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Recently, the topics associated with robotics are becoming an interesting research area. Meanwhile, intelligent mobile robots or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has great acceptance; however, the navigation and control of the devices are more complex. The shortage of dealing with static obstacles and evading them due to secure and safe routing is a fundamental need of the system. Therefore, an effectual robotic obstacle avoidance mechanism using deep learning (DL) model optimized with a swarm intelligence procedure is proposed. The main aim of this method is to avoid collision with static obstacles and attain the target in an optimal path. At first, the proposed method initializes the obstacles and target places for mobile robot navigation, and their positions are collected. An innovative path planning approach is presented using adaptive beetle swarm levy flight optimization (BSLFO) for optimal path calculation. Here, distance and path smoothness parameters are considered for optimal planning by the proposed BSLFO approach. The mobile robots are moved to the best positions obtained by the BSLFO approach. Additionally, optimal robots' movement with collision avoidance has been performed by employing a fuzzy rule based optimal deep neural network (FRDNN). The proposed method is implemented in the MATLAB platform and evaluates the performance in terms of performance metrics, including accuracy, recall, precision, and planning time. The maximum accuracy reached by the proposed method for static and dynamic obstacles is 98.62, which offers better obstacle avoidance and effective path planning. Consequently, the overall experimental outcomes proved that the proposed model outperforms the existing models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flavonoids which are secondary metabolites of plants are found naturally in fruits, vegetables, nuts, herbs, and spices, so they are important constituent of human diet also. They are also responsible for various pigments in plants and offer various health benefits to humans due to their diverse biological activities. Naringenin is a flavanone class of flavonoid and it is profusely found in citrus fruits, grapefruit, tomatoes and finds its extensive application in cosmetic industries, perfumeries as well as pharmaceutical formulations. This phytochemical has bioactive effects on human health as antioxidant, antiviral, anti-cancerous, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity and hepatoprotective effects. Its anti-inflammatory and immune-stimulating actions plays a role in either preventing or control COVID infections to some extent according to recent reports. This review brings together all its synthetic routes reported till date and it also focused on the recent developments of its bioprotective effects and pharmacokinetic activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phasor measurement unit (PMU) is an essential instrument for surveillance, control, and protection of power grids because it has the ability to provide critical time-synchronized real-time voltage, current, frequency, and phase data. PMUs are being deployed for real-time behaviour monitoring of power grids. The exactness and reliability of data obtained from PMUs can be ensured if the PMUs are calibrated from a traceable PMU calibrator. The facility of Phasor Measurement Unit Calibration System (PMU-CAL) has been established at the CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi, in 2018 and is traceable to the national standards. By testing and calibrating PMUs according to the latest IEEE standard, PMU-CAL provides the best solution for PMU users, manufacturers, and energy suppliers. This paper presents the results of reference standard PMU calibrated for the measurement class carried out in the last five years from 2018 to 2022. The results show that the reference standard is highly stable and complies with the IEEE standard. With traceable measurements, once calibration is complete, all PMUs deployed in a country's grid will provide precise and reliable data that will help to increase efficiency, improve reliability, and enhance the quality of the power grid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates a nano-scaled patch antenna in optical frequency range. The proposed nanoantenna consists of a circular patch of dimension 130 × 130 nm2, placed on a glass substrate with thickness 112 nm. To protect the antenna against environmental jeopardies, a superstrate layer of dimensions 40 × 2.5 × 110.4 nm3 has been added. To enhance the performance of the antenna in terms of bandwidth and efficiency and to obtain circular polarization, multiple slots are added into the patch and ground plane of the proposed nanoantenna. The suggested antenna resonates at 182 THz with an impedance bandwidth of about 47 THz (160–207 THz) and a minimum radiation efficiency of 96.54% throughout the entire operating band. The operating bandwidth of the designed nano antenna corresponds to a wavelength range of 1449–1875 nm which covers the entire wavelength of the third optical communication window centered at 1550 nm. Besides, the proposed antenna is circularly polarized which make it very interesting in wireless communication system because it has the advantage to emit the electromagnetic radiation in a corkscrew fashion which allows efficient transmission to the receiver. The proposed antenna covers the telecom optical communication wavelength bands, S-band (1460–1530 nm), C-band (1530–1565 nm), and L-band (1565-1625 nm) in the operating range of 160 THz–207 THz. The proposed nanoantenna with circular polarization might be useful for various integrated components and variety of applications such as optical communication, nano photonics, biosensing, and spectroscopy and could play an essential role in progress of plasmonic sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under scarce iron conditions, several bacteria, fungi and plants secrete ferric iron-specific ligands, generically termed as siderophores that are able to bind with insoluble ferric ion thereby making them available to the host organisms. Siderophore producing bacteria were isolated from the rhizospheric soil of Eragrostis cynosuroides by CAS agar screening and CAS shuttle assay method. Among five positive isolates, DR2 produced a relatively high level of siderophore (69.81 SU%) and was