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Microbial cellulose, especially the bacterial cellulose produced by symbiotic co-cultures of acetic acid bacteria and yeast (SCOBY) that exists in a mutualistic interaction opens plausible strategies in the field of food as well as sustainable regenerative eco-system and waste management. Cultivated on sweetened black tea, the mutually proliferating bacteria (Acetobacter xylinum, A. xylinoides, and Bacterium gluconicum) and yeast strains (Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Saccharomycodes ludwigii and Saccharomyces cerevisiae) produces a fermented liquor along with the floating bacterial cellulosic pellicle called as Kombucha. This review explores the possible applications of kombucha SCOBY to use bacterial cellulose-based engineered living materials, commercial superabsorbent spheres by various marketing ventures like food, pharmaceutics, biomedical applications for bio-sensing and bio-catalysis, crop biostimulants, biocontrol agents in the management of plant and animal illnesses, post-harvest management in crops, water purification, pollutant detection, environmental biotechnology, and production of SCOBY from alternative substrates and agrarian waste management. The plausible use of bacterial cellulose hydrogels in dryland agriculture for their exceptional water-absorbing capability, eco-friendly nature, capacity to break down naturally, and compatibility with other living organisms is also elaborated in this paper. Furthermore, diverse microbial species to enhance the variety and functional properties of SCOBY, health benefits and its influence on human welfare is vividly discussed in the paper. The very in-depth study on the uses of SCOBY also paves way for the research exploration of this under-utilized microbial boon in food and farm sector for circular based regenerative agriculture in near future.

In the title molecule, C11H11BrO3, the dihydroindene moiety is essentially planar but with a slight twist in the saturated portion of the five-membered ring. The methoxy groups lie close to the above plane. In the crystal, π-stacking interactions between six-membered rings form stacks of molecules extending along the a-axis direction, which are linked by weak C—H...O and C—H...Br hydrogen bonds. A Hirshfeld surface analysis was performed showing H...H, O...H/H...O and Br...H/H...Br contacts make the largest contributions to intermolecular interactions in the crystal.

Abstract Uncertainty analysis deals with the fluctuations and unpredictability of the electrical power generated from renewable resources (RRs), such as solar PV and wind energy systems. This paper gives an insight into various techniques used for the uncertainty analysis and a probabilistic Monte Carlo Simulation is applied for modelling the uncertainties concerned with RRs and electric vehicle (EV) load in the MATLAB platform. The uncertainty associated with the price sensitivity of EV charging and the state of charge of EVs is taken as a prime factor for analysis in the present work. Despite the fluctuations and unpredictability of electricity generation and consumption, the considered system ensures that the total amount of electricity supplied by solar PV, wind and grid matches the total amount of electricity demanded by EV load. Rao‐1, Rao‐2 and Rao‐3 algorithms are applied in this work to optimize the operation cost of charging stations under uncertain conditions and without any uncertainties. The results obtained without uncertainties by Rao algorithms are compared with the existing particle swarm optimisation method. In the presence of uncertainties, Rao‐1 and Rao‐2 algorithms are compared with Rao‐3 and it is found that the Rao‐3 algorithm performed better.

Abstract Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related tauopathies are associated with pathological tau protein aggregation, which plays an important role in neurofibrillary degeneration and dementia. Targeted immunotherapy to eliminate pathological tau aggregates is known to improve cognitive deficits in AD animal models. The tau repeat domain (TauRD) plays a pivotal role in tau-microtubule interactions and is critically involved in the aggregation of hyperphosphorylated tau proteins. Because TauRD forms the structural core of tau aggregates, the development of immunotherapies that selectively target TauRD-induced pathological aggregates holds great promise for the modulation of tauopathies. In this study, we generated recombinant TauRD polypeptide that form neurofibrillary tangle-like structures and evaluated TauRD-specific immune responses following intranasal immunization in combination with the mucosal adjuvant FlaB. In BALB/C mice, repeated immunizations at one-week intervals induced robust TauRD-specific antibody responses in a TLR5-dependent manner. Notably, the resulting antiserum recognized only the aggregated form of TauRD, while ignoring monomeric TauRD. The antiserum effectively inhibited TauRD filament formation and promoted the phagocytic degradation of TauRD aggregate fragments by microglia. The antiserum also specifically recognized pathological tau conformers in the human AD brain. Based on these results, we engineered a built-in flagellin-adjuvanted TauRD (FlaB-TauRD) vaccine and tested its efficacy in a P301S transgenic mouse model. Mucosal immunization with FlaB-TauRD improved quality of life, as indicated by the amelioration of memory deficits, and alleviated tauopathy progression. Notably, the survival of the vaccinated mice was dramatically extended. In conclusion, we developed a mucosal vaccine that exclusively targets pathological tau conformers and prevents disease progression.

