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To characterize long-term toxicity and disease outcomes with whole pelvis (WP) pencil beam scanning proton radiation therapy (PBS PRT) for gynecologic malignancies. We reviewed 23 patients treated from 2013 to 2019 with WP PBS PRT for endometrial, cervical, and vaginal cancer. We report acute and late Grade (G)2+ toxicities, graded by Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, Version 5. Disease outcomes were assessed by Kaplan-Meier method. Median age was 59 years. Median follow up was 4.8 years. 12 (52.2%) had uterine cancer, 10 (43.5%) cervical, 1 (4.3%) vaginal. 20 (86.9%) were treated post-hysterectomy. 22 (95.7%) received chemotherapy, 12 concurrently (52.2%). The median PBS PRT dose was 50.4GyRBE (range, 45–62.5). 8 (34.8% had para-aortic/extended fields. 10 (43.5%) received brachytherapy boost. Median follow up was 4.8 years. 5-year actuarial local control was 95.2%, regional control 90.9%, distant control 74.7%, both disease control and progression-free survival 71.2%. Overall survival was 91.3%. In the acute period, 2 patients (8.7%) had G2 genitourinary (GU) toxicity, 6 (26.1%) had gastrointestinal (GI) G2–3 toxicity, 17 (73.9%) had G2–4 hematologic (H) toxicity. In the late period, 3 (13.0%) had G2 GU toxicity, 1 (4.3%) had G2 GI toxicity, 2 (8.7%) had G2–3H toxicity. The mean small bowel V15Gy was 213.4 cc. Mean large bowel V15 Gy was 131.9 cc. WP PBS PRT for gynecologic malignancies delivers favorable locoregional control. Rates of GU and GI toxicity are low. Acute hematologic toxicity was most common, which may be related to the large proportion of patients receiving chemotherapy. • Pencil beam scanning proton whole pelvis radiation for gynecologic cancers delivers favorable 5-year local control. • We found low rates of acute and late genitourinary and gastrointestinal toxicity. • Dosimetric analysis of volume of 15 Gy to large and small bowel are well below parameters predictive for late bowel effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Many patients use social media or other web-based tools for health information. • Endocrine surgeons have a low utilization of a professional internet presence. • Endocrine surgeons may consider bolstering their professional internet presence. There is a wide range of social media adoption within medical specialties. The use of social media by endocrine surgeons has not been investigated. We undertook this study to describe the use of social media and other platforms by endocrine surgeons. The American Association of Endocrine Surgeons' publicly available website was used to identify practicing endocrine surgeons in the United States. Surgeon demographics and practice characteristics were collected via internet query. Five social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube) were investigated for professional accounts. The presence of a non-institutional professional website, an active Healthgrades account, and presence in non-institutional YouTube videos were also queried. One point was assigned for presence on each of the eight platforms. A professional internet presence (PIP) score was calculated. Descriptive statistics were performed on PIP scores to evaluate the relationship between surgeon and practice characteristics and PIP score. A total of 417 endocrine surgeons were studied. LinkedIn (222, 53.2%) and Twitter (110, 26.4%) were the most commonly used platforms. PIP scores were categorized into zero, one, two, and three or more accounts; 26.9% of surgeons had no professional internet presence. Academic surgeons had a significantly different PIP score than community-based surgeons (P < 0.01). There was no significant association between PIP score and surgeon sex, geographic regions, rural versus urban settings, and years of experience. Self-identified US endocrine surgeons have low professional internet presence. Endocrine surgeons may consider bolstering their professional internet presence to disseminate medical information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Physician ratings websites (PRWs) present inaccurate information to patients • Surgeon interaction with PRWs influence their ratings • Endocrine surgery has a limited presence on Healthgrades Patients frequently use online physician ratings websites (PRWs) to identify physicians for care. PRWs provide physician information and reviews. However, the accuracy of PRWs is uncertain. We investigated the accuracy and validity of Healthgrades with respect to endocrine surgery. We identified factors associated with reported board certification inaccuracy, higher ratings, greater quantity of ratings. The search term "endocrine surgery specialist" was used and the search was limited to a 25-mile radius around Philadelphia, PA. Data was collected on physician sex, age, board certification, surgical specialty, quantity of ratings, average rating, response to comments, and provision of a self-description. Descriptive statistics were performed to examine surgeon characteristics, ratings, and reported board certifications. Board certification accuracy was determined by searching the corresponding American Board website and calculating a kappa statistic. Logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with board certification inaccuracy, higher average ratings, and higher quantity of ratings. A total of 300 physicians were identified. Eighty-four percent of listed board certifications were accurate; the kappa statistic for accuracy of board certification was 0.634. Providing a response to comments and greater quantity of ratings were associated with higher average ratings. Provision of a self-description, male sex, and younger age were identified as factors associated with higher quantity of ratings. A wide range of specialties are identified as endocrine surgery specialists. The reliability of board certification reporting was moderate. Increased surgeon involvement with the Healthgrades site was inconsistently associated with higher average ratings and higher quantity of ratings but lower accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intracellular gene transfer among plant genomes is a common phenomenon. Due to their high conservation and high plastid membrane integrity, chloroplast (cp) genomes incorporate foreign genetic material very rarely. Convallaria is a small monocotyledonous genus consisting of C. keiskei , C. majalis and C. montana. Here, we characterized, analyzed and identified 3.3 and 3.7 kb of mitochondrial DNA sequences in the plastome (MCP) of C. majalis and C. montana , respectively. We identified 6 bp and 23 bp direct repeats and mitochondrial pseudogenes, with rps3 , rps19 and rpl10 identified in the MCP region. Additionally, we developed novel plastid molecular genetic markers to differentiate Convallaria spp. based on 21 populations. BEAST and biogeographical analyses suggested that Convallaria separated into Eurasian and North American lineages during the middle Pliocene and originated in East Asia. Vicariance in the genus was followed by dispersal into Europe and southeastern North America. These analyses indicate that the MCP event was restricted to the genus Convallaria of Asparagaceae, in contrast to similar events that occurred in its common ancestors with other families of land plants. However, further mitochondrial and population studies are necessary to understand the integration of the MCP region and gene flow in the genus Convallaria. • The genus Convallaria exhibited a rare IGT event from the mitochondrial genome to the plastid genome. • Six-base pair and 23-bp direct repeats differed in the MCP region of the cp genomes of Convallaria. • Novel plastid molecular genetic markers were developed to differentiate Convallaria spp. based on 21 population studies. • The MCP event is unique to the genus Convallaria among flowering land plants. • Biogeographical studies suggested that the genus Convallaria originated in East Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyperus rotundus L. is a widely distributed invasive weed plant with vast traditional medicinal uses. Herein, the methanolic root extract of C. rotundus and its fractions (n -hexane, chloroform, n -butanol, and aqueous) were evaluated for insecticidal activity against nymphs of Aphis craccivora Koch and crawlers of Planococcus lilacinus (Cockerell) to find promising lead (s). In contact topical assay, among extract/fractions, n -hexane fraction exhibited more toxicity against A. craccivora (LD 50 = 1.12 μg/insect) and P. lilacinus (LD 50 = 0.94 μg/insect). The chemical analysis of n -hexane fraction revealed a volatile composition similar to that of the essential oil (EO) of C. rotundus roots. Hence, EO was extracted using water and deep eutectic solvents (DESs) as cosolvent, which revealed enhancement in EO yield (from 0.28 to 0.46% w /w) on implementing DESs. A total of 35 diverse volatile metabolites were identified in all EO samples, accounting for 85.0 to 91.8% of chemical composition, having cyperotundone, cyperene mustakone, isolongifolen-5-one, boronia butenal as major constituents. The EO obtained with DES-7 [choline chloride: ethylene glycol (1:4)] and DES-6 [choline chloride: lactic acid (1:3)] were found effective against A. craccivora (LD 50 = 0.62–0.87 μg/insect) and P. lilacinus (LD 50 = 0.59–0.67 μg/insect) after 96 h. NMR analysis of EO revealed cyperotundone as a major compound, which was isolated along with cyperene and cyperene epoxide. All the molecules were found effective against P. lilacinus, whereas against A. craccivora cyperotundone, cyperene and cyperene epoxide showed promising toxicity (LD 50 = 0.74 – 0.86 μg/insect). Extract/fractions, EO, and isolated molecules showed a significant reproductive inhibition rate of