identified as catecholate type. Further, it was identified as Bacillus subtilis DR2 (KP455653) based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. Media optimization revealed that the strain B. subtilis DR2 showed maximum siderophore yield (80.60 SU%) under optimized condition of 72 h incubation at 35°C in succinate media at pH 8, supplemented with sucrose as carbon and NaNO3 as nitrogen sources. It was further tested as seed inoculants under pot culture conditions and was found to be very efficient in seed germination and growth promotion of Coriandrum sativum. Thus, the present study signifies that B. subtilis DR2 may be a promising candidate with potential of plant growth promotion to be used as biofertilizer for various crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiologist diagnose the brain disease through shape and boundary regions of brain in medical image such as CT, MRI, and PET. Automatic medical image segmentation and enhancement method perform less in boundary regions due to artefacts such as dense objects and slice overlap. Manual enhancement and segmentation method never differentiates the shape and location of regions in brain CT/MRI images. Dyadic cat optimization (DCO) algorithm is proposed for segmenting brain regions in medical images such as CT and MRI through Nonlinear perspective Foreground and Background projection. DCO algorithm eliminates the artefacts in the boundary regions of brain and enhances the boundaries and shape such as pterygomaxillary fissure, occipital lobe, vaginal process, zygomatic arch, maxilla and piriform aperture for more visibility. Proposed DCO algorithm enhances the occipital lobe and zygomatic arch regions in CT/MRI image. The occipital lobe and zygomatic arch regions are better enhanced and segmented with DCO algorithm than traditional algorithm and achieve an accuracy of 90% through structural similarity index and visual interpretation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focusing specifically on sensing devices with restricted resources, heterogeneous internet of things (HIoT) is an attractive scenario for IoT networks. Nonetheless, the very nature of wireless channels in these networks has given rise to a series of security challenges, which need to be considered while developing authentication protocols. Here, we scrutinized Yu and Park's, Kumari et al.'s, and Ostad-sharif et al.'s protocols and illustrated their weaknesses against key compromise attacks, insider attacks, and violation of anonymity. Furthermore, for heterogeneous IoT contexts, a lightweight and secure authentication and key agreement protocol for heterogeneous IoT environments is presented. Concerning the restricted resources of sensing devices, an attempt is made to provide an efficient HIoT-based authentication protocol to enhance network security and performance. The gateway as a trusted authority with the maximum workload and sensing devices with the highest restrictions on resources are considered in the suggested protocol. As a result, the user bears the brunt of the workload in the individual session. The Burrows–Abadi–Needham (BAN) logic is used to validate the proposed protocol, and the Automated Validation of Internet Security Protocols and Applications (AVISPA) tool is utilized to demonstrate resilience to existing active attacks. Simulation findings and performance assessment revealed that our protocol improved communication overheads by up to 110%, computation overheads by up to 83%, and sensing device maximum storage capacity by up to 51%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ad hoc wireless network is formed whenever multiple devices or nodes that wish to make communication, connect among themselves wirelessly based on their radio range and distribute network information with each other without any central administrator. In a MANET, the devices are mobile in nature and multi-hop communication is carried out between the mobile devices through some intermediate mobile devices. Due to the mobile nature of nodes, unsteady links, and restricted resources, routing is a difficult issue in MANET. Several routing techniques are already in use and multicast routing is used to conserve the network resources. In this paper, the optimal path is selected for data transmission using fuzzy logic. Distributed fuzzy decision making is obtained by running fuzzy inference engine in every node to handle the uncertainties in the MANET environment. The proposed work also suggests an optimized local route repair to be used in case of route failure. The ultimate objectives of both fuzzy based optimal route selection and route repair result in increased network lifetime. The fuzzy rules are developed using MATLAB and they are used in the NS2 network simulation for route generation and performance analysis. The proposed protocol performs better and also gives good network lifetime compared with the existing protocol MAODV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Deregulated expression of cell cycle regulators p27 and p16 is associated with cancer progression. p27kip1 and p16INKa are a cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor whose major target is the cyclinE/CDK2 and cyclinD/CDK4/6 complex, respectively, that governs cell cycle transition from late G1 to S phase. Methods: We recruited biopsies of a total of 84 subjects including 72 primary tumor biopsies from histopathologically proven gastric carcinoma, 8 adjacent controls and 12 independent controls. We used gastric cancer cell line, AGS, for validation of our data. Expression profiling at transcript level was done by semi-quantitative RT-PCR and at proteome level by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. Receiver operator characteristics analysis was done for determining the diagnostic utility of p27 and p16 with respect to the sensitivity and specificity. Results: We demonstrate that p27 and p16 are frequently over expressed in early stages of gastric carcinoma. Our semi-quantitative data show a significant upregulation of p27 (Mean ± SEM, 0.4771 ± 0.0895; p = 0.0001) and p16 (Mean ± SEM, 0.4676 ± 0.04305; p = 0.0001) at mRNA level. Concordant to semi-quantitative data, immunohistochemistry data also showed a significant upregulation of p27 (Mean ± SEM, 196.4 ± 10.84; p < 0.0001) and p16 (Mean ± SEM, 100.4 ± 23.71; p < 0.0001) at protein level. Conclusions: The present study showed that the significant upregulation of p27 