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Bacteria are ubiquitous and many of them are pathogenic in nature. Entry of bacteria in host and its recognition by host defense system induce stress in host cells. With time, bacteria have also developed strategies including drug resistance to escape from antibacterial therapy as well as host defense mechanism. Bacterial stress initiates and promotes adaptive immune response through several integrated mechanisms. The mechanisms of bacteria to up and down regulate different pathways involved in these responses have been discussed. The genetic expression of these pathways can be manipulated by the pharmacological interventions. Present review discusses in these contexts and explores the possibilities to overcome stress induced by bacterial pathogens and to suggest new possible therapeutic targets. In our opinion, there are two important fronts to regulate the bacterial stress. One is to target caspase involved in the process of transformation and translation at gene level and protein expression. Second is the identification of bacterial genes that lead to synthesis of abnormal end products supporting bacterial survival in host environment and also to surpass the host defense mechanism. Identification of such genes and their expression products could be an effective option to encounter bacterial resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present article, we deal with the multi-server finite capacity queueing system with Bernoulli's scheduled modified vacation policy and the realistic retaining policy of reneged customers. After completion of the service of any customer, the server decides whether to go for the vacation of random duration or to continue facilitating the service to the waiting customer, if any, present in the queue. All servers, homogeneous in nature, provide the state-dependent service following the threshold policy to reduce the overload of the system. The impatience behavior of customers like balking and reneging is also considered in the stochastic modeling of the studied problem. The matrix analytic approach is employed to obtain the steady-state probabilities with which various system performance measures are also developed with practical justification. Finally, the expected cost minimization problem is formulated and dealt with the meta-heuristic approach: particle swarm optimization (PSO). All results of numerical simulation and optimal analysis are summarized in tables and graphs to provide quick insight. The concluding remarks and future scopes have also been discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A highly efficient fluorination reaction of 4,6-disubstituted aminopyrimidines using N-Fluorobenzenesulfonimide (NFSI) has been developed, presumably proceeding via C–H bond activation. Cadmium acetate was employed as the salts, and various fluorinated 4,6-disubstituted aminopyrimidines have been generated in good to excellent yields. This chemistry endows an economical method of valuable fluorinated 4,6-disubstituted aminopyrimidines through a direct C–F bond formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A highly efficient fluorination reaction of 4,6-disubstituted aminopyrimidines using N-Fluorobenzenesulfonimide (NFSI) has been developed, presumably proceeding via C–H bond activation. Cadmium acetate was employed as the salts, and various fluorinated 4,6-disubstituted aminopyrimidines have been generated in good to excellent yields. This chemistry endows an economical method of valuable fluorinated 4,6-disubstituted aminopyrimidines through a direct C–F bond formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents an application of upgraded arithmetic operations on trapezoidal fuzzy number to extend the reliability from point estimation to interval estimation. A realistic example of an accidental case has been taken to show the desired results. As we know that uncertainty is a disregardable phenomenon and in this situation crisp reliability may not be exact. To get a better hold on this situation, we introduce a method of trapezoidal fuzzy number and upgraded arithmetic operations. In this paper, the reliability of each factor is represented by the trapezoidal fuzzy number and the final reliability is obtained in the form of trapezoidal fuzzy number. Hence, the dejection of fuzzy number is preserved and the crisp region is increased to illustrate the highest membership grade as an interval. So it can help the decision maker to analyse the behaviour of the system and take effective decision accordingly to reduce the chance of mishappening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Milk β-casein has attracted extensive research interest in the dairy industry and animal breeding as a source of high-quality protein for human diet; however, adverse health effects have been ascribed to A1 β-casein variant consumption. A study was conducted to genotype the polymorphism in milk β-casein gene and examines the potential association between β-casein genotypes and milk production and reproduction traits in population of Frieswal cows. β-Casein A1/A2 genotype had significant effect (P ≤ 0.05) on several production traits including Total Milk Yield (TMY) (P ≤ 0.05), Milk Milk yield 300 days (MY300) (P ≤ 0.05), Lactation Length (LL) (P ≤ 0.01) and Peak Yield (PY) (P ≤ 0.01). β-Casein A1A1 genotype cows had significantly lower TMY, MY300, PY and DP as compared to A1A2 and A2A2 genotypes. A1A2 genotype had highest TMY, MY300, PY and DP; however, A2A2 and A1A2 genotypes were not significantly different from each other. The results pointed towards the superiority of A2 β-casein variant for several production traits in crossbreds. Further, with higher price of A2 milk, the inclusion of β-casein A1/A2 genotype in the selection of crossbreds offers higher profitability from dairy enterprise as well as provides a nutritional wellness product for consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies on relationship between methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene (MTHFR) gene A1298C polymorphism with the risk of ischemic as well as hemorrhagic stroke have shown discordant results. Present meta-analysis was aimed to clarify the relationship between MTHFR gene A1298C polymorphism with risk of stroke. A comprehensive literature search for all published articles was performed in electronic database including PubMed, EMbase, Cochrane Library, Trip Databases, Worldwide Science, CINAHL, and Google Scholar up to 31st December 2019. Pooled odds ratio (ORs) with 95% confidence interval (CIs) under dominant, recessive, and allelic models was calculated. Sensitivity analysis was also performed to detect the heterogeneity. In our meta-analysis, a total of 20 studies with 19 case control studies involving 2871 ischemic stroke (IS) cases and 3984 controls and 3 studies with 201 hemorrhagic stroke cases and 1349 controls were included. Our findings suggest that there was a significant relationship between MTHFR gene A1298C gene polymorphism with risk of ischemic stroke (dominant model: OR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.06–1.66, recessive model: OR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.06–1.99 and allelic model: OR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.00–1.84, respectively). However, no