Rapid nucleic acid assays have been approved by FDA for managing the COVID-19 pandemic, however its analytical efficiency has not been thoroughly validated. This study evaluates the detection and identification of COVID-19 virus using Abbott ID-Now to rapidly identify cases and intervention practices in comparison to nucleic acid detection. Nasopharyngeal Swabs collected from 611 participants were tested for Abbott ID-NOW and LabGun COVID-19 ExoFast RT-PCR Kit as per manufacturer’s protocol. The results from the ID NOW™ COVID-19 assay were evaluated by comparing results with the standard RT-PCR, which served as a standard reference. The infection burden of SARS-CoV-2 in the population of UAE was 11.62%. Compared to detection using real time-based platforms, the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of the ID-Now were 84.51%, 99.81%, 98.36% and 98.00% respectively for COVID-19. A stratified analysis was also carried out using cycle threshold (Ct) values categorizing as Ct>33 as with low viral loads while those with Ct

The bronchogenic cyst is a class of lung malformations that are congenital and non-vascular. Surgical excision per se is a great challenge for anesthesiologists as there have been cases with complications of fatal tension pneumothorax. Our patient is an 11-month-old child who underwent surgical excision of the bronchogenic cyst compressing the left bronchus. Intraoperatively, due to positive pressure ventilation, tension pneumothorax developed, ultimately leading to cardiac arrest. Prompt treatment with cardiopulmonary resuscitation followed by needle insertion in the second intercostal space on the right side, followed by an intercostal drain, revivedthe patient. An early diagnosis and an adequate approach to possible complications is the key to successful anesthetic management.

Abstract Colletotrichum is an important plant pathogenic fungi that causes anthracnose/-twister disease in onion. This disease was prevalent in the monsoon season from August to November months and the symptoms were observed in most of the fields. This study aimed to investigate the pathogenicity and cumulative effect, if any of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and Fusarium acutatum. The pot experiment was laid out to identify the cause responsible for inciting anthracnose-twister disease, whether the Colletotrichum or Fusarium or both, or the interaction of pathogens and GA3. The results of the pathogenicity test confirmed that C. gloeosporioides and F. acutatum are both pathogenic. C. gloeosporioides caused twisting symptoms independently, while F.acutatum independently caused only neck elongation. The independent application of GA3 did not produce any symptoms, however, increased the plant height. The combined treatment of C. gloeosporioides and F. acutatum caused twisting, which enhanced upon interaction with GA3 application giving synergistic effect. The acervuli were found in lesions infected with C. gloeosporioides after 8 days of inoculation on the neck and leaf blades. Symptoms were not observed in untreated control plants. Koch's postulates were confirmed by reisolating the same pathogens from the infected plants.

INTRODUCTION: Vitamin D is a potent immune modulator and is associated with autoimmune diseases, including type 1 diabetes (T1D). The vitamin D levels and its receptor gene polymorphisms together in T1D are not yet investigated in the South Indian population. The present study focused on exploring the significance of vitamin D levels and vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms with the risk of developing T1D in the South Indian population. METHODS: Patients with T1D and unaffected first-degree relatives (FDRs) were included in this study. Genotyping of VDR polymorphisms at four different loci (FokI- F/f, BsmI- B/b, TaqI- T/t, and ApaI- A/a) was assessed through the amplification refractive mutation systempolymerase chain reaction method. Serum vitamin D levels were measured in 98 T1D patients and 75 age- and sex-matched siblings. RESULTS: A total of 120 patients with T1D and 214 FDRs were included. Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) was observed in a higher proportion of T1D patients than in controls (52% vs. 32%; p