and p16 were associated with early events in gastric carcinogenesis. Our data suggests that clinical correlation of these differentially expressed genes may be useful as diagnostic biomarkers for early detection of gastric carcinoma and promising therapeutics target for GC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was aimed to develop rust resistant genotypes with genome of prominent wheat variety HS240 by pyramiding of linked leaf rust and stem rust resistance genes Lr19 and Sr25 with stripe rust resistance gene Yr15. The genotypes FLW13 and FLW20 were used as gene donors for transfer of Yr15 and Lr19/Sr25, respectively. The molecular markers scs265, wmc221, PSY1-E1, and Gb linked to Lr19/Sr25 and barc8 and gwm11 linked to Yr15 were used for foreground selection. Background selection, involving 58 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers polymorphic between HS240 and FLW20; 72 between HS240 and FLW13 was carried out to recover the genome of HS240 in advanced bulks derived from a cross HS240*2/FLW20//HS240*2/FLW13. The SSR based genome recovery in selected advanced breeding lines, WBM3682 and WBM3684 was 90.8% and 93.3%, respectively. The 35 K SNP array based analysis of genomic regions of HS240 also substantiated the results of genomic recovery estimated through SSR markers. The selected line WBM3682 recorded average grain yield of 25.7q/ha and showed its superiority over parental check HS240 under rainfed situations. This study has led to development of rust resistant wheat carrying genome of HS240. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, temperature dependence of alternate current (AC) and direct current (DC) conductivities of optimized polypyrrole/silver-tantalum oxide (PPy/Ag–Ta2O5), a ternary conducting polymer composite is comparatively studied with those of PPy and PPy/Ag. For the purpose, silver (Ag) nanoparticles were encapsulated with polypyrrole (PPy) by in situ oxidative polymerization to form core–shell structured PPy/Ag composite for which Ag nanoparticles were extracted from green tea. The PPy/Ag composite was then mechanically mixed with tantalum pentoxide (Ta2O5) to form PPy/Ag-Ta2O5 ternary composite. Increase in depth of delocalization band of PPy in ternary composite as compared to those of PPy/Ag composite and PPy, indicating its increased AC conductivity confirmed from the comparative FTIR analyses. Interaction between PPy/Ag composite and Ta2O5 in the ternary composite was confirmed from XRD studies. The formation of core–shell structured PPy/Ag composite and Ta2O5 particles embedded in such PPy/Ag composite to form PPy/Ag–Ta2O5 ternary composite confirmed from TEM and Raman studies. The frequency- and temperature-dependent electrical conductivity studies revealed increase in AC conductivity of the ternary composite as compared to those of PPy/Ag composite and pure PPy attributed mainly to interfacial effects. The charge transport in these samples predicted to be due to correlated barrier hopping of charges was confirmed by calculating their respective AC and DC activation energies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study deals with the propagation of a polarized shear horizontal (SH) wave in a pre-stressed piezoelectric cylinder circumscribed by a self-reinforced cylinder. The interface of the two media is assumed mechanically imperfect. For obtaining the dispersion relation, the mathematical formulation has been developed and solved by an analytical treatment. The effects of various parameters, i.e., the thickness ratio, the imperfect interface, the initial stress, the reinforcement, and the piezoelectric and dielectric constants, on the dispersion curve are observed prominently. The dispersion curves for different modes have been also plotted. The consequences of the study may be used for achieving optimum efficiency of acoustic wave devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work is focused on the effects of graphene addition on the electrochemical performance of environmentally benign nanostructured graphene–nickel–phosphorus composite coating (G–NiP) on copper developed by electroless deposition. The coatings were developed using no external dispersing agents and toxic reductant such as hydrazine. The electrochemical corrosion behavior of the coating was investigated using potentiodynamic polarization (PDP) measurement. The anodic polarization curves of the Ni–P coating on copper (Cu–NiP) show two distinct active–passive regions and an oxidation peak, whereas graphene Ni–P coating (Cu–G–NiP) shows almost passive behavior. For Cu–NiP at critical pitting potential (Ec), the passivation breaks indicating initiation of pits, whereas Cu–G–NiP shows the absence of Ec. The PDP results also demonstrate the enhanced corrosion resistance property of the Cu–G–NiP with corrosion inhibition efficiency of 95%. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to analyze the physical and electrochemical process occurring at various interfaces and to study the influence of graphene in the coating under a corrosive environment. The higher density of micropores is evident from the FESEM image of Cu–NiP, whereas comparatively fewer micropores are observed in the case of Cu–G–NiP after the electrochemical test. This study also reveals that the addition of graphene in the Ni matrix inhibits pore creation and pit formation leading to better intactness of the coating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Materials of nano-dimensions are gaining popularity due to their inherent properties such as high reactivity, mobility and surface area. Environmental bioremediation by employing microbial platforms is one of the most rapidly growing areas of nano-biotechnology. Nanoparticles synthesized using biological entities such as yeast, bacteria, fungi, algae and plants are referred to as biogenic nanoparticles. Owing to their nontoxicity, biologically synthesized nanoparticles have emerged as a sustainable alternative to chemically synthesized nanoparticles. In the past few years, several biogenic nanoparticles have been developed for potential application in medicine and environmental remediation. Biogenic nanoparticles such as biogenic manganese oxide (BioMnOx), biogenic nano-magnets, bio-palladium nanocrystals and biogenic iron species have proven to be effective for the removal of several micro-pollutants, heavy metals, recalcitrant pollutants and halogenated compounds. Nano-bioremediation