significant relationship between MTHFR gene A1298C gene polymorphism with the risk of hemorrhagic stroke. Findings of this meta-analysis concludes that MTHFR gene A1298 C polymorphism could be capable of increasing stroke susceptibility in Asian, but not in Caucasian population. Genotyping of MTHFR gene A1298C polymorphism may be used as a predictor for the occurrence of ischemic stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information on phosphorus (P) dynamics in soil is crucial for careful management of phosphorus fertilization in respect to the sustainable development of agriculture in IGP regions. The sorption and desorption of phosphate, different fractions of phosphate, dehydrogenase activity, acid and alkaline phosphatase activity were studied in soils under organic inorganic and integrated nutrient management practices in four different cropping systems. The P adsorption maxima of long-term organic soil was highest (77.52 µg P g−1) under coarse rice-barley-green gram cropping system. The bonding energy of phosphorus in the soil solution varies from 0.38 to 0.20 ml µ−1. Average across the cropping systems, the bonding energy of adsorb P were 68.54% and 39.05% higher under organic and integrated nutrient-managed plots respectively as compared to the inorganic nutrient management. Maximum buffering capacity of phosphate was observed (29.59 ml g−1 soil) under Coarse rice-barley-green gram cropping systems in organic nutrient management practice. Application of organic nutrient management practice increases 26.04% higher water-soluble phosphorus (WSP) as compared to the inorganic nutrient management practice, average across the cropping systems. All other fractions of phosphorus in the soil were higher under inorganic nutrient management that leads to higher amount of total of phosphorus, average across the cropping systems. Long-term application of organic for 14 years increases the bonding energy and adsorption capacity for P in soil but decreased its desorption potential, increasing P availability to the plant and leading to higher P uptake irrespective of cropping systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imbalanced and indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers has been adversely influencing the quality of soil, environment, biodiversity and nutrient status in soil. Conjoint application of bio-inoculants (BI) with organic or inorganic sources of nutrients tweaks nutrient synchrony in soil and improves plant nutrition. With this backdrop an experiment was conducted at Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi during 2016–2018. The objectives were to identify the suitable combinations of BI-mediated nutrient sources for higher productivity and profitability in pigeon pea–wheat cropping system (PWCS). The nine pigeon pea treatments; four sole applications viz., recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF), vermicompost (VC), farm yard manure (FYM), leaf compost (LC) and four conjoint applications viz., RDF + BI, VC + BI, FYM + BI and LC + BI and one control were replicated thrice under randomized block design (RBD). However, in succeeding wheat, each of the treatments applied to pigeon pea was further allocated to two levels (50% and 100%) in factorial RBD. Findings exhibit that FYM + BI could result into higher equivalent-system grain productivity (10.4 and 10.8 t ha−1 during 1st and 2nd year, respectively) of PWCS. However, profitability parameters of PWCS were higher with the RDF + BI. Uptake of nutrients (NPK) was significantly higher with FYM + BI in pigeon pea and RDF + BI in wheat. Nutrient harvest index (NHI) did not vary significantly in both the crops. Conclusively, bio-inoculation is more productive and beneficial in general, while, over the various combinations, recommendation of FYM + BI combination could be more productive and sustainable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present investigation, groundwater samples (n = 508) collected from northern, central, and southern Punjab were analyzed for the detection of potentially hazardous metals (Pb, Cd, Ni, Cr) and As using atomic absorption spectrometer. Lead was observed as a predominant contaminant with 167 (32.8%) samples exceeding the permissible limit, followed by As, with 19 (3.7%) samples above the limit set by WHO. Spatial variation for the occurrence of metals showed statistically significant levels of Ni and Cr in groundwater from central Punjab, and As from northern Punjab. Assessment of health risks to these pollutants revealed As as a noxious pollutant, with hazard indices and carcinogenic risks significantly higher than the recommended limits in the three regions; and hence, posing a serious threat to the study population. Also, the risk values were higher for children than adults, indicative of their higher susceptibility to the ill-effects of these pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term use of chemical fertilizers has been known to degrade the various soil physico-chemical properties. Incorporation of crop residues (CR) along with biofertilizers (BF) is an important practice from improving the physico-chemical properties of soil. Laboratory analyses were conducted during 2015 on soil samples collected from an on-going long-term experiment "Nutrient management in rice based organic farming systems," in progress since 2003. Over the 12 years of study a significant improvement in bulk density, water-holding capacity, aggregate stability, hydraulic conductivity, and soil pH was observed under conjoint application of organics, CR, and BF in farmyard manure (FYM)+CR+BF and VC+CR+BF treatments. The data further delineated maximum soil organic carbon build-up was recorded in the combined application of organic nutrient sources as compared to manures alone treatment. The data further indicated that DTPA extractable copper, zinc, manganese, and iron in soil recorded a significant increase in all the manures applied treatments under rice-wheat-mungbean and rice-wheat cropping systems over the initial level. The integrated use of organics and crop residues in combination with biofertilizers recorded significant higher rice grain and straw yields over the rest of the treatments. Organic manures in combination with crop residues and biofertilizers supported high rice grain yield and straw biomass and sustainable yield index (SYI), with lower values of coefficient of variance. In conclusion, the conjoint application of organics, crop residues, and biofertilizers can enhance not only rice crop yield but also yield stability and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing life-threatening pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has extensively affected the world. During this global health crisis, it is fundamentally crucial to find strategies to combat SARS-CoV-2. Despite several efforts in this direction and continuing clinical trials, no vaccine has been approved for it yet. To find a preventive measure, we have computationally designed a multi-epitopic subunit vaccine using immuno-informatic approaches. The structural proteins of SARS-CoV-2 involved in its survival and pathogenicity were used to predict antigenic epitopes. The antigenic epitopes were capable of eliciting