A. craccivora at higher concentrations. All the tested concentrations of cyperotundone showed significant inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) in A. craccivora and P. lilacinus. Based upon the present study, C. rotundus can be recommended to control targeted insects in the greenhouse/field conditions after performing bio-efficacy and phytotoxicity studies. [Display omitted] • Utilization of deep eutectic solvents (DESs) as cosolvent for essential oil (EO) extraction from Cyperus rotundus. • DESs as cosolvent led to enhanced EO yield along with variation in phytochemical composition. • Cyperotundone and cyperene were major constituents in the essential oils. • EO extracted with DES 6 and 7, and pure molecule, cyperotundone were found effective against target pests. • Cyperotundone inhibited GST and AChE in Aphis craccivora and Planococcus lilacinus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The framework density (FD) of zeolites can be defined as the number of tetrahedrally coordinated atoms (T-atoms) per 1000 Å3 and it is used to distinguish zeolites from tectosilicates and is an important index for evaluating the structure-void ratio of a zeolite. While the synthesis of extra-large pore zeolites is well known in the literature, it is extremely challenging to prepare extra-large pore zeolites with a low framework density. Only a few extra-large pore zeolites with low framework density have been synthesized to date, which raises the question of why such zeolites are so difficult to synthesize? To obtain such novel zeolites, experimentalists use qualitative analysis to identify structural patterns in experimental data and fine-tune synthesis descriptors. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that machine learning can be utilized to predict the framework density of zeolites from synthesis descriptors, thus providing a platform for developing new zeolite structures. A machine learning approach is applied in this study to correlate the molar composition of a gel containing 11 metal oxides, fluoride, water, hydroxide ions, and organic structure agents, as well as operating parameters, using a large collection of synthetic records of 151 zeolite frameworks compiled from the literature, along with the framework density and the type of ring that results. Besides providing excellent accuracy, the decision tree provides a heuristic insight into the chemistry of zeolite synthesis by showing the conditions that result in low framework density. The data as presented does not provide details. However, machine learning algorithms can be used to find hidden patterns in the data, providing a deeper understanding of the chemistry involved in the formation of low framework density zeolites. This approach can, in principle, be applied to the synthesis of any material to rationalize empirical knowledge and fine-tune the synthesis conditions to achieve the desired properties. By using machine learning, low framework density of zeolites with extra-large pores can be predicted very accurately based on their molar composition and process parameters. In addition, conditions for the formation of these zeolites are described. By using simple experimental parameters, machine learning can provide high quality predictions for the synthesis of low framework density zeolites with extra-large pores, thereby accelerating the development of new zeolites. [Display omitted] • ML predicts framework density of zeolites from molar composition of the gel. • The decision tree provides heuristic insights into the chemistry of low FD zeolites. • ML deployment enables researchers to fine-tune conditions for zeolite synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the efficacy and safety of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for oligometastatic gynecologic malignancies. A comprehensive search of the PubMed, Medline, and EMBASE databases was conducted using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. "Oligometastatic" was defined as a limited number of uncontrolled/untreated metastatic lesions (typically ≤ 5), including regional nodal metastases. Primary outcomes were response rate (complete response or partial response), local control of oligometastatic lesions, and toxicity. Of 716 screened records, 17 studies (13 full length articles, 4 conference abstracts) were selected and analyzed as 16 unique studies. A total of 667 patients were treated with ~1071 metastatic lesions identified. Primary sites included ovarian (57.6%), cervical (27.1%), uterine (11.1%), vaginal (0.4%), vulvar (0.3%), and other/unspecified (3.4%). Most patients (65.4%) presented with a single metastatic lesion. Metastatic lesion sites included the abdomen (44.2%), pelvis (18.8%), thorax (15.5%), neck (4.6%), central nervous system (4.3%), bone (1.6%), and other/unspecified (11%). Of the lesions, 64% were nodal. Response rate (among 8 studies) ranged from 49% to 97%, with 7/8 studies reporting > 75% response rate. Local control ranged from 71% to 100%, with 14/16 studies reporting ≥ 80% local control. No grade ≥ 3 toxicities were observed in 9/16 (56%) studies. Median progression-free survival (PFS) (among 10 studies) ranged from 3.3 months to 21.7 months. Disease progression most commonly occurred outside of the SBRT radiation field (79% to 100% of failures). SBRT for oligometastatic gynecologic malignancies is associated with favorable response and local control rates but a high rate of out-of-field progression and heterogeneous PFS. Additional study into rational combinations of SBRT and systemic therapy appears warranted to further improve patient outcomes. • SBRT for oligometastatic gynecologic malignancies is associated with favorable local control and toxicity • Local control of oligometastatic lesions ranged from 71% to 100% • No grade ≥ 3 toxicities were observed in 56% of studies • Out-of-field progression was relatively common, highlighting the opportunity for radioimmunotherapy combinations [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We performed a nationwide analysis to assess the impact of adjuvant therapy on survival after a microscopically margin-positive (R1) resection for esophageal cancer. The National Cancer Database was used to identify patients with R1 resection for esophageal cancer (2004-2015). Patients were grouped by type of adjuvant therapy. Patients who had other margin status, M1 disease, neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiation, missing survival, and no or unknown treatment were excluded. The primary outcome was overall survival. A 1:1 propensity score–matched sensitivity analysis was also performed comparing patients who received no adjuvant therapy with those who received adjuvant chemoradiation. Of 546 patients, 279 (51%) received adjuvant therapy and 267 (49%) did not. Patients receiving adjuvant therapy were more likely to be younger, have more advanced pathologic stage, have nonsquamous histology, and have shorter hospitalization. In multivariable analysis, adjuvant chemotherapy, radiation, and chemoradiation were all associated with improved survival compared with no adjuvant therapy. In a propensity score–matched analysis of 123 patient pairs, adjuvant chemoradiation was associated with improved survival compared with no adjuvant therapy (adjusted HR: 0.30; 95% CI: [0.22, 0.40]). Adjuvant therapy is associated with improved survival compared with no adjuvant therapy in patients with R1 resection for esophageal cancer even after adjustment for pathologic stage. Adjuvant therapy should be considered in patients with incompletely resected esophageal cancer in concordance with national guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chitosan-magnetic-graphene oxide (CMGO) nanocomposite was prepared for arsenic adsorption. The nanocomposite was characterized through BET, FTIR, FESEM, EDX, and VSM analyses. These characterizations confirmed the formation of CMGO nanocomposites with high specific surface area (152.38 m2/g) and excellent saturation magnetization (49.30 emu/g). Batch adsorption experiments were conducted to evaluate the performance of the nanocomposite in the adsorption of arsenic from aqueous solution. The effects of operational parameters, adsorption kinetic, equilibrium isotherm and thermodynamics were evaluated. The removal efficiency of arsenic increased with increasing adsorbent dosage and contact time. However, the effect of pH followed a different pattern, with the removal efficiency increasing from acidic to neutral pH, and then decreasing at alkaline conditions. The highest adsorption capacity (45 mg/g) and removal efficiency (61%) were obtained at pH 7.3. The adsorption kinetic followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The analysis of adsorption isotherm shows that the adsorption data fitted well to Langmuir isotherm model, indicating a homogeneous process. Thermodynamic analysis shows that the adsorption of As(III) is exothermic and spontaneous. The superparamagnetic properties of the nanocomposite enabled the separation and recovery of the nanoparticles using an external magnetic field. Thus, the developed nanocomposite has a potential for arsenic remediation. • Chitosan magnetic graphene oxide (CMGO) was prepared for As(III) adsorption. • CMGO exhibits high specific surface area (152 m2/g) and abundant functional groups. • Highest adsorption capacity and As(III) removal at circumneutral pH. • Adsorption process controlled by surface complex formation. • Easy separation and recovery of CMGO nanoparticles by external magnetic field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In the dynamical systems approach to describing turbulent or otherwise chaotic flows, an important quantity is the Lyapunov exponents and vectors that characterize the strange