could emerge as a better, safer, ecofriendly and cost-effective technology, which can greatly influence the domain of environmental remediation in the long run. This study reviews the synthesis, classification and applications of microbial nanoparticles for environmental bioremediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, corrosion-resistant and hydrophobic nickel-reduced graphene oxide (Ni-RGO) composite coating prepared by electroless deposition technique on mild steel (MS), without the use of toxic chemicals, is reported. The field emission scanning electron microscopy micrographs show a uniform composite coating of Ni-RGO with smaller grain size, whereas cuboidal and larger grains were observed in the case of Ni coating on MS. A reduction in crystallite size from 30 to 13 nm with the incorporation of RGO to the Ni matrix was estimated from XRD. The corrosion activity was investigated with potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements. The surface of Ni-RGO composite coating remained intact, almost undamaged and showed a robust resistance to corrosion with an inhibition efficiency of about 95% in aggressive 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. Nanoindentation test revealed that the hardness and Young’s modulus of Ni-RGO composite coating are increased by about 25 and 19%, respectively, as compared to Ni coating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the relationship between wastewater environments and the nitrifiers at a full-scale plant using principal component analysis. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria were detected by florescent in situ hybridization, polymerase chain reaction, phylogenetic analysis, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Pyrosequencing was also used in profiling the ammonia monooxygenase locus of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria community. It was found that the dominant ammonia-oxidizing bacteria sequences were related to uncultured ammonia-oxidizing bacterium, uncultured Nitrosomonadaceae bacterium, Nitrosomonas sp., and uncultured bacterium. In addition, Nitrobacter clones were related to uncultured alpha proteobacterium, uncultured bacterium, uncultured Nitrobacter sp., and uncultured Bradyrhizobium sp., whereas Nitrospira clones were similar to uncultured bacterium, Candidatus Nitrospira defluvii, uncultured Nitrospira sp., and uncultured Nitrospirae bacterium. The ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria ranged 2.83 × 108-1.33 × 1010 and 1.25 × 1010-1.13 × 1011 copies L−1, respectively, equivalent to nitrite-oxidizing bacteria: ammonia-oxidizing bacteria ratio of 10:1. The first three parts of the principal components analysis accounted for 76.8% of the explained variance. The first principal component (44.4%) designated that ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and Nitrospira were mainly influenced by seasonal variations, followed by chemical oxygen demand concentration and nitrogen species (i.e., ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate). The second principal component (19.1%) showed no information about the nitrifiers’ interaction with environmental factors, whereas Nitrobacter demonstrated a high correlation with ammonia on the third principal component (13.3%). These results revealed that the species of Nitrobacter were less influenced by environmental conditions than ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and Nitrospira spp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, optimised polyaniline-cadmium ferrite (PANI-CdFe2O4) composite was prepared by chemical polymerization method. Comparative structural and morphological studies of PANI, CdFe2O4 and the composite were carried out by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction study and scanning electron microscopy. Highly crystalline nature of the composite composed of nanosized particles was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy studies. The dielectric loss tangent at room temperature for PANI, CdFe2O4 and the composite were investigated in the frequency range 50 Hz-5 MHz. The Maxwell-Wagner type polarisation in PANI and CdFe2O4 was confirmed by the decrease in their dielectric loss tangents with increasing frequency. But for the composite, a loss tangent peak due to relaxation losses implying resonance between hopping frequency of charge carriers and applied alternating current electric field was obtained. Debye type single relaxation in PANI and the distribution of relaxation in the composite were confirmed by their respective complex plane impedance plots and the plots simulated, equivalent RC network predicted and numerical values of R and C determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, optimized polyaniline-titanium dioxide (PANI-TiO2) and polyaniline-yttrium oxide (PANI-Y2O3) composites were prepared by mechanical mixing of chemically synthesized PANI with TiO2 and Y2O3 transition metal oxides respectively. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis confirmed relative decrease in depth of delocalization band of PANI in the composites as compared to that in PANI. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies confirmed decrease in degree of crystallinity and increase in inter-chain separation of PANI in the composites as compared to those of PANI. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images confirmed relatively more agglomerated and porous granular morphology of the composites as compared to that of PANI. Decrease in DC conductivity of the composites as compared to that of PANI confirmed experimentally and then supported theoretically by one dimensional variable ranging hopping (VRH) model. The PANI-TiO2 and PANI-Y2O3 composites, when studied for their humidity sensing performance, recorded remarkable maximum sensing response of 94 and 96% respectively at 97% RH as compared to 40% of PANI. The response and the recovery time of PANI-TiO2 composite were 95 and 122 s respectively and those of PANI-Y2O3 composite were 50 and 80 s respectively. Humidity sensing stability of the composites tested for a period of 1 month and confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Composite coating of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and poly (4-vinylpyridine-co-butyl methacrylate) (PVPBM) on copper was produced by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) technique. The structural