a strong humoral as well as cell-mediated immune response, our predictions suggest. The final vaccine was constructed by joining the all epitopes with specific linkers and to enhance their stability and immunogenicity. The physicochemical property of the vaccine was assessed. The vaccine 3D structure prediction and validation were done and docked with the human TLR-3 receptor. Furthermore, molecular dynamics simulations of the vaccine-TLR-3 receptor complex are employed to assess its dynamic motions and binding stability in-silico. Based on this study, we strongly suggest synthesizing this vaccine, which further can be tested in-vitro and in-vivo to check its potency in a cure for COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to characterize cultivable and uncultivable halophilic bacteria inhabiting Marakkanam saltpan located in south India. In addition, cultured bacteria were screened for enzymes of industrial importance, heavy metal tolerance, and ability to grow in crude oil as well as antagonistic activity against shrimp pathogen Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Uncultivable bacteria using MinION sequencing showed the presence of eight bacterial phyla belonging to fifty-five genera with an abundance of class Betaproteobacteria (59%). A total of eight bacterial strains were isolated, identified and phylogenetically characterized using 16S rRNA gene sequence. Out of eight, five isolates showed resemblance to the genus Chromohalobacter (Gammaproteobacteria), two to the genus Halovibrio (Gammaproteobacteria), and one to the genus Staphylococcus (Firmictues). All of the isolated strains were capable of producing lipase and protease, tolerant to heavy metals like cobalt, lead, arsenic zinc, copper, chromium, and mercury but sensitive to silver. Two strains of Chromohalobacter were capable to grow in crude oil indicating their potential for hydrocarbon degradation. Four strains were detected to have antagonistic activity against V. parahaemolytics. This study indicated presence of wide varieties of halophilic bacteria detected by next generation sequencing method in the previously unexplored saltpan. In addition, all the cultivable bacteria showed great potential as a source for different biotechnological applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the nuclear reprocessing plant, after the dissolution of spent fuel, high-speed tubular bowl sedimentation centrifuge is being used to remove the solid particles from the solvent. The performance of the system and extent of clarification of the solvent is ascertained in the chemical laboratory by drawing the sample. A noninvasive methodology, the laser obscuration, is studied for its adaptability as an online measurement tool for determination of clarification status. This would help to manipulate the operation of the centrifuge to achieve desired separation efficiency with minimum time and without interruption. In this context, the performance evaluation of a uniquely designed high-speed tubular centrifuge for reprocessing of fast reactor fuel has been carried out by using laser obscuration method. The light scattering technique has been widely used for the determination of concentration of clarification liquid. In addition, the size distribution is also ascertained in our study, which is useful to determine the grade efficiency of centrifuge system. Two different particulate liquid suspensions namely ferric oxide (Fe2O3) and zirconium molybdate suspended in de-ionized water are used. The tubular bowl centrifuge is tested at the high-speed rotation of the inner bowl (14000–20000 rpm), various throughput of clarifier liquid (30–470 lph) and in half-loaded bowl condition. The laser obscuration method is found to be useful for ascertaining the performance of the centrifuge system and it is recommended as an online tool for monitoring and maintaining separation efficiency by adjusting rotational speed, throughput and to monitor the bowl-loading condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study estimates the cancer and non-cancer health risk among the roadside vendors in Delhi, the capital city of India. Air samples of selected NMHCs and their derivatives were collected from four different sites (one traffic intersection, one industrial, and two residential) in Delhi and were analyzed on Gas Chromatograph (GC) to obtain their atmospheric concentrations. At each site, a survey among the roadside vendors was also conducted to obtain information about their bodyweight and exposure to outdoor ambient air. The study reveals that hazard quotient of 1,3-butadiene is greater than one at all the sites, with its maximum value occurring at the industrial site. The major contributors to the workplace cancer risk (WCR) are found to be 1,3-butadiene and chloroform. The overall WCR is observed to be the highest (9.4 × 10−4) at the traffic intersection site, followed by the industrial site (7.0 × 10−4). Cancer incidence data and the population data are also used to estimate the growth of cancer risk in Delhi from 2009 to 2016. Comparison of the WCR values of the four sites with the cancer risk estimated from the cancer incidence data shows that NMHCs and their derivatives are significant contributors to the overall cancer risk in Delhi. Our results suggest that NMHCs and their derivatives need to be given due consideration in the National Cancer Control Programme of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoparticles have emerged as an important carrier system to treat wounds as they permit the topical administration of an antimicrobial drug in a sustained and effective manner. On the other hand, if active excipients are added during the formulation, such as chitosan or graphene oxide, the developed Nano formulation could significantly improve its potential for chronic wound healing. Given that, we have conceived the fabrication and evaluation of rosmarinic acid loaded chitosan encapsulated graphene nanoparticles (RA-CH-G-NPOs) formulation to enhance wound healing capacity. The prepared nanoparticles were characterized by particle size, Zeta potential, FT-IR, SEM, TEM and AFM. It was observed the average diameter of RA-CH-G-NPOS is around 417.5 ± 18.3 nm and showed sustained release behavior. Optimized RA-CH-G-NPOs were incorporated into Carbopol gel and evaluated for drug content, pH, in vitro release, texture analysis, and viscosity. The antibacterial activity of optimized formulation was examined as a minimum inhibitory concentration against Staphylococcus aureus. The fabricated RA-CH-G-NPOs were than evaluated for in vitro antimicrobial activity by microdilution assay The combination of RA, Chitosan and Graphene oxide (GO) showed higher antibacterial activity of 0.0038 ± 0.2 mg/mL. Further, these nanoparticles were evaluated in- vivo for wound healing efficacy in Sprague Dawley rats. Histopathological evaluations demonstrated that RA-CH-G-NPOs showed significantly enhanced wound contraction, enhanced cell adhesion, epithelial migration, and high hydroxyproline content leading to faster and more efficient collagen synthesis as compared to plain carbopol, plain RA and controls. Hence the topical administration of fabricated RA-CH-G-NPOs appears to be an interesting and suitable strategy for the treatment of chronic wounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming impacts of N use in Indian agriculture since 1960 was estimated for 20- and 100-year time scales using equation-based empirical method. During 2014, total Warming in terms of global temperature change potential (GTP) for a 20-year time scale (GTP20) was assessed as 217.31 ± 17.74 Tg CO2e, and for a 100-year time scale (GTP100) was 217.78 ± 17.78 Tg CO2e. N2O contributed 90% and 99%of the GTP20 and GTP100, respectively. Total cooling impacts were 94.86 ± 7.75 and 50.36 ± 4.11 Tg CO2e on GTP20 and GTP100, respectively. Aerosols of NH3 and NOx, NOx-induced O3 and CH4 alteration, and N-induced C sequestration contributed 41, 6 and 51%, respectively, to GTP20, however, N-induced C sequestration contributed about 99% to GTP100. Net warming impacts were 122.45 ± 10.00 and 167.42 ± 13.67 Tg CO2e on GTP20 and GTP100, respectively. Net warming impacts were lowered by 10% and 1% compared to total warming, and 37% and 23% compared to warming caused by N2O alone, for GTP20 and GTP100, respectively. Usually, to estimate the global warming impacts of N use in agriculture, the warming effects of only N2O emission are considered. However, both warming and cooling impacts should be considered to capture the net impacts of N use in agriculture on climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The very high anomalous precipitation (more than 500 mm) and release of water from reservoirs located in an upper catchment resulted in severe flood inundation situation in downslope regions of Kerala State in August 2018. In the present study, the satellite-based precipitation was analyzed on a daily to weekly basis during the flood duration in Kerala. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) based precipitation pattern indicated very high rainfall (more than 60 mm day–1) in the central parts of Kerala on 14 and 15August 2018. The climate research unit (CRU) based long-term mean cumulative precipitation (1901-2017) indicated high (300-400 mm) to very high (more than 500 mm) anomalous precipitation in parts of Kerala during August 2018 leading to severe flood inundation in major parts of the state. The Sentinel-1A Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) based inundation mapping exhibited flooding of 1100.4 km2 area (5.80% of total area) during August 2018, which severely affected Alappuzha, Thrissur, and Kottayam districts. Cropland (218.69 km2), settlement (115.23 km2) and shrubland (79.46 km2) were the most affected land-use/land-cover in the region. The study warrants the restoration of ecological stability and augmentation of resilience to flooding hazard primarily in the upper catchments (the Western Ghats). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(100 − x)PVDF–(x) PZT (PVDF: Polyvinylidene Difluoride and PZT: Lead Zirconate Titanate) composite was prepared in 0–3 connectivity by the solvent casting methods. The piezoelectric co-efficient is found to be increased with the increase in PZT concentration in the PVDF matrix. It is due to the increase of β phase of PVDF as well as lattice strain in PZT. The incorporation of PZT ceramics in the PVDF matrix causes an increase in storage loss modulus of the sample. The tanδ decreases due to incorporation of PZT ceramics in the PVDF matrix. The piezoelectric and mechanical properties are found to be increased in the PVDF-PZT composite compare to that of PVDF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Studies have suggested promising evidence that glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) could be used as a blood biomarker to distinguish between ischaemic stroke (IS) and intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) in acute stage. Objective: To determine the available evidence for GFAP as a blood biomarker for differentiating ICH from IS and stroke mimics using a meta-analysis approach. Methods: Search terms were used for literature search: ("STROKE" [Mesh] OR "BIOMARKER" [Title/Abstract] OR "GFAP" [Title/Abstract])] OR "SPECIFICITY" OR "SENSTIVITY" at various search engines like PubMed, Google scholar, Trip database, clinicaltrial.gov for articles from 1990 to April 2019 using filter 'human subjects'. Data were analysed using software STATA version 13. Results: A pooled analysis including 12 studies suggested that GFAP if used as a biomarker to differentiate between different types of strokes (ICH from IS and mimics) had a sensitivity of 78% (95% CI: 67–86%) and a specificity of 95% (95% CI: 88–98%). Positive likelihood ratio (LR) was 14.4 and negative LR was 0.23. SROC with prediction and confidence contours suggests promising area under the curve 0.93, 95% CI ranges from 0.90 to 0.95. Diagnostic odds ratio with 95% CI was observed 63 (31–125). Conclusion: Our meta-analysis suggests that GFAP has a promising diagnostic accuracy for the differentiation of ICH from IS and mimics. Further, phase II and phase III diagnostic test studies are required to validate the findings before using GFAP as a blood based biomarker for clinical use. Trial Registration: This study was registered in OSF registries 10.17605/OSF.IO/B9JP4 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Honey, being a healthy and natural product, is considered a valuable food commodity across the globe. However, injudicious use of antibiotics to prevent and control bacterial foulbrood diseases of honey bees not only contaminate honey but may also pose potential risks to human health. In this context, 150 commercial honey samples from India were investigated for the presence of oxytetracycline, erythromycin and chloramphenicol residues. The competitive immunoassay and chromatographic methods used for detection of antibiotic residue were validated as per European Commission decision. Oxytetracycline and erythromycin with concentrations above tolerance limits established by FSSAI were detected in 15.3% and 5.3% samples, respectively. Majority of oxytetracycline contaminated samples were uncertified branded (21.4%) and unbranded honeys (14.3%) sold in retail markets trailed by certified branded honeys (10.2%). All the erythromycin positive samples were uncertified ones. The honey samples screened by competitive ELISA were found to be free from chloramphenicol residues. Further, potential human health risks associated with exposure to antibiotics detected in honey were also evaluated. Although, estimated daily intakes of antibiotic residues were found to be lower than the established acceptable daily intakes but the presence of antibiotics in honey is a considerable public health concern especially for children, old and ill people. The results of present study suggests that continuous residue monitoring programs, accompanied by educational programs to the beekeepers' on beehive management are indispensable to meet the expectations of food safety and public health at both national and international fronts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simulation of molecular dynamics (MD) allows mimicking the systematic variation of mechanical properties beyond the capacity of experimental methods. In this review, the status of the molecular modelling, simulation and mechanical and thermal characterisation of graphene and the properties of bulk nanocomposites using MD are extensively