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A world, real or fictional, the entities that compose the world, and their relations with each other exist and undergo changes in space and time. The paper explores the interactions between space and social structures that affect the lives of the inhabitants of a narrative world; the effects of a narrative environment on the subjectivities and social lives of characters. R. K. Narayan's short stories reveal multifarious relations within space; socially produced, politically re-shaped, and inherently contested. Autonomy and belonging of the characters are either facilitated or threatened by the existence of varied spaces, the inherent contemporaneous heterogeneity, scrutinized at distinct levels in different narratives. The short stories highlight how the life of an individual in Narayan’s fictional town Malgudi is transformed due to the changes in the narrative environment, when space is reshaped by personal, societal, or, political motives. The narratives critically explore the sacralization (a reversal of profanation) of spaces that suddenly excludes the ordinary, representing the transformation of public spaces freely used by people into exclusionary, or sacred, spaces. The paper investigates how the transformation of spatial relations and its dynamic impact in the narrative environment reveals the complex interplay between space, power, identity, and autonomy.

The probability of simultaneous Breast Carcinoma (BC) and Endometrial Carcinoma (EC) in one person is extremely low and might be only a co-incidence. Hereby, the authors present a case report of a 62-year-old female presented to the Outpatient Department (OPD) with complaints of postmenopausal bleeding for a period of six months. On examination, her abdomen was enlarged, and a right breast mass was also noted incidentally. An ultrasound of the abdomen showed a thickened endometrium. A screening mammogram revealed a Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) 4B lesion in the lower central quadrant of the right breast. Subsequently, an endometrial aspiration was done and showed features of atypical endometrial hyperplasia. A Tru-cut biopsy of the right breast mass was taken, showed features of a mucinous neoplasm favouring mucinous carcinoma, Nottingham’s histological grade 1. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) work-up favoured a Luminal A molecular subtype of mammary carcinoma. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging were also done which revealed a thickened endometrium with increased metabolic activity. Patient underwent a right Modified Radical Mastectomy (MRM), total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and lymph node sampling. Grossly, the MRM specimen showed a single, grey-white, firm, infiltrative lesion measuring 2.2×2.2×1.5 cm in the lower central quadrant. Microscopy showed a neoplastic tissue composed of nests of tumour cells floating in lakes of abundant extracellular mucin. The hysterectomy specimen revealed a grey-white to grey-brown endometrial polyp measuring 3.5×2.5 cm, which microscopically showed tumour cells arranged in sheets and in a glandular and papillary pattern with fibrovascular core. IHC for microsatellite instability and p53 were done.

Abstract Black scorch disease (BSD), caused by the fungal pathogen Thielaviopsis punctulata (Tp) DSM102798, poses a significant threat to date palm cultivation in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In this study, Chicago and Hi-C libraries were prepared as input for the Dovetail HiRise pipeline to scaffold the genome of Tp DSM102798. We generated an assembly with a total length of 28.23 Mb comprising 1,256 scaffolds, and the assembly had a contig N50 of 18.56 kb, L50 of three, and a BUSCO completeness score of 98.6% for 758 orthologous genes. Annotation of this assembly produced 7,169 genes and 3,501 Gene Ontology (GO) terms. Compared to five other Thielaviopsis genomes, Tp DSM102798 exhibited the highest continuity with a cumulative size of 27.598 Mb for the first seven scaffolds, surpassing the assemblies of all examined strains. These findings offer a foundation for targeted strategies that enhance date palm resistance against BSD, and foster more sustainable and resilient agricultural systems.

Abstract In the United Arab Emirates, sudden decline syndrome (SDS) is a destructive disease of date palm caused by the soil-borne fungal pathogen Fusarium proliferatum (Fp) DSM106835. Here, a high-resolution genome assembly of Fp DSM106835 was generated using PacBio HiFi sequencing with Omni-C data to provide a high-quality chromatin-organised reference genome with 418 scaffolds, totalling 58,468,907 bp in length and an N50 value of 4,383,091 bp from which 15,580 genes and 16,321 transcripts were predicted. The assembly achieved a complete BUSCO score of 99.2% for 758 orthologous genes. Compared to seven other Fp strains, Fp DSM106835 exhibited the highest continuity with a cumulative size of 44.26 Mbp for the first ten scaffolds/contigs, surpassing the assemblies of all examined Fp strains. Our findings of the high-quality genome of Fp DSM106835 provide an important resource to investigate its genetics, biology and evolutionary history. This study also contributes to fulfill the gaps in fungal knowledge, particularly the genes/metabolites associated with pathogenicity during the plant-pathogen interaction responsible for SDS.