and morphological characterizations of the RGO-PVPBM coating were carried out using a Raman spectrometer and a field emission scanning electron microscope, respectively. The thermal stability of the coating was analyzed by thermo-gravimetric analysis, and the corrosion resistance properties were examined by potentiodynamic polarization measurements and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in 3.5% NaCl solution. At optimal EPD conditions of operating voltage of 5 V and total deposition time of 15 min, a uniform crack-free RGO-PVPBM composite coating is obtained. The microscratch experiment has shown an enhancement in the crack propagation resistance of RGO-PVPBM composite coating up to 3.7 times and adhesive strength increased ~2 times compared to PVPBM coating, thereby making it a potential damage tolerance surface coating on Cu substrate. The potentiodynamic measurements clearly show that RGO-PVPBM acts as a protective coating for Cu in 3.5% NaCl solution. The corrosion inhibition efficiency for RGO-PVPBM coating was calculated to be 95.4% which clearly indicates that the tailored RGO-PVPBM composite is an excellent barrier coating to ion diffusion and corrosive electrolyte with considerably enhanced corrosion resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the years, there has been a growing need for producing cost effective, porous scaffold biomaterials for tissue engineering. Therefore, this study focused on fabrication of β-chitosan based scaffold from the waste of the pen of locally available squid variety Loligo duvauceli (Indian Squid). The scaffold was prepared by the solvent casting method which requires less time and minimum energy. To the best of our knowledge,there are no reports on scaffold preparation from the extracted β-chitosan. The biological properties of extracted chitosan scaffolds C(L) were evaluated and compared with those of commercial chitosan scaffold C(S). The prepared scaffolds were characterized by SEM, swelling property, in vitro enzymatic degradation, and hemo, biocompatibility properties. C(L) scaffolds had an average pore size of 60 µm and the swelling ratio was 16.2 ± 2.2% with mass loss percentage of 20.8 ± 4.5% after 4 weeks of degradation. It has exhibited good hemocompatible properties and thermal stability. Mouse fibroblast 3T3 cells were able to adhere and proliferate well in the extracted β-chitosan C(L) scaffold. All these results indicated that extracted β-chitosan C(L) is a suitable alternative for biomaterials used for tissue engineering purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present research, to enhance the alternating current conductivity of polyaniline (PANI), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), a biopolymer, is used to prepare optimized polyaniline-carboxymethyl cellulose (PANI-CMC) composite. The composite was synthesized by in situ polymerization and then characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. Improvement in π-electron delocalization in the composite due to CMC was confirmed from FTIR studies. Decrease in d-spacing and inter-chain separation of PANI chains and increase in the degree of crystallinity of the composite, all determined from XRD studies suggested increase in conductivity of the composite. SEM image of the composite has shown crumpled PANI on CMC forming a kind of network facilitating easier transport of charge carriers. Alternating current (AC) response characteristics of PANI-CMC composite were investigated in the frequency range 100 Hz–1 MHz and comparatively analyzed with those of pristine PANI. Increase in AC conductivity of PANI-CMC composite by one order magnitude as compared to that of PANI, mainly due to the presence of CMC in it, was confirmed experimentally. Decrease in density of states at Fermi level of PANI-CMC composite as compared to that of PANI calculated as per correlated barrier hopping model confirmed and supported experimentally observed increase in AC conductivity of the composite. So, CMC as a component of PANI based composites can effectively replace metals/metal oxides in increasing AC conductivity of such composites and has the potential for applications in electronic circuit elements and sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

B Correction to: Optical and Quantum Electronics (2023) 55:211 b . https://doi.org/10.1007/s11082-022-04484-z In the original publication of the article, the affiliation indicators were incorrectly assigned. Publisher's Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. [Extracted from the article]

Pathogens are becoming nearly untreatable due to the rise in gaining new resistance against standard antibiotics. Coexistence of microbial pathogens, antibiotics and antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs) in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) provide favourable conditions for the development of new antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB); facilitate horizontal gene transfer among pathogens and may also serve as a hotspot for the spread of ARB and genes into the environment. In this study, the current status of wastewater treatment systems in the removal of pathogens, ARGs, and antibiotic residues are discussed. WWTP are efficient in removing pathogens and antibiotic residues to a greater extend during secondary and tertiary treatment processes. Recent studies, however, have shown high variations in the presence of pathogens including ARB as well as antibiotic resistance genes (ARG) in the final effluent. Prolonged sludge retention time (SRT) and hydraulic retention time (HRT) during secondary treatment will facilitate antibiotic removal by adsorption and biodegradation. However, the above conditions can also lead to the enhancement of antibiotic resistance process in microbes. Therefore, optimum conditions for the operation of conventional WWTP for the efficient removal of antibiotics are yet to be established. The removal of antibiotic residues can be accelerated by combining conventional activated sludge (CAS) process with an additional treatment technology involving dosing with ozone. The advanced biological treatment method using membrane bioreactors (MBR) in combination with coagulation reportedly has the best ARG removal efficiency, and removes both ARB and extracellular ARGs. While studies have predicted the fate for ARGs in wastewater treatment plants, the mechanisms of ARGs acquisition remains