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Abstract With the expansion of the manufacturing sector, it has become crucial to incorporate sustainable production methods in order to remain competitive in the market. This study focuses on addressing the needs of the manufacturing industry by conducting a sustainability analysis of electric discharge machining for SS310 alloy. The analysis explores the impact of various electrode materials, for instance, copper and brass, as well as different machining variables, including discharge current (I = 4–12 A), spark gap (SG = 6–12 mu), pulse duration (Pon = 15–45 μs), and duty cycle (DC = 75–85%) using Taguchi method. The objective is to optimize the machining performance measures, which includes material removal rate (MRR), surface roughness (Ra), electrode wear (EW), and energy consumption (EC). In addition, the economic analysis of the machining process takes into account factors such as energy cost, dielectric consumption cost, EW cost, labor cost, and machine depreciation cost for both types of electrodes. Furthermore, the study investigates the carbon emissions resulting from EC, dielectric consumption, and EW to assess the environmental impact of the machining process. Multi-criteria decision-making approach is employed to assess the sustainability of the machining process by taking into account several performance, cost and environmental factors simultaneously. From empirical analysis, it has been observed that the copper electrode outperformed the brass electrode in terms of MRR (2.67 mm3/min), Ra (3.36 µm), EW (0.272 g), and EC (145.08 kJ) due to its superior electrical and thermal characteristics. In the cost analysis, copper offered lower costs for EC (2.02 PKR) attributed to its higher electrical conductivity while higher costs in terms of EW (5.5 PKR) and dielectric consumption (5.2 PKR) than brass. However, the analysis of labor and machine depreciation costs revealed that the application of copper electrode results in lower costs (80.1 and 99.3 PKR, respectively) than the brass electrode primarily due to its shorter machining time. The analysis of the environmental impact showed that the utilization of a copper electrode leads to reduced carbon emissions of 9.8 g CO2 due to its lower EC during the machining process. However, the copper electrode results in higher emissions from EW (5.07 g CO2) and dielectric consumption (54.58 g CO2) compared to the brass electrode. Based on the multi-criteria decision-making using the composite desirability function approach, it is evident that the copper electrode exhibits superior performance in terms of MRR, Ra, and total machining cost. Conversely, the brass electrode demonstrates better performance in terms of overall carbon emissions.

Nickel-Titanium alloys or Nitinol shape memory alloys have applications in various fields like biomedical, agriculture, pharmaceutical, civil, and mechanical engineering. Ferrous-based shape memory alloys (Fe-SMAs) do not possess excellent properties like that of Nitinol. In recent times, Fe-SMAs have been under consideration in the research field to enhance their shape memory properties because of their cost-effectiveness, corrosion resistance, biocompatibility, and high mechanical strength. Fe-SMAs are limited in their applications in the human body due to high austenite start temperature () even though they are biocompatible and being considered for temporary biodegradable implant applications. Several factors affect the phase transformation temperature of Fe-SMA, like alloy composition and heat treatment conditions. Some of the techniques that are useful to reduce the are quenching, solid solution treatment, ternary element addition, alloying, and thermal-mechanical treatment. In this study, the quenching with brine solution is used to reduce of Fe-15Mn-10 Cr-8Ni-4Si (wt. %). The phase transformation is observed using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). The best result from experimentation of all the samples collected as reduced from 93oC to 39.02oC which is very close to the temperature of the human body. The results of this study exhibit significant potential for advancement in the application of Fe-SMAs in the biomedical field for permanent implants in cardiovascular and orthopaedic applications.