Abstract Macrophages are abundant immune cells in the microenvironment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Macrophage estimation by immunohistochemistry shows varying prognostic significance across studies in DLBCL, and does not provide a comprehensive analysis of macrophage subtypes. Here, using digital spatial profiling with whole transcriptome analysis of CD68+ cells, we characterize macrophages in distinct spatial niches of reactive lymphoid tissues (RLTs) and DLBCL. We reveal transcriptomic differences between macrophages within RLTs (light zone /dark zone, germinal center/ interfollicular), and between disease states (RLTs/ DLBCL), which we then use to generate six spatially-derived macrophage signatures (MacroSigs). We proceed to interrogate these MacroSigs in macrophage and DLBCL single-cell RNA-sequencing datasets, and in gene-expression data from multiple DLBCL cohorts. We show that specific MacroSigs are associated with cell-of-origin subtypes and overall survival in DLBCL. This study provides a spatially-resolved whole-transcriptome atlas of macrophages in reactive and malignant lymphoid tissues, showing biological and clinical significance.

Graded materials are promising alloys due to their improved strength and ductility. In this study, a functionally graded Alx-Co-Cr-Fe-Ni high entropy alloy with a variation of Al concentration along the building direction was produced in-situ by dual wire arc additive manufacturing for the first time, and the microstructure and mechanical properties of the deposited alloy were investigated. The results showed that the FCC + BCC dual-phase gradually transformed to a single BCC phase with increasing Al content, the precipitation temperature of the ordered B2 phase became high, and the precipitation temperature range of the disordered BCC phase became wider, which promoted the formation of the disordered BCC phase. With the change in phase ratio, the hardness gradually increased from 342 HV to 397 HV, and the bottom deposited alloy had an optimal combination with a compressive strength of 827.4 MPa and elongation of 42.3%. Compared to the bottom region, the top region shows much higher sliding wear resistance. The high-density dislocations and grain refinement result in better toughness and strength in the bottom region, while the segregation of Cr elements at the grain boundaries changes the properties of the grain boundaries and makes them more brittle in the top region. This investigation realizes a novel method to fabricate GHEAs, which can produce a more convenient and cost-effective gradient material with a complex composition.

Abstract Our environment has been significantly impacted by climate change. According to previous research, insect catastrophes induced by global climate change killed many trees, inevitably contributing to forest fires. The condition of the forest is an essential indicator of forest fires. Analysis of aerial images of a forest can detect deceased and living trees at an early stage. Automated forest health diagnostics are crucial for monitoring and preserving forest ecosystem health. Combining Modified Generative Adversarial Networks (MGANs) and YOLOv5 (You Only Look Once version 5) is presented in this paper as a novel method for assessing forest health using aerial images. We also employ the Tabu Search Algorithm (TSA) to enhance the process of identifying and categorizing unhealthy forest areas. The proposed model provides synthetic data to supplement the limited labeled dataset, thereby resolving the frequent issue of data scarcity in forest health diagnosis tasks. This improvement enhances the model's ability to generalize to previously unobserved data, thereby increasing the overall precision and robustness of the forest health evaluation. In addition, YOLOv5 integration enables real-time object identification, enabling the model to recognize and pinpoint numerous tree species and potential health issues with exceptional speed and accuracy. The efficient architecture of YOLOv5 enables it to be deployed on devices with limited resources, enabling forest-monitoring applications on-site. We use the TSA to enhance the identification of unhealthy forest areas. The TSA method effectively investigates the search space, ensuring the model converges to a near-optimal solution, improving disease detection precision and decreasing false positives. We evaluated our MGAN-YOLOv5 method using a large dataset of aerial images of diverse forest habitats. The experimental results demonstrated impressive performance in diagnosing forest health automatically, achieving a detection precision of 98.66%, recall of 99.99%, F1 score of 97.77%, accuracy of 99.99%, response time of 3.543 ms and computational time of 5.987 ms. Significantly, our method outperforms all the compared target detection methods showcasing a minimum improvement of 2% in mAP.