attractor of the flow. In particular, knowledge of the Lyapunov exponents and vectors will help identify perturbations that the system is most sensitive to, and quantify the dimension of the attractor. However, reliably computing these quantities requires robust numerical algorithms. While several perturbation-based techniques are available in literature, their application to commonly used turbulent flow solvers as well the numerical convergence properties have not been studied in detail. The goal of this work is to examine the convergence properties of the Lyapunov exponents when computed using a low Mach number solver, for a series of progressively complex flow problems. In particular, a manufactured solutions approach is devised using the Orr-Sommerfeld (OS) perturbation theory to extract Lyapunov exponents and vectors from OS eigen solutions. Overall the spatial convergence rates of Lyapunov exponents follow the truncation order for the discretization scheme. However, temporal convergence rates were found to be only a weak function of timestep used. Additionally, for some configurations, the convergence properties are found to depend on the Lyapunov exponent itself. These results indicate that convergence properties do not follow universal rates, and require careful analysis for specific configurations considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this paper, Dopingless Gate All Around (GAA) Vertical Nanowire Field Effect Transistor (VNWFET) is designed with artificial material Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide (IGZO) as a channel material. IGZO channel has high electron mobility compared to more traditional amorphous semiconductors. In VNWFETs, since the channel length (L ch) is characterized vertically, it can be relaxed without area penalty on-chip, which in turn also allows some relaxation in the nanowire diameter while keeping optimum short-channel-effects control. Electrostatic-Charge Plasma technique is used to form a source-drain region on an intrinsic body of IGZO material. At the source side, the N+ region is formed by selecting the appropriate work function of the metal electrode, and at the drain side, the N+ region is formed by giving biasing to the metal electrode. N+ channel dopingless VNWFET with the catalytic metal gate is proposed for ammonia gas sensing. Cobalt, Molybdenum, and Ruthenium are used as a gate electrode in ammonia gas detection due to their high reactivity towards ammonia. Also, we have compared their ON and OFF sensitivity of the proposed device toward the gas adsorption. Due to the presence of gas on the gate, the metal work function of gate metal changes which varies the OFF-current (I OFF), ON-current (I ON) and Threshold voltage (V th) as these are considered as sensitivity parameters for sensing the ammonia gas molecules. The dimensional parameters (radius, and length) and dielectric materials are varied to check the change in device sensitivities. Results show that as the work function varies increases 50, 100, 150, 200 meV and 250 meV for catalytic metal at the gate, the sensitivity is increased. Highlights • Designing of novel integration of Electrostatic-Charge plasma technique to realize Cuboidal Nanowire FET. • Use of artificial material for structure design, i.e., Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide (IGZO) to enhance ON current and device stability at a higher temperature. • Application of the proposed device for catalytic gate based ammonia gas sensing. • Comparison analysis of proposed device with different catalytic gate metal to optimize the sensing parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the major causes of blindness resulting from prolonged hyperglycemia which leads to breakdown of blood retinal barrier and excessive neovascularization. In our previous study, we demonstrated the presence of germline-specific PIWI-like proteins in human retina and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and a discrete function of HIWI2 (PIWIL4) in the assembly of tight junction through Akt/GSK3α/β. Recently, PIWI/piRNA has been suggested to be involved in the development of diabetes. Here, we have investigated the role of HIWI2 in proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). Interestingly, Western blot analysis indicated the elevated expression of HIWI2 in vitreous aspirates of patients with PDR in comparison to macular hole (MH) and rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD). In addition, treatment of ARPE19 with 25% of PDR vitreous aspirate significantly increased the expression of HIWI2. Moreover, exposure of ARPE19 to oxidative stress and VEGF, induced the expression of HIWI2. Further, we knocked down HIWI2 in ARPE19 cells to understand its role in the disease progression. Silencing HIWI2 reduced the expression of growth factors, VEGF and TGFβ1, and altered the expression of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers E-cadherin and αSMA. In addition, expression of MMP9 and cell migration was reduced in Si-HIWI2. Collectively, our report highlights a novel function and association of a piRNA binding protein, HIWI2 to PDR. The elevated expression of HIWI2 in PDR could influence various aspects of the disease pathogenesis, like EMT changes and cell migration. Hence, understanding the exact function of HIWI2 in retina could reveal its potential as a therapeutic target for retinopathy. Highlights • HIWI2 is aberrantly expressed in vitreous aspirates obtained from patients with PDR. • Major factors of PDR such as oxidative stress and VEGF increases the expression of HIWI2 in retinal pigment epithelial cells. • Silencing HIWI2 reduces the key growth factors – VEGF and TGFβ1 and also inhibits the migratory capacity of ARPE19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recently introduced hierarchical generative model unified the inference of effective connectivity in individual subjects and the unsupervised identification of subgroups defined by connectivity patterns. This hierarchical unsupervised generative embedding (HUGE) approach combined a hierarchical formulation of dynamic causal modelling (DCM) for fMRI with Gaussian mixture models and relied on Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling for inference. While well suited for the inversion of complex hierarchical models, MCMC-based sampling suffers from a computational burden that is prohibitive for many applications. To address this problem, this paper derives an efficient variational Bayesian (VB) inversion scheme for HUGE that simultaneously provides approximations to the posterior distribution over model parameters and to the log model evidence. The face validity of the VB scheme was tested using two synthetic fMRI datasets with known ground truth. Additionally, an empirical fMRI dataset of stroke patients and healthy controls was used to evaluate the practical utility of the method in application to real-world problems. Our analyses demonstrate good performance of our VB scheme, with a marked speed-up of model inversion by two orders of magnitude compared to MCMC, while maintaining a similar level of accuracy. Notably, additional acceleration would be possible if parallel computing techniques were applied. Generally, our VB implementation of HUGE is fast enough to support multi-start procedures for whole-group analyses, a useful strategy to ameliorate problems with local extrema. HUGE thus represents a potentially useful practical solution for an important problem in clinical neuromodeling and computational psychiatry, i.e., the unsupervised detection of subgroups in heterogeneous populations that are defined by effective connectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Polarity is one of the fundamental properties displayed by living organisms. In metazoans, cell polarity governs developmental processes and plays an essential role during maintenance of forms of tissues as well as their functions. The mechanisms of establishment and maintenance of cell polarity have been investigated extensively in the last two decades. This has resulted in identification of “core cell polarity modules” that control anterior–posterior, front–rear and apical–basal polarity across various cell types. Here, we review how these polarity modules interact closely with the cytoskeleton during establishment and maintenance of cytoskeletal polarity. We further suggest that reciprocal interactions between cell polarity modules and the cytoskeleton consolidate the initial weaker polarity, arising from an external cue, into a committed polarized system. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Cytoskeletal polarity is one of the most important features of cell polarity. • Cytoskeletal polarity is regulated by core polarity proteins. • Cytoskeleton and core polarity proteins interact reciprocally to set up cytoskeletal polarity. • Mechanistic details of regulation of cytoskeletal polarity by cell polarity proteins are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Infections are implicated in the etiology of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM); however, conflicting epidemiologic evidence makes designing effective strategies for presymptomatic screening and disease prevention difficult. Considering the temporality and combination in which infections occur may provide valuable insights into understanding T1DM etiology but is rarely studied due to limited longitudinal datasets and insufficient analytical techniques. The objective of this work was to demonstrate a computational approach to classify the temporality and combination of infections in presymptomatic T1DM. We present a sequential data mining pipeline that leverages routinely collected infectious disease data from a prospective cohort study, the Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) study, to extract, interpret, and compare infection sequences. We then utilize this pipeline to assess risk for developing presymptomatic biomarkers of islet autoimmunity and clinical onset of T1DM. Overall, we identified 229 significant sequential rules that increased the risk for developing presymptomatic biomarkers of islet autoimmunity or clinical onset of T1DM. Multiple significant sequential rules involving varicella increased the risk for all presymptomatic biomarker-specific outcomes, while a single significant sequential rule involving parasites significantly increased risk for T1DM. Significant sequential rules involving respiratory illnesses were differentially represented among the presymptomatic biomarkers of islet autoimmunity and clinical onset of T1DM. Risk for T1DM was significantly increased by a single episode of sixth disease at 12 months, representing the only single-event sequence that increased disease risk. Together, these findings provide the first insights into the timing and combination of infections in T1DM etiology, which may ultimately lead to personalized disease screening and prevention strategies. The sequential data mining pipeline developed in this work demonstrates how temporal data mining can be used to address clinically meaningful questions. This method can be adapted to other presymptomatic factors and clinical conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In plants, hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) is mainly considered as a gaseous transmitter or signaling molecule that has long been recognized as an essential component of numerous plant cellular and physiological processes. Several subcellular compartments in plants use both enzymatic and non-enzymatic mechanisms to generate H 2 S. Under normal and stress full conditions exogenous administration of H 2 S supports a variety of plant developmental processes, including growth and germination, senescence, defense, maturation and antioxidant machinery in plants. Due to their gaseous nature, they are efficiently disseminated to various areas of the cell to balance antioxidant pools and supply sulphur to the cells. Numerous studies have also been reported regarding H 2 S ability to reduce heavy metal toxicity when combined with other signaling molecules like nitric oxide (NO), abscisic acid (ABA), calcium ion (Ca2+), hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2), salicylic acid (SA), ethylene (ETH), jasmonic acid (JA), proline (Pro), and melatonin. The current study focuses on multiple pathways for JA and H 2 S production as well as their signaling functions in plant cells under varied circumstances, more specifically under heavy metal, which also covers role of H 2 S and Jasmonic acid during heavy metal stress and interaction of hydrogen sulfide with Jasmonic acid. • Various heavy metal stressors adversely affect the growth and development of plants. • In order to meet the food demand of increasing population It becomes decisive to protect the plants from these stressors. • Hydrogen sulfide and Jasmonic acid could enhance the crop production by increasing stress tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monogenea (gill parasite) is a major problem in aquaculture that reduces the growth of cultured fish and adversely affects the economy. The present study was performed to evaluate the impact of various degrees of Thaparocleidus sp. (dactylogyrids, monogenean) infestation on haematological and serum biochemical parameters of Pangasianodon hypophthalmus . A standard cohabitation study, following complete randomized design in triplicate, was conducted to obtain low, moderate and high degrees of infestation in P. hypophthalmus along with the control (uninfested) group. Blood and serum were studied for haematological (total erythrocyte count (TEC), haemoglobin (Hb), packed cell volume (PCV), total leucocyte count (TLC) and indices viz. mean cell volume (MCV), mean cell haemoglobin (MCH), mean cell haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and erythrocyte osmolarity brittleness (EOB)) and serum biochemical parameters (serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT), serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), lactate, total bilirubin and creatinine. Significant (p < 0.05) increase in TEC, Hb, TLC, EOB, SGOT, SGPT, LDH, lactate, bilirubin, and creatinine were noticed in moderate to high monogenean-infested group in comparison to the control group. However, significant (p < 0.05) reduction in MCH, and MCV and no difference (P > 0.05) in PCV were noticed in high degree parasitized group in comparison to the control group. The results of altered haematological and serum biochemical parameters in various degrees of monogenean-infested groups signify the density dependent physiological responses and changes in cells of the blood. The data of serum enzymes in the present study would be valuable for assessing the health status of the host and facilitate as a potential biomarker in relation to various degrees of monogenean infestation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypothesis The quality of the printed lines in applications such as ink-jet printing and additive manufacturing is affected by the interactions between the impinging drops. Impact shape and the inhomogeneity in surface wettability govern the spreading and recoiling dynamics of the interacting drops. Hence, understanding the role of these factors on the interaction dynamics is essential to optimize these applications. Numerical experiments Phase-field based lattice Boltzmann method solver has been employed to investigate the interaction dynamics of two simultaneously impinging drops onto a dry surface. A geometry-based contact angle scheme is used to model the moving contact line. Findings Numerical simulations reveal that the previously identified interaction modes (Raman et al., 2017) are sensitive to the contact angle hysteresis, resulting in different impact outcomes. Two different interaction mechanisms have been discerned when drops impinge on a surface with a wettability gradient. It is shown that the deviation from the spherical geometry of the impact shape leads to different spreading behaviors and droplet morphology around the connecting region. With the increase in the cross-sectional aspect ratio, the interaction dynamics of oblate - oblate combination is similar to its spherical counterpart, albeit at a faster recoiling rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Research has indicated that individuals with obesity have neurocognitive deficits, especially in cognitive flexibility that may in turn impact on their weight loss and maintenance. Consequently, we examined the efficacy of a manualised face-to-face cognitive remediation therapy for obesity (CRT-O) within a randomised controlled trial, in terms of improving cognitive flexibility, reducing binge eating behaviour, improving quality of life and helping with weight loss.Methods: 80 adults with obesity (body mass index >30 kg/m2), 70% binge eaters, received three weekly sessions of group Behavioural Weight Loss (BWL) and then were randomised to 8 sessions of individual CRT-O or to a no-treatment control group.Results: Mixed-effects model analyses revealed that the CRT-O group had a significant improvement in their cognitive flexibility at post-treatment and 3-month follow-up compared to the control group (Cohen's d = 0.96 to 2.1). 68% of those in the CRT-O group achieved a weight loss of 5% or more at follow-up compared to only 15% of the controls (Cohen's d = 1.3). Changes in set-shifting predicted changes in weight (p < .05). Binge eating reduced in the CRT-O group compared to the control (Cohen's d = 0.80).Discussion: This is the first study showing the efficacy of CRT-O for obesity. Future CRT-O studies with longer follow-ups and pairing it with longer BWL programs are needed.Trials Registry (anzctr): 12613000537752.Date Of Anzctr Registration: 14 May 2013. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The planar dynamic response of a cantilever metallic beam structure under combined harmonic base excitations (consisting of in-plane transverse and rotation about the out-of-plane transverse axis) was investigated experimentally. The important effect of the phase angle between the two simultaneous biaxial excitations on the beam tip displacement was demonstrated. The experiments were performed using a unique six degree-of-freedom (6-DoF) electrodynamic shaker with high control accuracy. The results showed that the beam tip displacement at the first flexural mode was amplified when the phase angle between the rotational and translational base excitations was increased. The beam nonlinear stiffness, on the other hand, simultaneously: (i) decreased due to fatigue damage accumulation, and (ii) increased due to an increase in the phase angle. The results were compared to the uniaxial excitation technique, where the principle of superposition was applied (mathematical addition of the structural response for each uniaxial excitation). The principle of superposition was shown to overestimate the structural response for low phase angles. Thus, the application of the superposition vibration testing as a substitute for multiaxial vibration testing may lead to over-conservatism and erroneous dynamic and reliability predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main problem of landfill leachate is its diverse composition comprising many persistent organic pollutants which must be removed before being discharge into the environment. This study investigated the treatment of raw landfill leachate using electrocoagulation process. An electrocoagulation system was designed with iron as both the anode