This study empirically investigates how companies listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) manage their earnings from 2010 to 2019. It also examines the impact of Corporate Governance (CG) on the choice of Earnings Management (EM) strategies among these companies. The study employs data from companies listed on the PSX during the period from 2010 to 2019 to test these relationships. Researchers in current research used discretionary accrual as proxy to measure the EM by using the model that was modified by Jones. Future probability is measured a year ahead cash flow taken from operation, that is, a year ahead discretionary income and a year ahead earnings’ change. To conduct empirical analysis the researchers estimated Feasible Generalized Least Square (FGLS) and results of study revealed that earnings management in the firms selected from Pakistan Stock Exchange have opportunistic earnings management approach. Researchers found that there is a weak but significant impact of managerial ownership for the type of EM. Organizations which have a high level of managerial ownership are found efficient in EM as compared to rest of types of ownership. Contrarily, it has been found that there is not any significant evidence for institutional ownership (IO), Family Ownership (FO), larger board (LB), independent board (IB) and Firms with high ratio of independent directors for audit committee to engage in efficient level of EM. The finding has implications for policymakers and regulators to place additional monitoring on firms to control opportunistic earnings manipulations.

Abstract Micronutrient application has a crucial role in mitigating salinity stress in crop plants. This study was carried out to investigate the effect of zinc (Zn) and boron (B) as foliar applications on fenugreek growth and physiology under salt stress (0 and 120 mM). After 35 days of salt treatments, three levels of zinc (0, 50, and 100 ppm) and two levels of boron (0 and 2 ppm) were applied as a foliar application. Salinity significantly reduced root length (72.7%) and shoot length (33.9%), plant height (36%), leaf area (37%), root fresh weight (48%) and shoot fresh weight (75%), root dry weight (80%) and shoot dry weight (67%), photosynthetic pigments (78%), number of branches (50%), and seeds per pod (56%). Fenugreek’s growth and physiology were improved by foliar spray of zinc and boron, which increased the length of the shoot (6%) and root length (2%), fresh root weight (18%), and dry root weight (8%), and chlorophyll a (1%), chlorophyll b (25%), total soluble protein content (3%), shoot calcium (9%) and potassium (5%) contents by significantly decreasing sodium ion (11%) content. Moreover, 100 ppm of Zn and 2 ppm of B enhanced the growth and physiology of fenugreek by reducing the effect of salt stress. Overall, boron and zinc foliar spray is suggested for improvement in fenugreek growth under salinity stress.

Despite many revolutionary asset pricing models developed over the past decades, traditional finance does not explain investor behavior very well. The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of behavioral biases on the investment decisions of investors of Pakistan Stock Exchange. In addition, the moderating influence of investment experience investigated in this study. The findings were reported using a sample of 230 individual investors, who make their own investments, typically through a mutual fund, bank, or internet broker. They make investments to achieve their unique investment objectives, such as saving for retirement, a child’s education, or increasing their overall wealth. The influence of behavioral biases on investment decisions was calculated using regression analysis. Regression results show that beta and t-values are significant and have a significant impact on investment decisions. Regression findings show that Confirmation Bias, Gamblers Fallacy Bias, Negativity Bias, Bandwagon Effect Bias, Loss Aversion Bias, and Overconfidence Bias all have a substantial impact on Investment Decisions. Status quo prejudice and endowment bias have a favorable but minor influence on Investment Decisions. Investment Experience is regarded as an essential component that contributes to successful decision making under risk and uncertainty, however the results of this study show that moderating variables have a minor influence. According to the findings, the moderating variable had no effect on the connection between behavioral biases and investment decisions. And the reason for this is that behavioral biases persist regardless of investing experience.