Introduction: The commonly used Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score for assessing consciousness has several shortcomings, especially in intubated patients. Recently, the Full Outline UnResponsive Score (FOUR) has been validated as an alternative to the GCS due to its additional benefits in evaluating brainstem reflexes and respiratory patterns. The use of the FOUR score can overcome the shortcomings of the GCS and aid in prognosticating patients with altered sensorium. Aim: To compare the FOUR score with GCS score to find a better scoring system for predicting outcomes among children aged 3-12 years with non-traumatic causes of Altered Level Of Consciousness (ALOC) in the hospital. Materials and Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted on a total of 100 children with ALOC in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, Telangana, from December 2020 to November 2021. FOUR and GCS assessments were performed simultaneously within two hours of admission. For statistical analysis, continuous variables are expressed as mean±standard deviations. The predictive values of the GCS score and FOUR score were established using the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve, by calculating the Area Under the Curve (AUC) with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI). Results: The mean age of the study population was 7.3±5.2 years, and the mean duration of hospital stay was 7.5±6.74 days. In-hospital mortality was 34%, and the survival rate was 66%. The mean FOUR score for in-hospital mortality and survival was 8.47±3.01 and 12.24±1.46, respectively (p-value 10 (p

Electric vehicles (EVs) have created a revolution in sustainable transportation. The number of EV users has increased significantly within a short period globally. EVs running largely on the battery source require large-capacity battery packs to handle the range anxiety. The primary lifetime of such batteries in EV applications is said to end when their capacity drops to 80% of their initial capacity. This is termed as the end of-life of these batteries. These batteries can still be utilized for secondary applications based on their remaining capacity. Batteries undergo many degradations throughout their lifecycle which affects their capacity. This paper carries out a detailed study on the major degradation factors like solid electrolyte interphase and lithium plating which results in loss of lithium inventory. These affect the capacity of the battery in the long run. Remaining useful capacity must be accurately estimated to identify if the cells are useful for the next phase or must be recycled. Many estimation techniques are available with attention rising towards data derivational methods due to their accuracy and their sensitivity towards battery degradation which thereby makes it easy to track them. Incremental capacity analysis is one such method which is discussed in detail in this paper. The method starts from the initial stage of data extraction and extends to the training set of the models. This method is greatly beneficial as it can reveal the deviations in battery behavior with the help of the valley peak locations and alterations in the slope. The quantitative insights make it an advantageous technique in the field of battery health monitoring and diagnostics. These are discussed in detail and validated by experimental analysis and results. This paper also discusses the market prospects, developments, various ageing mechanisms in batteries, applications, comparison with other estimation techniques and challenges related to secondary life applications. The complete analysis of the estimation method along with the detailed steps also aims to serve as a foundation for the upcoming developments and research in this field.

The use of Solar Powered Water Pumps (SPWP) has emerged as a significant advancement in irrigation systems, offering a viable alternative to electricity and diesel-based pumping methods. The appeal of SPWPs to farmers lies in their low maintenance costs and the incentives provided by government agencies to support sustainable and cost-effective agricultural practices. However, a critical challenge faced by solar photovoltaic (PV) systems is their susceptibility to power loss under partial shading conditions, which can persist for extended periods, ultimately reducing system efficiency. To address this issue, this paper proposes the integration of Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) controllers with efficient algorithms designed to identify the peak power during shading events. In this study, a hybrid approach combining Grey Wolf Optimization (GWO) and Incremental Conductance (INC) is employed to maximize the power output of SPWPs driven by an induction motor under partial shading conditions. In order to achieve faster convergence to the global peak, GWO handles the first stages of MPPT and then INC algorithm is employed at the end of the MPPT process. This method reduces the computations of GWO and streamlines the search space. The paper evaluates the performance of the induction motor in terms of speed settling time and torque ripple. To validate the effectiveness of the GWO-INC hybrid approach, simulations are conducted using the MATLAB Simulink platform. The outcomes are then compared with results obtained from various well-known approaches, including Particle Swarm Optimization – Perturb and Observe (PSO-PO), PSO-INC, and GWO-PO, illustrating the superiority of the GWO-INC hybrid approach in enhancing the efficiency and performance of solar water pumps during shading. The GWO-INC excels with 99.6% accuracy in uniform shading and 99.8% in partial shading. It achieves convergence in a mere 0.55 seconds under uniform shading conditions and only 0.42 seconds when partial shading is present. Moreover, it significantly reduces torque oscillations, with a torque ripple of 8.26% in cases of uniform shading and 10.56% in partial shading.

