (85.4%) and chlorpyrifos (97.4%) in water system under visible light. This work provides new approaches in designing new photocatalytic heterojunctions with high efficiency and structural robustness for utilizing visible light and efficient water treatment based on advanced oxidation technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Head and Neck cancer management has undergone many changes in the past few decades. Primarily advancements in reconstructive surgery for complex head and neck defects after extensive ablative surgeries. Many factors need to be considered in deciding the type of reconstruction. Any reconstruction is not without complications. We wish to present the reconstructive challenges we faced in recent times to reconstruct composite head and neck defects, situation where a salvage flap has to be chosen in a failed regional flap. An occipital artery-based pedicled fascio cutaneous flap is one such rescuer flap. It is a retrospective study of case records from January 2018 to January 2021 at our institute. Reviewed the clinical data of Cases in which occipital artery-based flap was used to reconstruct the composite head and neck defects. In the era of microvascular flap reconstruction, utilization of regional flaps is still a choice of reconstruction in the resource constraint setting. A less explored occipital artery-based flap is a reliable regional flap can be used in select cases with a good success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work is focused on examining the effect of the weld groove geometry on microstructure, mechanical behaviour, residual stresses and distortion of Alloy 617/P92 steel dissimilar metal weld (DMW) joints. Manual multi-pass tungsten inert gas welding with ERNiCrCoMo-1 filler was employed to fabricate the DMW for two different groove designs: Narrow V groove (NVG) and Double V groove (NVG). The microstructural examination suggested a heterogeneous microstructure evolution at the interface of the P92 steel and ERNiCrCoMo-1 weld, including the macrosegregation and element diffusion near the interface. The interface structure included the beach parallel to the fusion boundary at the P92 steel side, the peninsula connected to the fusion boundary and the island within the weld metal and partially melted zone along Alloy 617 fusion boundary. An uneven distribution of beach, peninsula and island structures along the fusion boundary of P92 steel was confirmed from optical and SEM images of interfaces. The major diffusion of the Fe from P92 steel to ERNiCrCoMo-1 weld and Cr, Co, Mo, and Ni from ERNiCrCoMo-1 weld to P92 steel were witnessed from SEM/EDS and EMPA map. The Mo-rich M6C and Cr-rich M23C6 phases were detected in inter-dendritic areas of the weld metal using the weld's SEM/EDS, XRD and EPMA study, which formed due to the rejection of Mo from the core to inter-dendritic locations during solidification. The other phases detected in the ERNiCrCoMo-1 weld were Ni3(Al, Ti), Ti(C, N), Cr7C3 and Mo2C. A variation in the microstructure of weld metal from top to root and also along the transverse direction in terms of composition and dendritic structure and also due to the composition gradient between dendrite core and inter-dendritic areas, a significant variation in hardness of weld metal was observed from both top to root and also in the transverse direction. The peak hardness was measured in CGHAZ of P92 while the minimum was in ICHAZ of P92 steel. Tensile test studies of both NVG and DVG welds joint demonstrated that failure occurred at P92 steel in both, room-temperature and high-temperature tensile tests and ensured the welded joint's applicability for advanced ultra-supercritical applications. However, the strength of the welded joint for both types of joints was measured as lower than the strength of the base metals. In Charpy impact testing of NVG and DVG welded joints, specimens failed in two parts with a small amount of plastic deformation and impact energy of 99 ± 4 J for the NVG welds joint and 91 ± 3 J for the DVG welded joint. The welded joint met the criteria for boiler applications in terms of impact energy (minimum 42 J as per European Standard EN ISO15614-1:2017 and 80 J as per fast breeder reactor application). In terms of microstructural and mechanical properties, both welded joints are acceptable. However, the DVG welded joint showed minimum distortion and residual stresses compared to the NVG welded joint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing search for therapeutic interventions in Alzheimer disease (AD) has highlighted the complexity of this condition and the need for additional biomarkers, beyond amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau, to improve clinical assessment. Astrocytes are brain cells that control metabolic and redox homeostasis, among other functions, and are emerging as an important focus of AD research owing to their swift response to brain pathology in the initial stages of the