This paper explores the optimization of Tungsten-Inert-Gas (TIG) welding process parameters for creating a hybrid structure of Aluminium 6061 and Stainless Steel 304 using a copper filler rod (ER-Cu). The Welding of these two materials has industrial relevance owing to its weight reduction capabilities and environmental benefits. However, Aluminium and Stainless-Steel have different melting points and thermal properties. Aluminium has twice coefficient of thermal expansion and six times coefficient of thermal conductance as compared to Stainless-Steel. This difference often results in residual stresses and brittle intermetallic compounds in the weld region. We have chosen the Welding Current, Welding Speed, and Gas Flow Rate as input parameters, and Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) and Micro-hardness as response parameters. We have employed the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) using a Box-Behnken design to evaluate the influence of input parameters on UTS and Micro-hardness. Furthermore, an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) is conducted to determine the input parameters' significance on the response parameters. Our surface plots demonstrate that UTS improves with increased Welding Current and reduced Welding Speed. Simultaneously, Micro-hardness increases with elevated Welding Speed and decreased current, up to a specific limit. The peak value of UTS (79 MPa) was observed with a Current range of 85-90 A, Speed range of 95-100 mm/min, and Gas Flow Rate of 14.5-15 l/min. On the other hand, maximum Micro-hardness (260HV) was obtained with a Current range of 80-85 A, Speed range of 105-110 mm/min, and Gas Flow Rate of 14.5-15 l/min. This research contributes to improving the manufacturing process of hybrid structures, specifically by optimizing the advantages of both Aluminium and Stainless Steel while addressing the challenges that arise during their combination. The study's conclusions have major consequences for sectors looking to take advantage on the mutually beneficial characteristics of different metals in welding applications.

In this article, a central-upwind scheme (CUP) is extended to solve two-phase shallow granular flow (TPSF) model. The flow in this case is considered as incompressible and it is regarded to be a shallow layer of granular and liquid material. The model consists of continuity and momentum equations for both solid and liquid phases. Our main intrigue is the numerical approximation of the above-mentioned solid-liquid model, the complexity of which raises numerical challenges. The proposed method is non-oscillating upwind biased that does not require a Riemann solver at each step. A few test problems are approximated numerically to check the performance of suggested scheme. For validation the outcomes are compared with the conservation element solution element (CE/SE) and kinetic flux vector splitting (KFVS) schemes.

This study evaluated the subsequent effect of photoperiods during incubation on post-hatch growth and stress response of commercial broiler chickens. A total of 875 Ross 308 broiler breeder (48 weeks of age) eggs were hatched using different durations (0, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 h a day) of dichromatic light [green and red (495 to 750 nm); 2700 K; 250 lux; SUNJIE; China] throughout the whole period of incubation. A total of 50 0-day-old hatched straight run broiler chicks from each photoperiod during incubation were used to evaluate subsequent growth performance (feed intake, body weight, and feed conversion ratio); stress parameters (physical asymmetry, tonic immobility, and vocalization,); welfare traits (feather score and gait score); carcass traits (live weight, dressed weight, carcass yield, liver weight, gizzard weight, heart weight, abdominal fat weight, breast weight, and leg weight); and serum chemistry (globulin, total protein, cholesterol, glucose, and uric acid). There were no influences of photoperiod during incubation on post-hatch growth, stress parameters, welfare, and carcass traits. Heart yield was higher in birds incubated under 20 h light than in those from the 16 h light group. Incubation under different lighting durations also altered blood biochemical profile but did not influence serum globulin and cholesterol levels. It was concluded that under experimental conditions, incubation of broiler eggs under different lighting durations did not impact subsequent post-hatch performance (21–35 d).

The SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic that has claimed the lives of 6.9 million people and infected over 765 million. It has become a major worldwide health problem and is also known to cause abnormalities in various systems, including the hematologic system. COVID-19 infection primarily affects the lower respiratory tract and can lead to a cascade of events, including a cytokine storm, intravascular thrombosis, and subsequent complications such as arterial and venous thromboses. COVID-19 can cause thrombocytopenia, lymphopenia, and neutrophilia, which are associated with worse outcomes. Prophylactic anticoagulation is essential to prevent complications and death rates associated with the virus’s effect on the coagulation system. It is crucial to recognize these complications early and promptly start therapeutic anticoagulation to improve patient outcomes. While rare, COVID-19-induced disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) exhibits some similarities to DIC induced by sepsis. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), D-dimer, ferritin, and C-reactive protein (CRP) biomarkers often increase in serious COVID-19 cases and poor prognosis. Understanding the pathophysiology of the disease and identifying risk factors for adverse outcomes is critical for effective management of COVID-19.