Introduction: Dental anxiety is anticipatory in nature, and the manifestation of the anxiety is due to uncertainty about a future threat and the inability to mitigate or avoid it. Distraction with a multisensory approach aids in better managing the anxious child. Aim: To compare the efficiency of two different play techniques, namely Intellectual Memory Recall (IMR) game and Multifaceted Distraction (MFD) game, in reducing procedural anxiety during Radiovisiography (RVG) among 4 to 10-year-old children. Materials and Methods: It was a randomised clinical study conducted in the Department of Paedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, GITAM Dental College and Hospital, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India from July 2023 to September 2023 with a sample size of 90 children selected based on baseline anxiety using the Modified Faces version of the Modified Child Dental Anxiety Scale (MCDASf). The children were randomly allocated into three groups: Group IMR (n=30), Group MFD technique (n=30), and the control group-Tell Show Do (TSD) (n=30). The pre- and postprocedural anxiety of the children was measured using the RMS Pictorial Scale. The obtained readings were tabulated, and anxiety variation was statistically analysed using the student t-test (intragroup comparison) and one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) (intergroup comparison). The frequency of anxiety reduction among children was analysed using the Chi-square test. Results: Total 90 chidren {males-38(42.22%) and females-52(57.78%)} with a mean age of 7.09±1.68 years were found eligible and participated in the study. The Multifaceted Distraction (MFD) Technique was the most effective and significantly reduced anxiety in 96.67% of children (n=29), followed by IMR (n=27; 86.67%), and TSD (56.67%). Conclusion: Both the MFD and IMR techniques have been found to be efficient in reducing procedural anxiety compared to the TSD technique. These techniques are cost-effective and easily understood by all children, making them potential alternatives to conventional behavioural guidance methods.