examined. The molecular models of graphene (pristine and functionalised), and the most common epoxy matrix with preeminent MD energy minimisation tools are thoroughly examined. The presence of MD's simulation setup and the computational procedure for different styles of mixing the polymer matrix with graphene as nanofiller are exhaustively reviewed. In particular, in the analysis of several papers on graphene and their composites, it has been noticed that mechanical, thermal and interfacial properties are ubiquitous to most of the engineering applications. In this review, advances in the molecular modelling and simulation of graphene and their composites has been discussed in detail keeping graphene structures, aspect ratio, weight fraction and density effect as major factors. Finally, the research gaps and future scope are discussed, which indeed helps the researchers in scaling up their researches in graphene and their composites, which may further lead to their experimental findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytolacca, which belongs to the family of Phytolaccaceae, are known for their use in popular medicine. Bioactivity of five extracts from Phytolacca dioica seeds were evaluated in four bioassays. A selected group of compounds from the extract that displayed the best bioactivity was analysed. The ethyl acetate extract (EAE) possessed the highest content of phenolics, the highest inhibitory activity on the tyrosinase and xanthine oxidase enzymes and showed a high antioxidant activity. HPLC-DAD-MS was employed to identify the phenolics profile of the most active one (EAE). HSCCC analysis of the EAE led to the isolation of phytolaccoside B and a mixture of 4 isomers, isoamericanol B1, B2, C1 and C2. These isoamericanol isomers presented activity against tyrosinase and xanthine oxidase. Our results revealed for the first time an interesting biological activity of the extract and isolated compounds from P. dioica seeds, which could be considered as a source of bioactive molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) compounds are known for their toxic effects. The ambient BTEX levels were studied at various urban vegetative locations of Delhi to assess the health risks involved. The average concentrations were higher for toluene and xylene among BTEX compounds. The cancer risks for benzene exceeded the benchmark limits of USEPA and WHO. The study suggests that the vegetative areas in Delhi are not safe for public health and regulatory bodies need to initiate some action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to its lower water requirement, methane emission and soil degradation, a maize–wheat rotation (MWR) may be a more attractive alternative to rice–wheat rotation (RWR), in the upper Indo-Gangetic plains (IGP) of India. However, N2O emission from MWR needs to be quantified to propose management practices for N2O mitigation. A field experiment was conducted at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR-IARI), New Delhi, to assess the impacts of various N sources on N2O emission and its mitigation from the MWR. Six treatments –N0 (control), urea, urea + farmyard manure (FYM), FYM, urea + nitrification inhibitor (NI) and neem oil coated urea (NOCU) were investigated during 2012–2014. Results show ranges of N2O-N emissions from MWR of 0.59–0.69, 1.82–1.86, 1.81–1.85, 1.71–1.77, 1.38–1.52, 1.57–1.61 during 2012–2013, and of 0.62–0.68, 1.86–1.90, 1.78–1.84, 1.72–1.76, 1.40–1.46, 1.52–1.60 during 2013–2014, for N0, urea, urea + FYM, FYM, urea + NI and NOCU treatments, respectively. The 2-year pooled N2O-N emission of MWR decreased by 23% in urea + NI and by 16% in NOCU with higher grain yield as compared to conventional urea application. Application of FYM with urea and FYM alone also reduced N2O-N emission; however, the grain yields of these treatments were decreased. Thus, the study suggests that the application of NOCU and NI with urea can mitigate N2O-N emissions from the maize and wheat crops. Hence, the use of NOCU and application of NI with urea could be a better option to mitigate N2O-N emissions from MWR of the upper IGP of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Custard apple-shaped NaX zeolite with a large surface area was synthesized from rice husk ash without use of a templating agent via a single-step autoclave process at 90 °C/6h. The crystallinity of the particles was confirmed by XRD. An FTIR study shows the characteristic bands at 560 cm−1 for a double 6-membered ring (D6R), while a Raman shift at around 500 cm−1 indicates the bending mode of 4-membered ring fragments of NaX zeolite. The total BET surface area of the product was found to be 703 m2g−1 comprising a micrpore surface area of 623 m2g−1 and a mesopore surface area of 80 m2g−1. A hierarchical porous structure with micropores in the range of 0.72–1.76 nm and mesopores centred at 3.5 nm was obtained. FESEM and TEM images of NaX zeolite show a custard apple-like morphology (1–2 μm) of secondary particles which was formed by self-assembly of nanometer-sized (50–100 nm) primary particles. A proposed formation mechanism was illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal dewatering of fine coal is one of the major challenges faced by the coal preparation plants. The plant studied in this research is currently producing a fine coal product with 28% moisture and is required to reduce it to below 17% before this fine stream is blended with rest of the clean coal streams. A lot of dewatering aids such as surfactants, flocculants, and superabsorbent polymers are available on the market to enhance the dewatering process. The research was designed to use various dewatering aids to reduce the moisture content of this fine product without decreasing the production rate. Several commercially available chemical reagents were used to enhance the dewatering of this coal product. These reagents were selected in such a way that they could be grouped into different categories depending on their action. The results showed that the surface tension reducing reagents (STR) have a higher capability of moisture reduction than the coal hydrophobicity modifying (CHM) reagents and commonly used in filtration flocculants. Super absorbing polymers used in the dewatering of fine coal were shown to outperform all the other reagents and seem to be suited for this plant dewatering scenario. A cost-benefit analysis is required to make necessary plant modifications if they are to be used there, however, this was not in the scope of this project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imbalanced application of nutrients in the intensively cropped areas results in deterioration of soil fertility. Application of recommended dose of potassium (K) is essential for improving the use efficiency of other nutrients. To assess the buffering capacity of soil, three composite soil samples were collected from the surface soil (0–30 cm) during 2015 from 3 production systems viz., organic, inorganic and integrated which was maintained from 2004 with basmati rice–wheat–Sesbania system under Network Project on Organic Farming at ICAR-Indian Institute of Farming Systems Research, Modipuram. Fractionation of potassium (K) was achieved by sequential extraction of soil samples with distilled water, ammonium