Wandering spleen is a very rare condition characterized by the absence or weakness of one or more ligaments holding the spleen in its normal position. “Acquired” wandering spleen may occur during adulthood due to injuries or other underlying conditions that may weaken the ligaments that hold the spleen in its normal position. Torsion of a wandering spleen is an unusual cause of an acute abdomen and is rarely diagnosed preoperatively. Associated torsion of the distal pancreas is even more uncommon. We report a patient with torsion of a wandering spleen and distal pancreas presenting as acute abdomen with lower abdominal lump who was further diagnosed and managed.

In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), sudden decline syndrome (SDS) is one of the major fungal diseases caused by Fusarium solani affecting date palm plantations. To minimize the impact of the causal agent of SDS on date palm, native actinobacterial strains isolated from rhizosphere soils of healthy date palm plants were characterized according to their antifungal activities against F. solani DSM 106836 (Fs). Based on their in vitro abilities, two promising biocontrol agents (BCAs), namely Streptomyces tendae UAE1 (St) andStreptomyces violaceoruber UAE1 (Sv), were selected for the production of antifungal compounds and cell wall degrading enzymes (CWDEs), albeit their variations in synthesizing 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) deaminase (ACCD). Although both isolates showed antagonism when applied 7 days before the pathogen in the greenhouse experiments, the ACCD-producing Sv was relatively superior in its efficacy against SDS over the non-ACCD-producing St. This was evident from the symptoms of SDS in diseased date palm seedlings which were greatly reduced by Sv compared to St. On a scale of 5.0, the estimated disease severity indices in Fs-diseased seedlings were significantly (P < 0.05) reduced from 4.8 to 1.5 and 0.5 by St and Sv, respectively. Thus, the number of conidia of Fs recovered from plants pre-treated with both BCAs was comparable, but significantly (P < 0.05) reduced compared to plants without any BCA treatment. In addition, a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in ACC levels of both the root and shoot tissues was detected inSv + Fs seedlings to almost similar levels of healthy seedlings. However, in planta ACC levels highly increased in seedlings grown in soils infested with the pathogen alone or amended with St prior to F. solani infestation (St + Fs). This suggests a major role of ACCD production in relieving the stress of date palm seedlings infected with F. solani, thus supporting the integrated preventive disease management programs against this pathogen. This is the first report of effective rhizosphere actinobacterial BCAs to provide protection against SDS on date palm, and to help increase agricultural productivity in a more sustainable manner in the UAE and the other arid regions.

Thirty-one endophytic streptomycete and non-streptomycete actinobacteria were isolated from healthy date palm root tissues. In vitro screening revealed that the antifungal action of isolate #16 was associated with the production of cell-wall degrading enzymes, whereas with diffusible antifungal metabolites in isolate #28, albeit their production of volatile antifungal compounds. According to the 16S rRNA gene sequencing, isolates #16 and #28 were identified as Streptomyces polychromogenes UAE2 (Sp; GenBank Accession #: OK560620) and Streptomyces coeruleoprunus UAE1 (Sc; OK560621), respectively. The two antagonists were recovered from root tissues until 12 weeks after inoculation, efficiently colonized root cortex and xylem vessels, indicating that the date palm roots are a suitable habitat for these endophytic isolates. At the end of the greenhouse experiments, the development of sudden decline syndrome (SDS) was markedly suppressed by 53% with the application of Sp and 86% with Sc, confirming their potential in disease management. Results showed that the estimated disease severity indices in diseased seedlings were significantly (p < 0.05) reduced from 4.75 (scale of 5) to 2.25 or 0.67 by either Sp or Sc, respectively. In addition, conidial numbers of the pathogen significantly (p < 0.05) dropped by 38% and 76% with Sp and Sc, respectively, compared to infected seedlings with F. solani (control). Thus, the suppression of disease symptoms was superior in seedlings pre-inoculated with S. coeruleoprunus, indicating that the diffusible antifungal metabolites were responsible for F. solani retardation in these plants. This is the first report of actinobacteria naturally existing in date palm tissues acting as microbial antagonists against SDS on date palm.