Rationale & Objective: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) intake is widely prevalent in many parts of India. Heavy metals are known ingredients in some of these formulations. We studied the spectrum of glomerular diseases in patients using CAM. Study Design: Case series. Setting & Participants: Patients with proteinuria or unexplained acute kidney injury, who underwent a kidney biopsy between May 2021 and September 2022, and who provided a history of recent CAM intake were included in the study. For patients enrolled prospectively, blood and urine samples were analyzed using mass spectrometry for the presence of mercury, lead, arsenic and cadmium. The CAM formulation, when available, was analyzed using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy. Results: Twenty-eight patients were enrolled in the study, with a median duration of CAM intake of 4 months (interquartile range, 2-6 months). Heavy metal screening was performed in 17 patients, of whom 15 had elevated urine mercury levels, 10 had elevated blood mercury levels, and 1 had elevated blood and urine arsenic levels. Of the 6 CAM formulations that were analyzed, all had high levels of mercury. Kidney biopsy findings were membranous nephropathy (n = 19), minimal change disease (n = 8), and mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis (n = 1). Of the 19 patients with membranous nephropathy, 14 were associated with neural epidermal growth factor-like protein 1 (NELL-1). With conservative management alone, 17 patients achieved complete remission. Limitations: Not all patients underwent blood and urine mercury testing, and only 6 patients provided the CAM samples for analysis. Furthermore, occupational and residential exposure to mercury could not be excluded. Conclusions: The most common kidney pathology noted in our study was membranous nephropathy, which was predominantly associated with neural epidermal growth factor-like protein 1. A significant proportion of the patients recovered completely after withdrawal of the offending agent and initiation of renin-angiotensin system blockade. Plain Language Summary: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) intake is widely prevalent in many parts of India, and heavy metals are known ingredients in some of these formulations. We describe the clinical spectrum of kidney disease, among patients who had recently ingested CAM. All patients underwent a kidney biopsy, and the most common finding was an entity called “NELL-1-associated membranous nephropathy,” which is known to be associated with heavy metal toxicity and CAM intake. Of 17 patients screened for such heavy metals, 15 had greater-than-permissible levels of mercury. Furthermore, 6 patients provided the CAM formulations that they had consumed for analysis: all contained high levels of mercury. Most such patients recovered following withdrawal of the offending CAM agent.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global public health concern and needs to be monitored for control. In this study, synanthropic rodents trapped from humans and animal habitats in Puducherry, India, were screened as sentinels for bacterial pathogens of public health importance and antimicrobial resistance spillover. From the trapped rodents and shrews (n = 100) pathogens viz., Staphylococcus sp, E. coli and Salmonella sp were isolated from oropharyngeal and rectal swabs on Mannitol salt, Mac Conkey and Xylose lysine deoxycholate media respectively. The AMR genes in these isolates were screened by PCR. A total of 76, S. aureus and 19, Staphylococcus non aureus were isolated. E. coli was isolated in 89 samples and among the Salmonella sp (n = 59), 16, were S. enteritidis and 29, were S. typhimurium. A total of 46 MRSA isolates with mec A (n = 40) and mec C (n = 6) were detected. Also, 36.84% and 5.3% Staphylococcus non aureus isolates were tested to have mec A and mec C genes. AMR genes encoding ESBL [blaTEM in 21, blaSHV in 45 and blaCTX-M in 11] was tested positive in 77 E. coli isolates. Among, Salmonella isolates 44/45 were screened to have AMR genes [tet in 13, sul3 & sul4 in 20 and qnrA in 11]. Antibiotic sensitivity test confirmed the antimicrobial resistance. Isolation of pathogens of public health importance and demonstration of genetic elements conferring antimicrobial resistance in the synanthropic rodents confirms that they act as reservoirs and appropriate sentinels to monitor AMR spillover in the environment.

Neurological disorders have become severe and dreadful issues around the globe that are rarely directly mediated because of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Despite the various therapeutic strategies, including the utilization of cholinesterase inhibitors, metal chelators, molecular chaperones, and anti-body treatment that have been put forth, drug delivery to the brain has remained a problem in the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders (NDD). Chitosan, one of nature's multifunctional polymers, is acknowledged as a useful chemical in the medical and pharmaceutical industries due to its distinctive and flexible biological characteristics. By using Chitosan and its derivatives as drug delivery methods, it is possible to give medications in a sustained and regulated way, increase their stability, and lessen the likelihood of adverse drug reactions. In the current review, we have concentrated on the significance of Chitosan and its derivatives to become a hotspot in drug delivery, particularly for NDDs. This review also explains their properties as drug delivery vectors and their ability to cross the BBB, which is a significant obstacle to medication administration in NDDs. In conclusion, this review suggests that expanding the scope of such research would make it possible to develop NDD drug delivery systems that are more efficient.

Cancer immunotherapy has made tremendous advancements in treating various malignancies. The biggest hurdle to successful immunotherapy would be the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) and low immunogenicity of cancer cells. To make immunotherapy successful, the ‘cold’ TME must be converted to ‘hot’ immunostimulatory status to activate residual host immune responses. To this end, the immunosuppressive equilibrium in TME should be broken, and immunogenic cancer cell death ought to be induced to stimulate tumor-killing immune cells appropriately. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an efficient way of inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD) of cancer cells and disrupting immune-restrictive tumor tissues. PDT would trigger a chain reaction that would make the TME ‘hot’ and have ICD-induced tumor antigens presented to immune cells. In principle, the strategic combination of PDT and immunotherapy would synergize to enhance therapeutic outcomes in many intractable tumors. Novel technologies employing nanocarriers were developed to deliver photosensitizers and immunotherapeutic to TME efficiently. New-generation nanomedicines have been developed for PDT immunotherapy in recent years, which will accelerate clinical applications.