disease. Reactive astrogliosis — the morphological, molecular and functional transformation of astrocytes during disease — has been implicated in AD progression, and the definition of new astrocytic biomarkers could help to deepen our understanding of reactive astrogliosis along the AD continuum. As we highlight in this Review, one promising biomarker candidate is the astrocytic α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR), upregulation of which correlates with Aβ pathology in the brain of individuals with AD. We revisit the past two decades of research into astrocytic α7nAChRs to shed light on their roles in the context of AD pathology and biomarkers. We discuss the involvement of astrocytic α7nAChRs in the instigation and potentiation of early Aβ pathology and explore their potential as a target for future reactive astrocyte-based therapeutics and imaging biomarkers in AD. This Review highlights how two discoveries — expression of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α7nAChRs) by astrocytes and a correlation between astrocytic α7nAChR overexpression and amyloid-β pathology — are bridging the gap between the cholinergic and amyloid cascade hypotheses of Alzheimer disease pathogenesis. Key points: Overexpression of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α7nAChRs) in astrocytes correlates with amyloid-β (Aβ) pathology in the brain of individuals with Alzheimer disease (AD). Experiments in animal models of AD indicate that α7nAChRs contribute to Aβ spreading and deposition. Reactive astrocytes characterized by α7nAChR overexpression hold promise as an early biomarker for AD. Experimental work using α7nAChRs agonists suggests that through the modulation of reactive astrogliosis, Aβ spreading might be prevented at an early stage of AD. A multitracer imaging approach with astrocyte and α7nAChR PET radiotracers is essential to further explore the role of α7nAChRs and their interplay with reactive astrogliosis across the AD continuum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study analyzes spatio-temporal urban growth in Kathmandu Urban Agglomeration (KUA) and its impact on ecological infrastructures between 2000 and 2020. A geographically weighted regression (GWR) approach was used to investigate intra-urban drivers of urban growth between 2000–2010 (epoch 1) and 2010–2020 (epoch 2), and to predict built-up growth for the year 2030. The study makes crucial contributions to the urban growth modelling literature by (a) investigating six different neighborhood sizes (3 × 3 to 13 × 13) for computing proportion of built-up cells and (b) eliminating/selecting covariates using correlation check and global lasso regression. The superiority of GWR model over global regression model has been evaluated using the Akaike information criterion score and the stationarity test. The chronological urban growth analysis of KUA highlights rapid growth in mountainous landscape from 54.90 to 166 km2 during 2000–2020 and is projected to increase to 224.22 km2 during 2000–2030. This has significantly altered the forest-agriculture landscape during 2000–2020 (111.2 km2) and is expected to affect a large segment of ecological (blue-green) infrastructure (138 km2) by 2030. The findings of this study may be used for policy formulation, appropriate land use planning, and sustainable urban development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydropower contributes around 13% of the total renewable power generation in India. Hydraulic power plants are dependent on diversion structures, elevation (head), constant water flow, penstock arrangement, and heavy structures which are generally obtained in hilly areas, small river and canals. Currently, there are no researches and technologies that can harness the flowing wastewater in the drain and generate electricity. The majority of the untreated wastewater is discharged into the drains, where it eventually meets the river, affecting the quality and decreasing its aesthetical appeal. To utilize the energy of flowing wastewater in the drain, a pico hydropower system with unique design of blade has been developed and demonstrated in the drain after in-situ treatment of wastewater. This innovative development is able to produce electricity at low head and minimum flow in the drain. Pico hydropower is a sustainable way to generate renewable energy to electrifying small communities and various applications along the drain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, the National Education Policy 2020 recommends ensuring universal access to high-quality early childhood care and education for children aged 3–6 years by 2030. Using the 75th round of National Statistical Office data (2017–2018), this paper analyses the regional and socioeconomic inequalities in access to pre-primary education. Also, we investigate the specific role of households' economic status and educational attainment in explaining these inequalities. We find considerable regional (rural/urban) and socioeconomic inequalities in access to pre-primary education in India, with girls and children belonging to historically disadvantaged social groups (scheduled castes and scheduled tribes) less likely to attend early childhood education, particularly in rural areas. We find that a substantial portion of the rural–urban gap in access to pre-primary education can be removed by controls for households' economic condition and household head's educational status. In addition, we find gender and socioeconomic inequalities in the household investment in early years education. These findings highlight the need to put policy efforts and commitments to reducing barriers to accessing pre-primary education for children in disadvantaged conditions in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A thermoregulating smart textile based on phase change material (PCM) polyethylene glycol (PEG) was prepared by chemically grafting carboxyl-terminated PEG onto cotton. Further deposits of graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets were made on the PEG grafted cotton (PEG-g-Cotton) to improve the thermal conductivity of the fabric and to block harmful UV radiation. The GO-PEG-g-Cotton was characterized by Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). With an enthalpy of 37 and 36 J/g, respectively, the DSC data revealed that the functionalized cotton's melting and crystallization maxima occurred at 58 °C and 40 °C, respectively. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) presented that GO-PEG-g-Cotton was thermally more stable in comparison to pure cotton. The thermal conductivity of PEG-g-Cotton increased to 0.52 W/m K after GO deposition, while pure cotton conductivity was measured as 0.045 W/m K. The improvement in the UV protection factor (UPF) of GO-PEG-g-Cotton was observed indicating excellent UV blocking. This temperature-regulating smart cotton offers a high thermal energy storage capability, better thermal conductivity, thermal stability, and excellent UV protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we have proposed and analyzed a theoretical model for NO2 gas sensors. We have developed a realistic model for variation in sensor response as a function of the gas concentration, temperature, humidity, and sensing film thickness and derived a general expression relating to the sensor response. Tungsten trioxide (WO3)-based gas sensors were adopted because of their physical and chemical properties, low cost, and ease of preparation. Superior sensing characteristics were obtained for 0.42 eV activation energy, where the device exhibited a sensor response of 14.41 toward 1 ppm NO2 gas concentration at room temperature. To validate the applicability of the proposed model, a comparative analysis was conducted, and an excellent match was obtained between the proposed model and experimental data. The analysis carried out in this work offers a feasible and promising approach for a wide variety of sensing materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead-free 0.98(K0.5Na0.5)(Nb0.96Sb0.04O3)–0.02(Bi0.5Na0.5)(Zr0.8Sn0.1Hf0.1)O3 (0.98KNNS–0.02BNZSH) perovskite ferroelectric ceramics have been designed and prepared through the traditional ceramic fabrication technique. To have an insight on the effects of sintering temperature (in the range from 1020 to 1110 °C), the structural, microstructural, dielectric and ferro/piezoelectric properties of 0.98KNNS–0.02BNZSH ceramics are investigated systematically. The structural analysis has revealed a pure perovskite phase for sintering at different temperatures. The rhombohedral (R) and orthorhombic (O) phases coexist for sintering of 0.98KNNS–0.02BNZSH ceramic at 1080 °C, while the rhombohedral phase dominates above 1080 °C. The grains become more uniform and tightly packed when the sintering temperature is increased from 1020 to 1080 °C. However, the grain size and the density have been revealed to be decreased for samples sintered above 1080 °C. The conduction behavior of 0.98KNNS–0.02BNZSH ceramics has also been investigated using complex impedance spectroscopy. The optimum values of different dielectric and ferro/piezoelectric parameters for 0.98KNNS–0.02BNZSH ceramics sintered at 1080 °C are obtained to be as the following: TC ~ 317 °C, εmax ~ 7102, tanδ ~ 0.10, ρ ~ 4.49 g/cm3, d33 ~ 180 pC/N, and Pr ~ 16.7 µC/cm2. These findings show that crystallizability, density, and electrical properties are significantly influenced by the sintering temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The abrupt rise in the human population and the simultaneous shortage of the available resources of natural water have created the dearth of fresh drinkable water. This has turned out to be a critical issue of fresh water availability, which needs to be resolved at the earliest. The best solution to this problem can be saline water desalination, but that is purely dependent upon its availability. It requires huge energy, which