and cathode. The effects of inter-electrode distance, initial pH and electrolyte concentration on colour and COD removals were investigated. All these factors were found to have significant effects on the colour removal. On the other hand, electrolyte concentration was the most significant parameter affecting the COD removal. Numerical optimization was also conducted to obtain the optimum process performance. Under optimum conditions (initial pH: 7.73, inter-electrode distance: 1.16 cm, and electrolyte concentration (NaCl): 2.00 g/L), the process could remove up to 82.7% colour and 45.1% COD. The process can be applied as a pre-treatment for raw leachates before applying other appropriate treatment technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider space efficient implementations of some classical applications of DFS including the problem of testing biconnectivity and 2-edge connectivity, finding cut vertices and cut edges, computing chain decomposition and st -numbering of a given undirected graph G on n vertices and m edges. Classical algorithms for them typically use DFS and some Ω ( lg n ) bits 1 of information at each vertex. Building on a recent O ( n ) -bits implementation of DFS due to Elmasry et al. (STACS 2015) we provide O ( n ) -bit implementations for all these applications of DFS. Our algorithms take O ( m lg c n lg lg n ) time for some small constant c (where c ≤ 2 ). Central to our implementation is a succinct representation of the DFS tree and a space efficient partitioning of the DFS tree into connected subtrees, which maybe of independent interest for designing other space efficient graph algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, Cylindrical Gate Nanowire FET (CGNWFET) is designed with highly doped III-V group compound Indium-gallium-arsenide (In 1-x Ga x As) as the channel material. Based on the proposed structure, the hydrogen (H 2 ) and oxygen (O 2 ) gas sensors are designed for enhanced sensitivity. Palladium (Pd) is used as a gate electrode in H 2 gas detection whereas silver (Ag) in O 2 gas detection because of their sensitivity towards that gas. As the metal work function at gate changes with the presence of gas on it, there is a change in I off , I on and threshold voltage (V th ) which can be taken as sensitivity parameters for sensing the gas molecules. The dimensional parameters varied to check the sensitivities are radius and length of the device. When the sensitivity of proposed In 1-x Ga x As CGNWFET is compared with conventional Silicon (Si) CGNWFET, In 1-x Ga x As CGNWFET shows enhanced sensitivity. Result shows that as work function varies as 50, 100, 150 and 200 meV for Pd/Ag-metal at gate, the sensitivity enhancement with In 1-x Ga x As CGNWFET based H 2 /O 2 gas sensors are 3.27%, 9.11%, 17.02%, 30.18% and 2.59%, 5.78%, 7.11%, 12.17% respectively. Different dielectric materials at the gate are also analyzed. Higher sensitivity is observed for higher dielectric value. Thus, In 1-x Ga x As proves to be a strong candidate for designing CGNWFET based sensors for enhanced sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combinatorial mixed valuations associated to translation-invariant valuations on polytopes are introduced. In contrast to the construction of mixed valuations via polarization, combinatorial mixed valuations reflect and often inherit properties of inhomogeneous valuations. In particular, it is shown that under mild assumptions combinatorial mixed valuations are monotone and hence nonnegative. For combinatorially positive valuations, this has strong computational implications. Applied to the discrete volume, the results generalize and strengthen work of Bihan (2015) on discrete mixed volumes. For rational polytopes, it is proved that combinatorial mixed monotonicity is equivalent to monotonicity. Stronger even, a conjecture is substantiated that combinatorial mixed monotonicity implies the homogeneous monotonicity in the sense of Bernig–Fu (2011). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a collection of convex bodies P 1 , … , P n ⊂ R d containing the origin, a Minkowski complex is given by those subsets whose Minkowski sum does not contain a fixed basepoint. Every simplicial complex can be realized as a Minkowski complex and for convex bodies on the real line, this recovers the class of threshold complexes. The purpose of this note is the study of the convex threshold dimension of a complex, that is, the smallest dimension in which it can be realized as a Minkowski complex. In particular, we show that the convex threshold dimension can be arbitrarily large. This is related to work of Chvátal and Hammer (1977) regarding forbidden subgraphs of threshold graphs. We also show that convexity is crucial this context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is difficult to treat due to lack of the three receptors, commonly used for treating breast cancers. Current standard of cure is either ineffective or refractive to many patients. Thus, there is a critical need for alternate, affordable therapies for TNBC cancers. Towards this, electrical pulse-mediated chemotherapy, known as electrochemotherapy is a viable option, because it uses the synergy of electrical pulses and the anticancer properties of chemo drug. Considering the cost and the harsh side effects of various commonly administered chemo drugs, in this study, low cost, yet effective, natural phytochemical curcumin is studied for its anticancer effect on MDA-MB-231, TNBC cells. We applied eight 10 μs, 2500 V/cm or 5000 V/cm pulses with 10 μM concentration of curcumin, and measured cell viability and cytotoxicity. Results indicate that cell survival, as low as 4% was induced by 5000 V/cm pulses, after 72 h, while it was 15% after 24 h. This demonstrates the potential of this treatment for TNBC and the transfer to clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experimental comparison of four different methods of nearfield acoustic holography (NAH) for planar acoustic sources is presented in this study. The four NAH methods considered in this study are based on: (1) spatial Fourier transform, (2) equivalent sources model, (3) boundary element methods and (4) statistically optimized NAH. Two dimensional measurements were obtained at distances ranging from one-half to sixteen microphone spacings away from a sound source and the NAH methods were used to reconstruct the sound field at the source surface. Reconstructed particle velocity and acoustic pressure fields presented in this study showed that the equivalent sources model based algorithm along with Tikhonov regularization provided the best localization of the sources. Reconstruction errors were found to be smaller for the equivalent sources model based algorithm and the statistically optimized NAH algorithm. The effects of hologram distance on the performance of various algorithms are discussed in detail. The study also compares the computational time required by each algorithm to calculate the reconstruction. Four different regularization parameter choice methods were compared. The L-curve method provided more accurate reconstructions than the generalized cross validation and the Morozov discrepancy principle at larger measurement distances. The performance of fixed parameter regularization was comparable to that of the L-curve method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bidirected graphs generalize directed and undirected graphs in that edges are oriented locally at every node. The natural notion of the degree of a node that takes into account (local) orientations is that of net-degree. In this paper, we extend the following four topics from (un)directed graphs to bidirected graphs: – Erdős–Gallai-type results: characterization of net-degree sequences, – Havel–Hakimi-type results: complete sets of degree-preserving operations, – Extremal degree sequences: characterization of uniquely realizable sequences, and – Enumerative aspects: counting formulas for net-degree sequences. To underline the similarities and differences to their (un)directed counterparts, we briefly survey the undirected setting and we give a thorough account for digraphs with an emphasis on the discrete geometry of degree sequences. In particular, we determine the tight and uniquely realizable degree sequences for directed graphs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two novel oxovanadium(IV) complexes [VOL1]SO 4 (1) and [VOL2]SO 4 (2 ) containing Knoevenagel condensate Schiff base ligand (L1/L2) have been synthesized and characterized by physical, spectral and analytical methods. These complexes are reported as ionic in nature on the basis of elemental composition and molar conductance, and possess square pyramidal geometry around the central metal ions. The binding interactions of (1) and (2) with calf thymus DNA (CT DNA) were explored by absorption spectrophotometric titration, cyclic voltammetry data and viscosity measurements. The calculated intrinsic binding constant values (K b ) for (1) and (2) obtained from UV–Vis absorption studies are 0.4 × 10 5 and 5.6 × 10 5 (M −1 ) respectively. These experimental results indicate that ( 1) and ( 2) are intercalative binders and avid binder to CT DNA with different affinities. These complexes exhibit significant oxidative cleavage of supercoiled plasmid (pUC18) DNA in the presence of activators. In particular, the in vitro antimicrobial efficacy of oxovanadium(IV) complexes reveal that they are more active than free ligands. Besides, the in vitro cytotoxic effect of the titled complexes were examined on a bundle of human tumor cell lines such as MCF-7 and HeLa cancerous cell lines by the MTT method. Interestingly, complex ( 2 ) exhibits more potent cytotoxic activity than the other complex and standard