acetate and nitric acid in the same order. The relationship between the adsorbed and equilibrium potassium concentration, quantity was determined by plotting Freundlich adsorption isotherms. This was used to determine the buffering capacity and the concentration levels of potassium adsorbed on un-specific sites in the soil. The suitability of the adsorption equation was determined by applying the least square regression analysis. The results revealed that available potassium in the soils ranged from 119.51 to 135.01 mg/kg with 126.02 ± 5.24 mg/kg as mean (ammonium acetate method) while water soluble and nitric acid extracted potassium ranged from 28.51 to 29.05 mg/kg and 2594.49 ± 19.33 mg/kg (mean) in various production systems. The mean free energy of replacement was found to be −1998.01 ± 28.38 cal/mol indicating that soils have comparatively higher potassium supply under organic system. The potassium buffering capacity of the soils was found to be 0.7462 ± 0.16 mg/kg, 0.6295 ± 0.20 mg/kg and 0.6774 ± 0.09 mg/kg in organic, integrated and inorganic systems, respectively. The amount of potassium adsorbed on un-specific sites of the organic, integrated and inorganic systems was found to be 7.4730 ± 1.81, 15.11 ± 2.40 and 11.6 89 ± 3.58 mg/kg, respectively. It can be concluded that long-term organic production system improves K+ buffering capacity of Typic Ustochrept soil as compare to the integrated as well as inorganic production systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The photoactive film morphology of ternary molecules blend bulk heterojunction organic solar cell was investigated using various solvent additives. Two donor polymers namely poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and thieno[3,4-b]thiophene/benzodithiophene (PTB7) at (1:1) stoichiometric ratio were employed together with (PCBM) fullerene molecule in the preparation of the solar cells. The photoactive films were treated with either uni- or binary solvent additives to improve film morphology and the miscibility of the molecules in the medium. The significant improvement on the performances of the devices were recorded using binary solvent additives (∼1% vol.) with power conversion efficiency improvement as high as 4.1% compared to 2.9% measured from the films treated with single additive solvent. The correlation between solar cell performance and film morphology have been discussed in terms of optical, electrical and surface morphology of the active layers of solution processed organic solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the electromagnetic radiation (EMR) response of Portland Pozzolana cement paste samples and samples with addition of fly ash under impact. A peak EMR voltage ranging from 66 to 146mV and an average EMR energy release rate ranging from 0.00443 to 0.016 V2-s/s has been observed under impact loading for 28 days cured wet cement paste samples. Heating the samples in oven reduces the EMR voltage by 16.67%-34.93% and the average EMR energy release rate by 26.86%-21.87%. With the fly ash content varying from 5% to 20% the EMR voltage decreases in the range of 27.87%-24.6%. Resemblance of variation in EMR responses and reciprocal of the compressive strength with curing days suggests the possibility of monitoring hydration using EMR responses. Further proportionality of EMR responses with the height of impact suggests this technique for structural health monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanosized titania has promising application in the field of photocatalysis, optical coating and solar cell. Metal alkoxides based sol-gel methodology is one of the established & extensively used route for the preparation of nano-titania. In present work, nanosized titania have been prepared through sol-gel transformation of synthesised and chemically modified metal complex using titanium(IV) isopropoxide (TTIP). Modifications of metal alkoxides with chelating ligands result in the controlled condensation of TTIP. Metal complexes of TTIP were chemically modified by various schiffs bases. Phase of nano-sized titania was confirmed by X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Shape, size and surface morphology were examined using scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron micsroscopy. Elemental composition was investigated by energy disperse X-ray analysis. The absorption spectra and thus optical band gap were determined using Ultraviolet and visible spectroscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ethnobotanical study was conducted in the Daksum Forest of Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir State of India to document the traditional knowledge of its population, using semi-structured interviews and group conversation with 52 informants. One hundred and eight plant species, with a predominance of Asteraceae and Rosaceae, along with their detailed uses were documented. About 51 of the species were being used to treat various diseases, 65 as fruits and vegetables, and 21 for religious and other rituals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pediatric high grade gliomas (HGG) are primary brain malignancies that result in significant morbidity and mortality. One of the challenges in their treatment is inter- and intra-tumoral heterogeneity. Precision medicine approaches have the potential to enhance diagnostic, prognostic and/or therapeutic information. In this case study we describe the molecular characterization of a pediatric HGG and the use of an integrated approach based on genomic, in vitro and in vivo testing to identify actionable targets and treatment options. Molecular analysis based on WGS performed on initial and recurrent tumor biopsies revealed mutations in TP53, TSC1 and CIC genes, focal amplification of MYCN, and copy number gains in SMO and c-MET. Transcriptomic analysis identified increased expression of MYCN, and genes involved in sonic hedgehog signaling proteins (SHH, SMO, GLI1, GLI2) and receptor tyrosine kinase pathways (PLK, AURKA, c-MET). HTS revealed no cytotoxic efficacy of SHH pathway inhibitors while sensitivity was observed to the mTOR inhibitor temsirolimus, the ALK inhibitor ceritinib, and the PLK1 inhibitor BI2536. Based on the integrated approach, temsirolimus, ceritinib, BI2536 and standard therapy temozolomide were selected for further in vivo evaluation. Using the PDX animal model (median survival 28 days) we showed significant in vivo activity for mTOR inhibition by temsirolimus and BI2536 (median survival 109 and 115.5 days respectively) while ceritinib and temozolomide had only a moderate effect (43 and 75.5 days median survival respectively). This case study demonstrates that an integrated approach based on genomic, in vitro and in vivo drug efficacy testing in a PDX model may be useful to guide the management of high risk pediatric brain tumor in a clinically meaningful timeframe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Present study was conducted to investigate the post parturient behavioural activities of Surti buffaloes (n = 25) and their calves using low light-intensity cameras and digital video recorder at five stages (I: from calving to half an hour, II: 6-6:30 hours, III: 12-12:30 hours, IV: 18-18:30 hours and V: 24-24:30 hours after calving) over a period