to be conclusively established. Thus, strategies to investigate the underlying mechanism of acquisition of ARGs within the WWTP are also provided in this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce polyaniline-cadmium ferrite (PANI-CdFeO) nanostructured composite as a room-temperature-operable liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sensor. The structure of PANI and the composite prepared by chemical polymerization was characterized by Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and field-emission scanning electron microscopy. Comparative XRD and FT-IR analysis confirmed CdFeO embedded in PANI matrix with mutual interfacial interaction. The nanostructure of the composite was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. A simple LPG sensor operable at room temperature, exclusively based on spin-coated PANI-CdFeO nanocomposite, was fabricated with maximum sensing response of 50.83% at 1000 ppm LPG. The response and recovery time of the sensor were 50 s and 110 s, respectively, and it was stable over a period of 1 month with slight degradation of 4%. The sensing mechanism is discussed on the basis of the p- n heterojunction barrier formed at the interface of PANI and CdFeO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to investigate the use of dark fermented paperboard mill wastewater (PMW) containing volatile fatty acids for polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) production. Six sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) were initially fed with synthetic feed containing acetate and operated at different organic loading rates (OLRs) of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0 gCOD l day for PHA-storing bacteria enrichment. The maximum PHA content and yield ( Y ) were 67.44 ± 5.88 % and 0.45 ± 0.39 C-mol C-mol at OLR of 1.5 gCOD l day, respectively. The synthetic feed was replaced by dark fermented PMW effluent rich in acetate, butyrate, propionate, and lactate at the accumulation stage resulting in a PHA content and yield of 58.57 ± 4.02 % and 0.46 ± 0.09 C-mol C-mol, respectively. The maximum specific PHA production rate ( q ) amounted to 0.29 ± 0.1 C-mol C-mol X h. Illumina MiSeq sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA gene showed that Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes increased from 37.4 to 77.6 % and from 2.49 to 17.66 % at enrichment and accumulation stages, respectively. Actinobacteria (15.44 %), Chloroflexi (8.15 %), Planctomycetes (7.46 %), and Acidobacteria (6.0 %) were detected at the enrichment SBRs. Graphical Abstract: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In MANET, providing authentication and security to location-based routing is a big task. To overcome this problem, in this paper, we proposed a defense against Sybil attacks and authentication for anonymous location-based routing in MANET. Each random forwarder has a table of RSS values estimated from the previous message exchanges across a zone to detect the Sybil attack. The difference in RSS values of two neighboring nodes is estimated based on which the node's arrival angle into the zone is detected. Depending on the arrival angle, the nodes can be categorized as safety zone and caution zone. The messages exchanged between the RFs and senders can be protected by means of group signature. Finally, misrouting packet drop attack is detected and eliminated by using ant colony optimization technique. By simulation results, we show the proposed technique reduces the packet drop due to attacks, thereby increasing the delivery ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of family planning originated as birth control in 1912 to control the size of the family and prevent unplanned pregnancies transformed to family welfare and later on expanded its horizons to reproductive and child health (RCH). A wide spectrum of choices both for male and female, temporary and permanent, have been developed and offered. Developed world having stabilised population faces problem with teenage and adolescent pregnancies. Developing nations are still struggling to stabilise population and traditionally depend on permanent female sterilisation as a major method of contraception. Lot of unmet need is seen in young recently married women, post-delivery, post-abortal states. Long-acting reversible contraception which includes intrauterine device, IUD, and implants has re-emerged strongly as a first choice of contraception for women of all ages including unmarried teenage pregnancies. They are highly efficient with failure rates equivalent or better than permanent methods, cost-effective, reversible, and have the potential to replace permanent sterilisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The climatology, amplitude error, phase error, and mean square skill score (MSSS) of temperature predictions from five different state-of-the-art general circulation models (GCMs) have been examined for the winter (December-January-February) seasons over North India. In this region, temperature variability affects the phenological development processes of wheat crops and the grain yield. The GCM forecasts of temperature for a whole season issued in November from various organizations are compared with observed gridded temperature data obtained from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for the period 1982-2009. The MSSS indicates that the models have skills of varying degrees. Predictions of maximum and minimum temperature obtained from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) climate forecast system model (NCEP_CFSv2) are compared with station level observations from the Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE). It has been found that when the model temperatures are corrected to account the bias in the model and actual orography, the predictions are able to delineate the observed trend compared to the trend without orography correction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, simulations have been carried out to study the relationship between winter-time precipitations and the large-scale global forcing (ENSO) using the tropical band version of Regional Climate Model (RegT-Band) for 5 El Niño and 4 La Niña years. The RegT-Band model is integrated with the observed sea-surface temperature and lateral boundary conditions from National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)-Department of Energy (DOE) reanalysis 2 (NCEP-DOE2). The model domain extends from 50°S to 50°N and covers the entire tropics at a grid spacing of 45 km, i.e., it includes lateral boundary forcing only at the southern and northern boundaries. The performance evaluation of the model in capturing the large-scale fields followed by ENSO response with winter-time precipitation has been carried out by using model simulations against NCEP-DOE2 and Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) precipitation data. The analysis suggests that the model is able to reproduce the upper airfields and large-scale precipitation during winter time, although the model has some systematic biases compared to the observations. A comparison of model-simulated precipitation with observed precipitation at 17 station locations has been carried out. It is noticed that the RegT-Band model simulations are able to bring out the observed features reasonably well. Therefore, this preliminary study indicates that the tropical band version of the regional climate model can be effectively used for the better understanding of the large-scale global forcing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing use of heavy metals in various fields, their environmental persistency, and poor regulatory efforts have significantly increased their fraction in river water. We studied the effect of Musi river water pollution on oxidative stress biomarkers and histopathology in rat after 28 days repeated oral treatment. River water analysis showed the presence of Zn and Pb at mg/l concentration and Ag, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Mo, Ni, Sn, and Sb at μg/l concentration. River water treatment resulted in a dose-dependent accumulation of metals in rat organs, being more in liver followed by kidney and brain. Metal content in both control and low-dose group rat organs was below limit of detection. However, metal bioaccumulation in high- and medium-dose group organs as follows: liver-Zn (21.4 & 14.5 μg/g), Cu (8.3 & 3.6 μg/g), and Pb (8.2 & 0.4 μg/g); kidney-Zn (16.2 & 7.9 μg/g), Cu (3.5 & 1.4 μg/g), Mn (2.9 & 0.5 μg/g), and Pb (2.6 & 0.5 μg/g); and brain-Zn (2.4 & 1.1 μg/g), and Ni (1 & 0.3 μg/g). These metals were present at high concentrations in respective organs than other metals. The increased heavy metal concentration in treated rat resulted significant increase in superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, glutathione S transferase enzymes activity, and lipid peroxidation in a dose-dependent manner. However, glutathione content and catalase activity were significantly decreased in treated rat organs. Histopathological examination also confirmed morphological changes in rat organs due to polluted river water treatment. In conclusion, the findings of this study clearly indicate the oxidative stress condition in rat organs due to repeated oral treatment of polluted Musi river water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vitamin B12 deficiency has been reported in patients with Autoimmune thyroid disorders. However there is limited data on exact prevalence of low B12 and its correlation with anti-thyroperoxidase antibody (anti-TPO) levels in these patients. The aim of our study was to estimate serum vitamin B12 levels in autoimmune thyroid disorders and to correlate B12 levels with anti-TPO. 350 patients were selected by convenient sampling. Vitamin B12 levels and thyroid parameters were estimated using fully automated chemiluminescence method on Access 2. Results of our study shows that using the manufacturer's cut-off of 145 pg/mL, the prevalence of low serum vitamin B12 was found to be 45.50 %. Higher prevalence (55 %) was seen based on the published cut-off of 200 pg/mL The study however did not demonstrate any significant correlation between vitamin B12 levels and anti-TPO (r = −0.11 and p value of 0.30). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kudzu root, Pueraria radix, extracts are a rich source of isoflavones. This study investigates the thermal stability of Pueraria radix extracts as a natural nutraceutical supplement in beef patties. The extract contained puerarin, diadzin, genistin, ononin, daidzein, glycitein, calycosin, genistein, formononetin and biochanin A; however, puerarin, daidzein and glycitein were the main components. The isoflavones concentrations in the spiked beef patties with kudzu root extracts were unaffected by cooking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Membrane bioreactors (MBRs) are rapidly becoming the technology of choice over conventional activated sludge treatment systems due to their smaller footprint, reduced sludge production, rapid start-up of biological processes, complete removal of suspended solids and better effluent quality. The retention of sufficient amount of slow-growing nitrifiers makes it feasible for the MBRs to achieve strong tolerance against the shock loads with stable and highly efficient nitrogen removal. Various studies have focused on the ecophysiology of nitrifiers in MBRs as well as their distinctive operational parameters as well as their impact on the selection and activity of nitrifying community. Several techniques have been employed over the years to understand the nitrifying community and their interaction within the MBR system, which led to its modification from the initial design. This review focuses on the identification of optimal operational and environmental conditions for efficient nitrification in MBRs. The advantages and limitations of different techniques employed for investigating the nitrifying communities in MBRs are also emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The basic equations for the wave on the surface of an initially stressed transversely isotropic dual-phase-lag thermoelastic body subjected to the action of a magnetic field were solved. Particular solutions were applied to the thermally insulated free surface of a half-space to obtain the frequency equation for the Rayleigh wave. This equation was approximated for calculating the numerical values of the dimensionless velocity of the Rayleigh wave. The Rayleigh-wave velocity was represented graphically for the cases of coupled, Lord-Shulman, and dual-phaselag thermoelasticities. The influence of the dual-phase-lag and the initial stress of a body, the value of the magnetic field, and the frequency of the Rayleigh wave on the velocity of this wave were determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, sensitivity