drug (cisplatin). The mode of cell death was assessed by Hoechst 33258 staining morphological studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Palm oil processing is a multi-stage operation which generates large amount of effluent. On average, palm oil mill effluent (POME) may contain up to 51, 000 mg/L COD, 25,000 mg/L BOD, 40,000 TS and 6000 mg/L oil and grease. Due to its potential to cause environmental pollution, palm oil mills are required to treat the effluent prior to discharge. Biological treatments using open ponding system are widely used for POME treatment. Although these processes are capable of reducing the pollutant concentrations, they require long hydraulic retention time and large space, with the effluent frequently failing to satisfy the discharge regulation. Due to more stringent environmental regulations, research interest has recently shifted to the development of polishing technologies for the biologically-treated POME. Various technologies such as advanced oxidation processes, membrane technology, adsorption and coagulation have been investigated. Among these, advanced oxidation processes have shown potentials as polishing technologies for POME. This paper offers an overview on the POME polishing technologies, with particularly emphasis on advanced oxidation processes and their prospects for large scale applications. Although there are some challenges in large scale applications of these technologies, this review offers some perspectives that could help in overcoming these challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We mapped patches in visual temporal cortex that are activated by dynamic bodies. • The body patch network is more extensive for dynamic than static bodies. • Response to dynamic bodies in upper and lower bank of the superior temporal sulcus. • Stronger effect of dynamics in body patches than in neighboring face patches. Previous functional imaging studies demonstrated body-selective patches in the primate visual temporal cortex, comparing activations to static bodies and static images of other categories. However, the use of static instead of dynamic displays of moving bodies may have underestimated the extent of the body patch network. Indeed, body dynamics provide information about action and emotion and may be processed in patches not activated by static images. Thus, to map with fMRI the full extent of the macaque body patch system in the visual temporal cortex, we employed dynamic displays of natural-acting monkey bodies, dynamic monkey faces, objects, and scrambled versions of these videos, all presented during fixation. We found nine body patches in the visual temporal cortex, starting posteriorly in the superior temporal sulcus (STS) and ending anteriorly in the temporal pole. Unlike for static images, body patches were present consistently in both the lower and upper banks of the STS. Overall, body patches showed a higher activation by dynamic displays than by matched static images, which, for identical stimulus displays, was less the case for the neighboring face patches. These data provide the groundwork for future single-unit recording studies to reveal the spatiotemporal features the neurons of these body patches encode. These fMRI findings suggest that dynamics have a stronger contribution to population responses in body than face patches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of deletion of vertices to a hereditary graph class is a well-studied problem in parameterized complexity. Recently, a natural extension of the problem was initiated where we are given a finite set of hereditary graph classes and we determine whether k vertices can be deleted from a given graph so that the connected components of the resulting graph belong to one of the given hereditary graph classes. The problem is shown to be fixed parameter tractable (FPT) when the deletion problem to each of the given hereditary graph classes is fixed-parameter tractable, and the property of being in any of the graph classes is expressible in the counting monodic second order (CMSO) logic. This paper focuses on pairs of specific graph classes (Π 1 , Π 2) in which we would like the connected components of the resulting graph to belong to, and design simpler and more efficient FPT algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kinship verification is receiving increasing attention among computer vision researchers due to interesting applications ranging from family album management to searching missing family members. Existing approaches have focused on using face images to decode kinship information. In contrast, this paper explores the effectiveness of periocular region in verifying kinship from images captured in the wild. Further, we also propose a block-based neighborhood repulsed metric learning (BNRML) framework, an extension of NRML, to yield more discriminative power. The proposed method learns multiple local distance metrics from different blocks of the images represented by local ternary patterns. Moreover, to contemplate diversity in discrimination power of different blocks, weighted score-level fusion scheme is used to obtain a similarity score of image pair. Extensive experiments on KinFaceW-I and KinFaceW-II datasets demonstrated the potential of periocular features for kinship verification. Furthermore, the fusion of periocular and face traits under BNRML framework provided highly competitive results as compared to state-of-the-art methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New ester-functionalized surface active ionic liquids (SAILs) based on nicotine, [C n ENic][Br] (n = 8, 10 and 12), with bromide counterions have been synthesized, characterized and investigated for their self-assembly behavior in aqueous medium. Conductivity measurements in aqueous solutions of the investigated SAILs have provided information about their critical micelle concentration ( cmc ), and degree of counterion binding ( β ), where cmc was found to be 2–3-fold lower than homologous SAILs or conventional cationic surfactants. The inherent fluorescence of SAILs in the absence of any external fluorescent probe have shed light on cmc as well as interactions prevailing between the monomers in micelle at molecular level. The thermodynamic parameters related to micellization have been deduced from isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and conductivity measurements. 1 H NMR, spin-lattice ( T 1 ) relaxation time and 2D 1 H- I H ROESY measurements have been exploited to get detailed account of internal structure of micelle. The size and shape of the micelles have been explored using dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements. The synthesized SAILs have been found to be non-cytotoxic towards C6-Glioma cell line, which adds to the possible utility of these SAILs for diverse biological applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modulation of innate immune activity and oxidative stress response of Pangasianodon hypophthalmus through experimental infection with ( Thaparocleidus sp.) dactylogyrid monogenean was studied. A standard cohabitation method was used to infect healthy experimental fish. After 14 days, dactylogyrid (gill monogenean) infested fish were sampled and categorised into three different infected groups namely (T1) low (<10 mean dactylogyrid per gill arch per fish), (T2) moderate (10–49 mean dactylogyrid per gill arch per fish) and (T3) high (>50 mean dactylogyrid per gill arch per fish) along with a control group T0 (un-infested fish). Serum and tissues (gills and liver) were collected from experimental fish and analyzed for markers of innate immune and oxidative stress, respectively. The results showed that respiratory burst activity, myeloperoxidase level, serum lysozyme, α-2 macroglobulin and total serum immunoglobulin level were significantly (p < 0.05) elevated in fish with different degrees of parasite infestation compared to the control (un-infested group). Similarly, cellular oxidative biomarkers superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione-S-transferase and Na + -K + -ATPase activities of gills and liver were significantly (p < 0.05) elevated in dactylogyrid infested fish in comparison to the control. However, significantly decreased level of albumin, albumin to globulin ratio, total serum antiprotease and ceruloplasmin were observed in fish infested with low degree of dactylogyrids, while no significant differences in these parameters were observed between moderately infested and the control groups. The results suggested that varying degree of gill monogenean dactylogyrid infestation not only modulated the innate immune response of P. hypophthalmus by lowering albumin, total serum antiprotease and ceruloplasmin and inducing respiratory burst activity, phagocytic activity, myeloperoxidase, lysozyme, α-2 macroglobulin and total immunoglobulins, but also the oxidative stress biomarkers. The baseline data obtained in the present study will be valuable in understanding the host-parasite relationship and the dynamics of innate, oxidative stress responses and susceptibility of P. hypophthalmus to different degrees of parasitosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Theta rank of a finite point configuration V is the maximal degree necessary for a sum-of-squares representation of a non-negative affine function on V . This is an important invariant for polynomial optimization that is in general hard to determine. We study the Theta rank and levelness, a related discrete-geometric invariant, for matroid base configurations. It is shown that the class of matroids with bounded Theta rank or levelness is closed under taking minors. This allows for a characterization of matroids with bounded Theta rank or levelness in terms of