of 24 h immediately after calving. Based on their maternal behaviour score (MBS) dams were categorized into two classes that is, group 1 (MBS = 1: very aggressive and 2: very attentive) and group 2 (MBS = 3: indifferent and 4: apathetic) where dam scored MBS 1 represented very aggressive and 4 apathetic. Overall eating time was significantly (P < .05) higher in buffalo cows of group 2 (8.87 ± 1.34 min) than in group 1 (5.37 ± 0.50 min). Dams of both the groups spent significantly (P < .05) longer time in sniffing and licking calf's body and licking ano-genital area of calf during stage I than later stages. Significantly (P < .05) longer time intervals from birth to standing (53.03 ± 3.04 min) were observed in group 2 calves. A positive correlation (P < .01) was observed between the time interval from birth to suckling and duration of active teat seeking (0.525). It may be inferred that post parturient neonatal behaviour have certain level of relationship with maternal behaviour score, whereas, parity and sex did not show any significant effect on MBS in Surti buffaloes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Escherichia coli are important pathogens among bacterial causes of neonatal piglet diarrhoea. Their adhesion to the intestinal epithelial cells is an essential prerequisite for incidence of diarrhoea, which makes certain animal innately resistant and this adhesion pattern is genetically controlled. Among the candidate genes associated with adhesion pattern, MUC13 is the most likely responsible gene examined in diverse outbred swine populations. The present investigation aimed to evaluate the native Indian (desi) pigs in terms of E. coli adhesion pattern (with Indian isolate) and MUC13 expression profile across adhesion phenotypes. Out of 80 pigs screened, 27 were found to be non-adhesive, 46 adhesive and 7 were weakly adhesive. Effect of sex was found to be significant (P<.05) with non-significant age effect. RT-PCR analysis revealed that although, porcine MUC13 mRNA expression was highest in adhesive (2.67±0.69 fold), moderate in weakly adhesive (1.22±0.35 fold) and low levels in non-adhesive (calibrator) phenotypes, differences were statistically non-significant (P<.05). While the availability of non-adhesive phenotypes among Indian desi pigs implicates abundance of input genetic resources to start a breeding programme against diarrhoea, the descending expression of MUC 13 in adhesive and weakly adhesive samples speculates its important role in adhesion of E. coli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electromagnetic responses of cement-PZT composites under impact loading have been presented in this work. The values of density, dielectric constant and EMR voltage increase while that of porosity and loss tangent decrease with increase in PZT content. Filler (PZT) concentration dependent dielectric constant as well as loss tangent data shows exponential variation. The emitted EMR voltage as well as average EMR energy release rate for 21 cm height of impact increase from 1.03 V to 2.24 V and 0.10092 V2-sec/sec to 0.4635 V2-sec/sec respectively with the increasing PZT content (5% to 40%). The EMR responses of the composites were also found to be proportional to the height of impact in all the composites tested, indicating that the measurement of EMR responses from the cement based composites may be useful for deformation monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Title Comparative study between intravenous dexmedetomidine and clonidine as premedication in pediatric patients undergoing spinal anesthesia. Background Many techniques and drug regimens, with partial or greater success, have been tried from time to time to eliminate the anxiety component and to prolong the postoperative analgesia during regional anesthesia. In pediatric patients, anxiety and lack of cooperativeness for the regional procedure is the major problem in providing spinal anaesthesia. Alpha2-adrenergic agonists have both analgesic and sedative properties, when used as an adjuvant to regional anesthesia. They eliminate the anxiety, provide conscious sedation, lower the level of agitation and improve patient satisfaction. We designed a prospective, randomized, double-blind study, to evaluate and compare the efficacy of intravenous dexmedetomidine with clonidine as a premedication drug during spinal anaesthesia using intrathecal bupivacaine. Materials and methods In this prospective, randomized, double-blind study, 60 pediatric patients 4–10 years of age of the American Society of Anesthesiologists status I, scheduled for uro-genital surgery under spinal anesthesia, were randomly allocated into two groups of 30 each. Group DE received dexmedetomidine 1 μg kg−1 and group CL received clonidine 1 μg kg−1 diluted in 20 ml of normal saline intravenously over 10 min, 40 min before subarachnoid anaesthesia with 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine. The patients were monitored every 5 min for 1st 20 min and then every 10 min interval vitals were noted. Acceptable sedation score, parental separation anxiety level and degree of mask acceptance were assessed. Highest level of sensory blockade, time of two segment regression and time of first request of analgesic were also noted. Data was analyzed using Fisher's exact test or Chi-square test and the value of P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Group DE and CL had comparable sedation score (p > 0.05). However, parental separation anxiety score and mask acceptance score, were better in DE than CL group (p < 0.05). There was no significant haemodynamic differences between the groups (p > 0.05). Duration of analgesia was also prolonged in DE group. Conclusion Dexmedetomidine is superior to clonidine as a premedication drug in pediatric patients undergoing spinal anesthesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A unified enriched finite element (FE) formulation for two generalized thermoelsaticity theories is developed for the transient thermal shock problems in one and two dimensional domains. Both the displacement and temperature field interpolations are enriched with harmonic functions defined in the local element coordinates. The coupled field finite element equations are derived using the generalized Hamilton’s principle and solved directly in time domain using the standard Newmark-β time integration technique as opposed to the transform techniques usually adopted for thermal shock problems. The method is assessed in comparison with the Laplace transform based analytical solutions and FE solutions with dynamic meshing available in the literature. It is shown that the present solution with a static uniform mesh captures the sharp discontinuities in the temperature and displacement fields and the wave properties of heat conduction very accurately, practically eliminating the severe drawbacks of the conventional FE solutions such as the spurious undulations and flattening out, while maintaining better computational efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: One of the most important implications of ‘Radiation Biology’ research is to improve cancer radiotherapy with minimum side effects. In this regard, combination of chemotherapy with radiation has significantly improved tumor control as well as