is supplied by fossil fuels. So, all the above-mentioned reasons compel us to extract alternative way of fresh water extraction by using renewable energy. One potential way to eliminate the necessity for fossil fuel sources is by combining the desalination systems along with the solar energy technologies. In the recent few years, there has been enormous research conducted by many eminent researchers over solar thermal desalination system. In this review, firstly the technologies associated with desalination are reviewed. Two different technologies, namely direct and indirect desalination, have been proposed. Indirect desalination methods are better to be used in medium- to large-scale desalination, and direct desalination methods are more suitable for small-sized desalination. This review is further stretched to deliver a wide spread summary of solar thermal desalination systems. The introduction about principle, energy, exergy, and economic analysis of the systems associated with solar thermal desalination are demonstrated. At the end, the factors influencing performance present challenges, and major issues of such system are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal lakes and estuaries are considered economic drivers for coastal communities by delivering invaluable economic and ecosystem services. The coastal ecosystems are facing recurrent hypoxia events (dissolved oxygen; DO < 2.0 mg L−1) and are emerging as a major threat to ecosystem structure and functioning. The Ashtamudi Lake, (area = 56 km2), is one of the Ramsar sites in the State of Kerala and located on the SW coast of India. The waterways are extensively used for backwater tourism and for fishery activities. This paper discusses the spatio-temporal variation of water quality attributes with emphasis on hypoxia during non-monsoon and monsoon seasons. The extent of hypoxia on fishery diversity was discussed. The Southern Zone, adjacent to the urban area, shows the hypoxic condition with higher concentration of BOD, NO3-N, and NH4-N. The hypoxic condition is largely limited to the Southern Zone in both seasons. The occurrence of low DO in the lake is highly related to salinity and organic load in the lake system. The tracking of pollution sources in the lake system was also done through identification of pollution potential zones and found that catchments adjacent to Southern and Western Zones (urban regions) are the major source of pollution. The study suggests that hypoxia is chiefly attributed to anthropogenic interventions in the form of discharge of wastes into the lake causing overloading of nutrients and organic effluents, decrease in the freshwater supply, the absence of proper freshwater mixing or dilution, and effluent discharge from nearby urban centers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyclonic storms and extreme precipitation lead to loss of lives and significant damage to land and property, crop productivity, etc. The "Gulab" cyclonic storm formed on the 24th of September 2021 in the Bay of Bengal (BoB), hit the eastern Indian coasts on the 26th of September and caused massive damage and water inundation. This study used Integrated Multi-satellite Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) satellite precipitation data for daily to monthly scale assessments focusing on the "Gulab" cyclonic event. The Otsu's thresholding approach was applied to Sentinel-1 data to map water inundation. Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) was employed to analyze the precipitation deviation compared to the 20 years mean climatology across India from June to November 2021 on a monthly scale. The water-inundated areas were overlaid on a recent publicly available high-resolution land use land cover (LULC) map to demarcate crop area damage in four eastern Indian states such as Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Telangana. The maximum water inundation and crop area damages were observed in Andhra Pradesh (~2700 km2), followed by Telangana (~2040 km2) and Odisha (~1132 km2), and the least in Chhattisgarh (~93.75 km2). This study has potential implications for an emergency response to extreme weather events, such as cyclones, extreme precipitation, and flood. The spatio-temporal data layers and rapid assessment methodology can be helpful to various users such as disaster management authorities, mitigation and response teams, and crop insurance scheme development. The relevant satellite data, products, and cloud-computing facility could operationalize systematic disaster monitoring under the rising threats of extreme weather events in the coming years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consistent production of bioactives from microbial sources remains a big challenge for fermentation based bio-processes. Setomimycin, a rare 9,9'-bianthrylanthracene antibiotic reported to be active against Gram positive bacteria i.e. Staphyloccocus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, and