In the title compound C13H11NS, the phenothiazine unit has a non-planar butterfly structure, and the central six-membered ring adopts a boat conformation. The dihedral angle between the two outer aromatic rings of the phenothiazine unit is 39.53 (10)°. In the crystal, a π–π interaction with a centroid–centroid distance of 3.6871 (12) Å is observed between the aromatic rings of neighbouring molecules.

The need to have biodegradable composites is aloft in today’s market as they are environment friendly and are also easy to fabricate. In this study, mangifera indica leaf stalk fibres were used as reinforcement along with saw dust as bio-filler material. Unsaturated isophthalic polyester resin was used as the matrix. The fibres were treated with 6 % vol. NaOH and neutralized with 3 % vol. of dilute HCl. Treatment of sawdust fillers was done by using 2% vol. NaOH solution. Hand layup method and compression moulding technique was used to fabricate the composite laminates. Specimens for evaluating the mechanical properties were prepared by using water jet machining. The results indicated an increase in tensile, flexural and impact strength of composites with addition of sawdust upto 3%. Further addition of the bio-filler resulted in decrease of mechanical properties.

Leiomyomas of the soft tissues are rare in general, and extremely uncommon in the forearm. In general, leiomyomas are benign soft-tissue tumors that occur where smooth muscles are present. We present a case of soft-tissue leiomyoma of the forearm eroding the midshaft of the ulna, with emphasis on radiological diagnosis and histopathological correlation.

Two tungsten heavy alloys (WHAs), 90W-6Ni-4Cu and 89W-6Ni-4Cu-1La2O3, were synthesized using a powder metallurgy route. With sintering at 1400 °C for 1 h under an inert atmosphere, wear and tribology studies were carried out at various loads and speeds on both sintered WHAs under the ball-on-disk wear tester by using a WC ball as a counter body. Important parameters such as coefficient of friction (CoF), wear rate, and weight loss at various loads were determined. It was found that the CoF of the 89W-6Ni-4Cu-1La2O3 heavy alloy decreased from 0.45 to 0.37 with increased load, while wear rate and wear loss were observed to increase with increased load. An increase in wear rate and a decrease in CoF was observed on increasing the sliding speed. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to examine the worn surface and alloy composition in order to understand the active wear mechanisms in both alloys. Morphology and chemical compositions of wear debris were characterized by SEM and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), respectively. Additionally, both sintered alloys of worn surfaces have shown that a combination of abrasion, adhesion, and oxidation is the wear mechanism in all conditions. The effect of 1% La2O3 was seen to reduce the wear rate of W-Ni-Cu heavy alloy. The wear rate of La2O3 containing W-Ni-Cu heavy alloy was found to increase from 2.79 ± 0.083 × 10−3 mm3/m to 10.26 ± 0.1 × 10−3 mm3/m with increase in the applied load from 10 to 30 N at 200 RPM speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) mandatory standards for Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) and Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) for new and existing ships, there is serious concern about lowering carbon emissions from ships in order to have a sustainable environment. A number of energy-saving technologies are used on ships to improve their efficiency and decrease fuel consumption. Hull vane is a fixed foil placed to the stern of a vessel to enhance local pressure by modifying the stern flow. This study examines the effects of retrofitting a hull vane to a high-speed displacement vessel at a 1:35 scale with various locations in X and Z directions from the transom of the vessel. The simulated resistance and trim values for the bare hull were validated with experimental results which are conducted in towing tank facility available in the Department of Ocean Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras. The coefficient of residuary resistance value has been reduced by 21% at the HV5 location. Furthermore, the wave pattern behind the transom for the HV5 position was studied and reported at the operating Froude number. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]