forbidden minors. We give the complete (finite) list of excluded minors for Theta-1 matroids which generalizes the well-known series-parallel graphs. Moreover, the class of Theta-1 matroids can be characterized in terms of the degree of generation of the vanishing ideal and in terms of the psd rank for the associated matroid base polytope. We further give a finite list of excluded minors for k -level graphs and matroids and we investigate the graphs of Theta rank 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three dimensional simulations are performed to investigate the interaction dynamics between two drops impinging simultaneously on a dry surface. Of particular interest in this study is to understand the effects of impact velocity and surrounding gas density on droplet interactions. To simulate the droplet dynamics and morphologies, a computational framework based on the phase-field lattice Boltzmann formulation is employed for the two-phase flow computations involving high density ratio. Two different coalescence modes are identified when the impinging droplets have different impact speeds. When one of the droplet has a tangential impact velocity component, asymmetric ridge formation is observed. Influence of droplet impact angle on the interaction dynamics of the central ridge is further investigated. Traces of different fluid particles are seeded to analyse internal flow dynamics in oblique impact scenarios. Greater overlapping between the fluid particles is observed with increase in the impact angle. Finally, the present simulations indicate that the ambient gas density has a significant influence to determine the final outcome of the droplet interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing occurrence of gastroenteritis outbreaks caused by food borne opportunistic microorganisms has become a major problem in food industry as well as in immunocompromised host. Antimicrobial agents are losing their efficacy due to increase in the microbial resistance. For such reasons, conventional treatment has become limited to manage the infections state. Need of the hour is to instigate the search for safer holistic alternatives. The present study was hence conducted to assess the antibiofilm effect and mode of action of aquo alcoholic extracts of Holarrhena antidysentrica (Ha) and Andrographis paniculata (Ap) against the Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium. Both the extracts were screened for the presence of phytocompounds followed by the characterization using Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR) infrared spectroscopy and bioactivity finger print analysis. Anti-biofilm assays were determined to test the potential of both extracts to inhibit the biofilm formation, while Propidium Iodide (PI) uptake analysis revealed that cell membrane was damaged by the exposure of nutraceuticals for 1 h. This study has demonstrated that both nutraceuticals have anti-biofilm and antimicrobial activity perturbing the membrane integrity of food-borne S. typhimurium and could be used as curative remedy to control the food borne microbial infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) technology has enticed numerous scientists since recent decades particularly in the field of miniaturized-sensors and actuators. Pressure sensor is pivotal component in both of the forerunning fields. The pursuance of a pressure sensor is exigently relying upon its different physical properties i.e. Piezo-resistive, Piezoelectric, Capacitive, Magnetic and Electrostatic. This article presents an outline and scrutiny of the Doping-less Cantilever Based Pressure Sensor using tunnel field effect transistor technology. The propounded pressure sensor based on the principle of capacitive gate coupling, due to which the tunneling current is modified. Additionally, to enhance the affectability of pressure sensor, the work function of metal gate electrode is amended using gas molecule diffusion. Simulation uncovers a phenomenal relationship amongst hypothetical and practical accepts of configuration. The pressure sensor is composed at Silvaco Atlas tool utilizing 40 nm technologies. The performance results exhibit that the proposed model consumes ≤1 mW power and 250 μA tunneling current per nm bending of cantilever beam structure. The inclusive length of the proposed device is 100 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Senecio candicans DC. (Asteraceae) is used as a remedy for gastric ulcer and stomach pain in the Nilgiris, district, Tamil Nadu. The present investigation was carried out to evaluate the sub-chronic toxicity of an aqueous extract of Senecio candicans (AESC) plant in Wistar albino rats. The study was conducted in consideration of the OECD 408 study design (Repeated Dose 90-Day Oral Toxicity Study in Rodents) and the extract was administered via gavage at doses of 250, 500 or 750 mg/kg body weight per day for 90-days. Hematological, biochemical parameters were determined on days 0, 30, 60 and 90 of administration. Animals were euthanized after 90 d treatment and its liver and kidney sections were taken for histological study. The results of sub-chronic study showed significant increase (P < 0.05) in serum uric acid, creatinine, aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALP) levels. Histological examination of liver showed mild mononuclear infiltration in the portal trait, enlarged nucleus around the central vein and mild loss of hepatocyte architecture in rats treated with 750 mg/kg of AESC. Histological examination of kidney showed focal interstitial fibrosis, crowding of glomeruli and mild hydropic change with hypercellular glomeruli in rats treated with 750 mg/kg of AESC. However, no remarkable histoarchitectural change in hepatocytes and glomeruli were observed in rats treated with lower concentrations (250 and 500 mg/kg b.w.) of AESC compared to control group animals. The no-observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) of AESC in the present study was 500 mg/kg b.w. Signs of toxic effects are evident from the current study. Although AESC contains low concentrations of PA, findings from this study suggest that regular consumers of herbal remedies derived from this plant may develop kidney and liver toxicity. Further studies on the isolation and characterization of PAs are necessary to determine the safe dose level of the extract for therapeutic use in traditional medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Filter based PM 2.5 samples are typically used to measure its chemical constituents. Such measurements are made in dense sampling networks to assess regulatory compliance and for source apportionment. Thus, quantifying sampling artefacts is crucial. In this study, 24-h integrated PM 2.5 samples collected over Bhopal, India a COALESCE (CarbOnaceous AerosoL Emissions, Source apportionment and ClimatE impacts) site during 2019 and 2020, were used to estimate particulate organic carbon (OC) artefacts. Total OC and its thermal fractions (OC1, OC2, OC3, and OC4) measured on 349 bare quartz (Q) and QbQ filters each, were used to determine OC positive artefacts on quartz filters. 50 QbT (Quartz behind Teflon) filters in conjunction with the simultaneous QbQ samples (a subset of the total QbQ) were used to estimate OC volatilization from Teflon filters. On average, adsorbed gaseous OC contributed 17% and 11% to the measured total OC during 2019 and 2020, respectively. Further, the volatilization loss of organics from Teflon filter (used to quantify PM 2.5 mass) ranged between 7% and 9%, and 5% and 6% of the PM 2.5 mass during 2019 and 2020, respectively. The results of this study provide the first systematic long-term evaluation of thermal carbon fraction-wise sampling artefacts, estimates of organic volatilization losses from Teflon filters and their implications to PM 2.5 mass closure, over a regionally representative location in India. • Organic carbon sampling artefacts estimated using multiple filter configurations. • Adsorbed organics contributed 17% (2019) and 11% (2020) to the total particle OC. • Organics volatilization from Teflon filter ranged between 5% and 9% of PM 2.5 mass. • Thermal fraction-wise % OC and % TOC loss increased with ambient temperature. • The number of PM 2.5 NAAQS exceedances increased on accounting for volatilized OC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water soluble unfixed dyes and inorganic salts are the major pollutants in textile dyeing industry wastewater. Existing treatment methods fail to degrade textile dyes and have limitations too. The inadequate treatment of textile dyeing wastewater is a major concern when effluent is directly discharged into the nearby environment. Long term disposal threatens the environment, which needs reclamation. This article reviews the current knowledge of nano zero valent iron (nZVI) technique in the degradation of textile dyes. The application of nZVI on textile dye degradation is receiving great attention in the recent years because nZVI particles are highly reactive towards the pollutant, less toxic, and economical. The nZVI particles aggregate quickly with respect to time and the addition of supports such as resin, nickel, zinc, bentonite, biopolymer, kaolin, rectorite, nickel-montmorillonite, bamboo, cellulose, biochar, graphene, and clinoptilolite enhanced the stability of iron nanoparticles. Inclusion of supports may in turn introduce additional toxic pollutants, hence green supports are recommended. The majority of investigations concluded dye color removal as textile dye compound removal, which is not factual. Very few studies monitored the removal of total organic carbon and observed the products formed. The results revealed that partial mineralization of the textile dye compound was achieved. Instead