Mycobacterium smegmatis, including mycobacteria is one of the least exploited antibiotic. Present work aims to enhance and maximize setomimycin production using One Factor at a Time (OFAT) approach, followed by Taguchi L9 orthogonal array (OA) design in 30L fermenter. Four most influential parameters, namely carbon source, nitrogen source, air and agitation were selected for optimization studies. The optimized production medium supplemented with 150 g/L glycerol and 7.5 g/L soyabean meal with an agitation rate of 100 RPM and air flow rate of 20 LPM (Liters Per Minute) resulted in 675 mg/L setomimycin production within 96–108 h of fermentation as compared to the initial production i.e. 40 mg/L. Thus, an overall enhancement of 16.8 folds was achieved in setomimycin production after optimization in 30L fermenter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tonsillectomy is one of the commonest ENT procedures done in paediatric population, the technique of which has evolved over years to decrease the morbidity associated with the surgery. This prospective randomized comparative study is done to evaluate the efficacy of two different techniques of this surgery, conventional cold dissection and laser tonsillectomy based on operative time, blood loss, post-operative pain and occurrence of secondary complications. The study was done in 68 patients of paediatric age group, 34 in each group underwent cold dissection and laser tonsillectomy. Operative time and bleeding were significantly low for laser group. Pain score was comparable in early post-operatives days, but was high towards the end of first week. Our study reported only one incidence of complication in the form of a secondary bleeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The present study was designed to develop an improved in vitro regeneration system for Dioscorea bulbifera using mature nodal explants. Direct organogenesis from nodal segments was achieved by culturing the nodal explants on Murashige and Skoog medium supplemented with 3.5 mgl−1 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP). Shoot multiplication was widely affected by the kind and concentration of plant growth regulators, and the sub-culturing of in vitro regenerated shootlets on fresh medium. After incubation for 4 weeks at optimum BAP concentration, cultures were transferred to secondary medium with BAP (optimized concentration) supplemented with different auxins. Results: On medium with 3.5 mgl−1 6-benzylaminopurine, maximum regeneration (87 ± 1.85%) with an average shoot number of 2.0 ± 0.08, and length of 3.5 ± 0.04 cm were observed after 4 weeks of incubation. Maximum number of shoots (3.9 ± 0.21) was observed with 3.5 mgl−1 BAP in combination with 0.75 mgl−1 indole-3-acetic acid. The best root formation was observed on ½ MS medium supplemented with 0.75 mgl−1 α-naphthalene acetic acid, with 4.7 ± 0.03 roots per shoot. The well-rooted plantlets were successfully acclimatized in with 100% survival rate. The plantlets grew well with normal growth, flowering and showed, by High performance thin layer chromatography, almost same number of phytoconstituents compared with the mother plant. Conclusions: This is the first study on comparative phytochemical analysis of wild growing and in vitro regenerated plants of D. bulbifera which validates the medicinal and nutritional properties of in vitro raised plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decade, the diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP)-based molecular semiconductors received significant prominence for its ability to build ambient stable donor–acceptor type organic materials for numerous microelectronics applications, especially in organic thin-film transistors and photovoltaics. This research article demonstrates the charge transport properties of 3,6-bis(5-(4-(dimethylamino)phenyl)thiophen-2-yl)-2,5-dihexadecylpyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4(2H,5H)-dione[DPP(PhNMe2)2] in single layer device structure prepared by thermal evaporation technique in the frequency and temperature range of 102–106 Hz and 133–273 K, respectively. An initial impression of Nyquist plot suggests metal-like behaviour as the impedance increases with an increase in temperature. Semicircle in Nyquist plot suggests Debye-type relaxation. This result has been explained mathematically and fitted equivalent circuit (contact resistance + parallel combination of resistance and capacitance) of device. Resonance frequency have been estimated by the Nyquist plot and crosschecked by Joncher’s Power Law. The frequency exponent ‘s’ is estimated by Joncher’s Universal Power Law and it further shows that charge transport mechanism in the device is quantum mechanical tunnelling. These analyses indicate the existence of Poole–Frenkel effect and explains the charge carrier mobility dependence on the applied field in the studied temperature range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]