of the Indian summer monsoon simulation to the Himalayan orography representation in a regional climate model (RegCM) is examined. The prescribed height of the Himalayan orography is less in the RegCM model than the actual height of the Himalayas. Therefore, in order to understand the impact of the Himalayan orography representation on the Indian summer monsoon, the height of the Himalayan orography is increased (decreased) by 10 % from its control height in the RegCM model. Three distinct monsoon years such as deficit (1987), excess (1988) and normal rainfall years are considered for this study. The performance of the RegCM model is tested with the use of a driving force from the reanalysis data and a global model output. IMD gridded rainfall and the reanalysis-2 data are used as verification analysis to validate the model results. The RegCM model has the potential to represent mean rainfall distribution over India as well as the upper air circulation patterns and some of the semi-permanent features during the Indian summer monsoon season. The skill of RegCM is reasonable in representing the variation in circulation and precipitation pattern and intensity during two contrasting rainfall years. The simulated seasonal mean rainfall over many parts of India especially, the foothills of the Himalaya, west coast of India and over the north east India along with the whole of India are more when the orography height is increased. The low level southwesterly wind including the Somali jet stream as well as upper air circulation associated with the tropical easterly jet stream become stronger with the enhancement of the Himalayan orography. Statistical analysis suggests that the distribution and intensity of rainfall is represented better with the increased orography of RegCM by 10 % from its control height. Thus, representation of the Himalayan orography in the model is close to actual and may enhance the skill in seasonal scale simulation of the Indian summer monsoon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper deals with cytological studies on 31 populations covering 17 species belonging to 10 genera of Apiaceae from Western Himalayas. The chromosome numbers in the two species as Chaerophyllum capnoides ( n = 11) and Heracleum brunonis ( n = 11), along with additional cytotypes for Pimpinella acuminata ( n = 9) and Sium latijugum ( n = 12) have been reported for the first time on world-wide basis. The genus Pleurospermum, although cytologically worked out earlier from outside India, its species densiflorum ( n = 11) makes first representation of the genus from India. Besides, the chromosome number in Chaerophyllum aromaticum ( n = 11) have been worked out for the first time from India. The course of meiosis varies from normal to abnormal in different populations of Chaerophyllum villosum, Pimpinella achilleifolia and Sium latijugum while abnormal meiotic course has been observed in all the studied populations of Chaerophyllum acuminatum, C. aromaticum, C. capnoides, Pimpinella acuminata, P. diversifolia, Pleurospermum densiflorum and Vicatia coniifolia. Such taxa are marked with meiotic abnormalities in the form of cytomixis, chromatin stickiness, formation of laggards and bridges resulting into abnormal microsporogenesis. The occurrence of structural heterozygosity has been recorded in the Chaerophyllum acuminatum and C. aromaticum. The effect of these abnormalities is clearly seen on the pollen size and fertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sarcoidosis bone is uncommon, and involvement of the skull is exceptionally rare. We present a 65-year-old obese female who presented with a 2-month history of dryness of mouth, polyuria, fatigue, and anorexia. She had generalized lymphadenopathy, organomegaly, and hypercalcemia, and a skeletal survey revealed extensive osteolytic lesions in the skull and phalanges. Both lymph node biopsy from the cervical lymph node and bone marrow examination revealed non-caseating granulomas, suggesting sarcoidosis. She was started on 1 mg/kg oral corticosteroids; during a follow-up of 6 months, she achieved normocalcemia; however, the punched-out lesions in the skull remained unchanged. This case reiterates several important issues that all lymphadenopathy in emerging nations may not be tubercular, and presence of osteolytic lesions in skull are unusual for sarcoid, at an elderly age, necessitates evaluation for more common etiologies like metastases and myeloma. Finally, patients with osseous sarcoid should be on a close follow-up since due to the rarity of this presentation, no definite consensus on the management of such cases exists in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Present study deals with the statistical analysis of long-term ground level ozone (O) trend and the influence of meteorological variables on its variation over Delhi, India. Daily mean and maximum of O and meteorological data, obtained from India Meteorological Department, were arranged for the period of 9 years (1998-2006). Based on the preliminary correlation study of all the data with O, six variables viz. daily maximum temperature, daily average relative humidity, dew point, wind speed, visibility, and total sunshine were selected. Classical additive time series decomposition technique was used to obtain seasonally adjusted long-term trend. To analyze the masking effect of meteorology, adjustment was made using Kolmogorov-Zurbenko filters followed by stepwise regression analysis to the smoothed series of O maximum and meteorological variables, which showed that long-term trend was independent of sunshine duration. Results indicate a significant increasing trend with annual increase of 1.13 % for O mean and 3 % for O maximum. Annual deseasonalized trend for seasonal cycle shows bimodal oscillations. About 43 % of O variation was explained by the selected meteorological factors and rest of variation attributed to factors like emission of precursor gases, pollutant transport, policy changes, etc. Among the three tested regression models, performance of Model 2 with variable temperature, wind speed, and visibility was found to be best that resulted in lowering of O trend. Large variability (23 %) was explained by the variable visibility depicted that the emission of primary pollutants not only provides the precursor gases but also control the local photochemical reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]