of stand alone technique, nZVI can be integrated with other suitable technique to achieve complete degradation of textile dye and also to treat multiple pollutants in the real textile dyeing wastewater. It is highly recommended to perform more bench-scale and pilot-scale studies to apply this technique to the textile effluent contaminated sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expression of a multitude of virulence factors by multi-drug resistant microbial strains, e.g. , Carbapenem Resistant Escherichia coli (Family: Enterobacteriaceae; Class: Gammaproteobacteria), is responsible for resistance against beta-lactam antibiotics. Hemolysin production and induction of hemagglutination by bacterial surface receptors inflicts direct cytotoxicity by destroying host phagocytic and epithelial cells. We have previously reported that Berberis aristata , Camellia sinensis , Cyperus rotundus Holarrhena antidysenterica and Andrographis paniculata are promising herbal leads for targeting Carbapenem resistant Escherichia coli . These herbal leads were analyzed for their anti-hemolytic potential by employing spectrophotometric assay of hemoglobin liberation. Anti-hemagglutination potential of the extracts was assessed by employing qualitative assay of visible RBC aggregate formation. Camellia sinensis (PTRC-31911-A) exhibited anti-hemolytic potential of 73.97 ± 0.03%, followed by Holarrhena antidysenterica (PTRC-8111-A) i.e. , 68.32 ± 0.05%, Berberis aristata (PTRC-2111-A) i.e. , 60.26 ± 0.05% and Cyperus rotundus (PTRC-31811-A) i.e. , 53.76 ± 0.03%. Comprehensive, visual analysis of hemagglutination inhibition revealed that only Berberis aristata (PTRC-2111-A) and Camellia sinensis (PTRC-31911-A) exhibited anti-hemagglutination activity. However, Andrographis paniculata (PTRC-11611-A) exhibited none of the inhibitory activities. Furthermore, the pair wise correlation analysis of the tested activities with quantitative phytochemical descriptors revealed that an increased content of alkaloid; flavonoids; polyphenols, and decreased content of saponins supported both the activities. Additionally, flow cytometry revealed that cell membrane structures of CRE were damaged by extracts of Berberis aristata (PTRC-2111-A) and Camellia sinensis (PTRC-31911-A) at their respective Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations, thereby confirming noteworthy antibacterial potential of both these extracts targeting bacterial membrane; hemolysin and bacterial hemagglutination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The multi-drug resistance offered by Carbapenem Resistant Escherichia coli (Family: Enterobacteriaceae; Class: Gammaproteobacteria) against third line antibiotics can be attributed towards its ability to develop biofilm. Such process involves adhesion and quorum-sensing induced colonization leading to biomass development. The present study explored the anti-adhesion, anti-quorum sensing and anti-biofilm potential of 05 pre-standardized potent herbals. Berberis aristata (PTRC-2111-A) exhibited maximum potential in all these activities i.e. 91.3% ± 0.05% (Anti-adhesion), 96.06% ± 0.05% (Anti-Quorum sensing) and 51.3% ± 0.07% (Anti-Biofilm formation) respectively. Camellia sinensis (PTRC-31911-A) showed both anti-adhesion (84.1% ± 0.03%) and anti-quorum sensing (90.0%) potential while Holarrhena antidysenterica (PTRC-8111-A) showed only anti-quorum sensing potential as compared to standards/antibiotics. These findings were in line with the molecular docking analysis of phytoligands against Lux S and Pilin receptors. Furthermore, the pairwise correlation analysis of the tested activities with qualitative, quantitative and bioactivity functional descriptors revealed that an increased content of alkaloid, moderate content of flavonoids and decreased content of tannins supported all the three activities. In addition, nitric oxide and superoxide scavenging activity were found to be correlated with anti-quorum sensing activity. The findings indicated clearly that B. aristata (Family: Berberidaceae) and C. sinensis (Family: Theaceae) were potent herbal leads with significant therapeutic potential which further needs to be explored at pre-clinical level in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Barium esophagograms have poor sensitivity in detecting leaks. We hypothesized that heating barium would decrease viscosity, facilitate extravasation, and enhance its sensitivity in detecting esophageal leaks. Methods We characterized the viscosity of barium at increasing temperatures. We measured the radiopacity of barium at 25°C and 50°C. We determined the smallest diameter defect in esophagus that barium can detect by perforating a porcine esophageal segment with angiocatheters of various diameters, injecting barium at 25°C, and observing extravasation of contrast. We repeated this with barium heated to 30°C, 40°C, 50°C, and 70°C. To determine the ability of barium to detect a staple line leak, we perforated a stapled esophageal segment by air insufflation, injected barium at different temperatures, and monitored extravasation. We used Visipaque, a water-soluble contrast agent, for comparison in all experiments. Results The viscosity of barium decreased with increasing temperature. The radiopacity of barium did not change with increasing temperature and was higher than that of Visipaque ( P < 0.001). The size of the smallest detectable leak decreased from 2.1 mm with barium at 25°C to 1.3 mm at 40°C and 1.1 mm with Visipaque ( P < 0.0001). The sensitivity of staple line leak detection increased from 0% for barium at 25°C to 80% ( P = 0.02) with barium at 40°C. There was no significant difference in sensitivity between barium at 40°C and Visipaque. Conclusions Barium warmed to 40°C offers the best sensitivity of esophageal leak detection without compromising radiopacity. Barium at 40°C may be the optimum choice for swallow study to detect esophageal leaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Content based image retrieval is a common problem for a large image database. Many methods have been proposed for image retrieval for some particular type of datasets. In the proposed work, a new image retrieval technique has been introduced. This technique is useful for different kind of dataset. In the proposed method, center symmetric local binary pattern has been extracted from the original image to obtain the local information. Co-occurrence of pixel pairs in local pattern map have been observed in different directions and distances using gray level co-occurrence matrix. Earlier methods have utilized histogram to extract the frequency information of local pattern map but co-occurrence of pixel pairs is more robust than frequency of patterns. The proposed method is tested on three different category of images, i.e., texture, face and medical image database and compared with typical state-of-the-art local patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physicochemical properties of wheat bran and Kappaphycus alvarezii , and their binding ability to heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons such as, PhIP, Trp-P-2, AαC and BαP, were investigated. High swelling capacity (14.9 mL/g) and water retention capacity (10.4 g/g) observed in K . alvarezii could be attributed to the high amounts of soluble fraction (68%). Galactose dominated in K . alvarezii dietary fibre, having alternating units of d -galactose-4-sulphate and 3,6-anhydro- d -galactose. Wheat bran consisted of glucose, xylose and arabinose, which formed cellulose and hemicelluloses. Presence of sulphur is another distinct property of K . alvarezii . Insoluble and soluble fractions of K . alvarezii dietary fibre showed superior binding ability than wheat bran. Hydrophobic mutagens were more effectively adsorbed to the dietary fibres. Molecular dynamics simulation indicated that the interaction energy between BαP and both the dietary fibres were lowest, possibly indicating a strong interaction between the planar rings of BαP and the fibre. The molecular dynamics results indicated high interaction energy for mutagens with marine fibre that were in accordance with the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The key benefits of cloud services such as low cost, access flexibility, and mobility have attracted worldwide users to utilize deep learning algorithms for computer vision. These cloud servers are maintained by third parties, where users are always concerned about sharing their confidential data with them. In this paper, we addressed these concerns for by developing SecureDL , a privacy-preserving image recognition model for encrypted data over cloud. The proposed block-based image encryption scheme is well designed to protect image's visual information. The scheme constitutes an order-preserving permutation ordered binary number system and pseudo-random matrices. The proposed method is proved to be secure in a probabilistic viewpoint, and using various cryptographic attacks. Experiments are conducted over several image recognition datasets, and the trade-off analytics between the achieved recognition accuracy and data encryption is well described. SecureDL overcomes the storage and computational overheads that occur with fully-homomorphic and multi-party computation based secure recognition schemes. • The goal of this study is to analyze the trade-off relation between image privacy and recognition. • Order-preserving permutation ordered binary number system and pseudo-random matrices are used to achieve image security. • The proposed method is assessed with encrypted data over a variety of datasets. • Security analysis of the proposed method is established using mathematical proofs and standard tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]