overall survival in a variety of cancers. However, this has been achieved at the cost of significant normal tissue toxicity, due to the lack of specificity of chemotherapy. Membrane-localized receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) have been found to play a driving role in various hallmarks of cancer. Moreover, an early successful clinical trial using RTK-antagonist (cetuximab) to improve tumor radiosensitivity has led to an advancement in this field of research. However, a comprehensive review integrating these findings of various oncogenic RTKs, from basic radiobiology-to-radiotherapy clinical trials, is lacking in literature. Therefore, the present review analyses relevant in-vitro, in-vivo, preclinical/clinical studies and postulates the concept of ‘Radiation Biology of RTKs in Cancer’. Conclusions: The present review elucidates the effect of IR on various oncogenic RTKs and their mechanisms, downstream signaling, intracellular translocations, their role in the repair of radiation-induced DNA damage and post-irradiation survival. Based on the knowledge derived from RTK biology and the analysis of relevant clinical trials, this review attempts to identify radiobiological considerations, which could be implemented in future trials, combining radiotherapy with RTK-antagonist. Additionally, we identify the radiosensitizing potential of recently developed RTK-targeted nanoformulations. This review would probably change the Radiation Oncologist’s view for translation of tumor-specific radiosensitization in clinic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrical discharge machining (EDM) process is popular for machining conductive and difficult-to-cut materials, but low material removal rate (MRR) and poor surface quality are major limitations of the process. These limitations can be overcome by adding the suitable powder in the dielectric. The powder particles influence electric field intensity during the EDM process which in turn improve its performance. The size (micro to nano) and properties of the mixed powder also influence the machining efficiency. In this regard, the objective of the present work is to study the performance of EDM process for machining Inconel 825 alloy by mixing Al2O3 nanopowder in deionized water. The experimental investigation revealed that maximum MRR of 47 mg/min and minimum SR of 1.487 µm, which are 44 and 51% higher in comparison to conventional EDM process, respectively, can be achieved by setting optimal combinations of process parameters. To analyze these observed process behavior, pulse-train data of the spark gap were acquired. The discharge waveform identifies the less arcing phenomenon in the modified EDM process compared to conventional EDM. Further, surface-topography of the machined surface was critically examined by capturing field emission scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Co-therapy through biotin modified nanoparticles (NPs) of gefitinib (Gnb) and naringenin (Nar) was investigated for its therapeutic and synergistic potential against lung cancer. The biotin-conjugated polymeric NPs (bty-Nar/Gnb) were developed using oil in water emulsion technique and optimized using central composite design. The formulations were subjected to various in vitro (A549 cell lines) and in vivo evaluations in urethane-induced lung cancer. Co-administration of Gnb and Nar NPs displayed a significant reduction in tumour volume while restoring the biochemical parameters and serum metabolites to normal levels. Significant down-regulation of anti-apoptotic proteins (P-16, MMP-9 and Bcl-2) and up-regulation of pro-apoptotic proteins (caspase-9 and BAX) was displayed with co-therapy. This investigation demonstrated the superiority of co-therapy over individual therapy for improved therapeutic efficacy and is favourable for developing a safe, effective and targeted delivery for lung carcinoma therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study in the 5’ upstream region of TLR4 gene revealed four Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in Vrindavani and Tharparkar cattle. The polymorphic information content (PIC), heterozygosity and allelic diversity values were low to moderate for these SNPs. In Vrindavani cattle, one SNP was found to be in Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium (HWE) and the remaining three were found to be in linkage disequilibrium (LD) as indicated statistically (P > 0.05). In Tharparkar cattle, two SNPs were found to be in HWE and were not in LD as indicated statistically (P > 0.05). These SNPs were used for construction of haplotypes. In-silico analysis of these SNPs predicted abolition of eight transcription factor binding sites and creation of eight new sites. The quantitative real time PCR analysis did not show any significant variation of gene expression among haplotypes. However, gene expression between breed was found to be significant (P < 0.05) which suggested that upstream region of bovine TLR4 gene has a crucial role in its expression. These findings in TLR4 gene offer essential evidence that can be useful in future research exploring its role in immunity. TLR4 can be used as a marker for selection for disease resistance in bovines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel unsymmetrical 3,5-dialkoxycarbonyl-2,6-dimethyl-4-(7′,8′-dimethoxycoumarin-4′-yl)-1,4-dihydropyridines and 5-acetyl-3-alkoxycarbonyl-2,6-dimethyl-4-(7′,8′-dimethoxycoumarin-4′-yl)-1,4-dihydropyridines (coumarinyl-1,4-dihydropyridines) have been synthesized by Knoevenagel condensation of 4-formyl-7,8-dimethoxycoumarin with alkyl acetoacetates in the presence of AlCl3 followed by cyclization of the resulted Knoevenagel product with other alkyl acetoacetate or acetyl acetone and ammonium acetate. The structure of the intermediate Knoevenagel product and the cyclized unsymmetrical coumarinyl-1,4-dihydropyridines has been established on the basis of their spectral data analysis and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The observed conformation of the coumarinyl-1,4-dihydropyridines holds the key to promising calcium antagonistic activity of the synthesized coumarinyl-1,4-dihydropyridines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we have studied the micellization of imidazolium-based ionic liquid type gemini surfactant ([C12-4-C12im]Br2) in the absence and presence of aromatic amino acids by conductivity and surface tension measurements at different temperatures (i.e., 298, 308, and 318 K). Various interfacial parameters, that is, Gibbs surface excess (Γmax), minimum head group area at air/water interface (Amin), and thermodynamic parameters, that is, free energy of micellization/adsorption (), the standard entropy of micellization/adsorption (), and the standard enthalpy of micellization/adsorption () were evaluated for all the systems. The standard entropy of adsorption () was found higher than the standard entropy of micellization () for all the systems at all temperatures. The results also showed that the micellization of [C12-4-C12im]Br2depends on the nature of amino acids as well as temperature. TheCMCof [C12-4-C12im]Br2in the absence and presence of amino acids at different temperature decreases with the increase of temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]