Structural, opto-electronic and thermoelectric properties of square and butterfly like structured NaASb (A = Ca, Sr and Ba) Sodium Antimonides in tetragonal and hexagonal symmetries (P4/nmm and P62 m) are investigated using of density functional theory (DFT). Structural properties are in good agreement with the reported outcomes. Cohesive energy per atom (−8.233 to −26.1004 for P4/nmm and −8.522 to −28.7306 for P62 m symmetry) and enthalpy of formation per atom (−0.9468 to −2.6800 for P4/nmm and −1.1721 to −2.8034 for P62 m symmetry) for these compounds reveals that these compounds are stable in both P4/nmm and P62 m symmetries and are more stable in P62 m space group as compare to P4/nmm symmetry. Electronic properties show that the transition from indirect to direct band gap nature occurs by replacement of Ca/Sr by Ba in P4/nmm symmetry while P62 m symmetry all the NaASb (A = Ca, Sr and Ba) compounds are direct bandgap semiconductors. The band gap values lie in the range of 0–1.393 in P4/nmm symmetry and 0.542 to 1.547, respectively, in P62 m symmetry. Electrical conductivity also reveals the semiconducting characteristics of these compounds. The study shows that the replacement of Ca by Sr and Ba reduces the band gap and the reduction in bandgap values is greater in P4/nmm symmetry as compared to P62 m. The outcome demonstrates that these compounds NaASb (A = Ca, Sr and Ba) are implicitly active optically in the infrared region and are capable of serving as the primary applicant for optoelectronic devices. Thermoelectric properties like Seebeck coefficient (−138.5 to 154.7 μV/K in P4/nmm, −36.5 to −125.3 μV/K in P62 m at 500 K), Power factor (1.33–3.05 GW/mK2s in P4/nmm, 0.152–0.322 GW/mK2s in P62 m at 500 K) and thermoelectric figure of merit ranges from 0.495 to 0.946 in P4/nmm and 0.016 to 0.260 in P62 m at 500 K shows that these compounds are potential candidates for thermoelectric application in P4/nmm symmetry.

Workplace events play a significant role in shaping the performance of employees and organizations. Negative events, in particular, require careful attention due to their severe impact on employee wellbeing and performance. Workplace bullying and incivility are two negative events that can cause significant harm to employees and contribute to poor performance. This study examines the effects of workplace bullying and incivility on employee performance in the presence of perceived psychological wellbeing (PWB), with the moderating role of perceived organizational support (POS) considered for both independent variables and employee performance (EP). The study focuses on female nurses working in the healthcare sector of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The results of the study indicate that workplace bullying and incivility have adverse effects on employee performance and that PWB mediates these relationships. Moreover, perceived organizational support moderates the relationship between both predictors and the employee performance criterion. In conclusion, the findings of this study highlight the importance of creating a positive and supportive work environment to mitigate the negative effects of workplace bullying and incivility on employee performance.

Deceptive jamming is one of the indispensable part of electronic countermeasure technology, which has a significant role in modern warfare to secure the aircrafts from imminent threats. This research work proposes a novel Frequency Diverse Array-Multiple Input Multiple Output (FDA-MIMO) deceptive jamming method for neutralizing the opponent Phased Array Radar (PAR). The proposed deceptive jamming model works in passive mode. It interrupts the opponent radar signals and after addition of the deceptive signals, the processed signals are propagated back to neutralize the surveillance operation of the intended radar. When the opponent PAR receives these signals, it perceives multiple fake aircrafts flying at different ranges along the actual aircraft with modified and up-shifted radial velocity. Further, the proposed model uses diversification in frequencies, waveforms, and time modulation to protect the flight of the preferred aircraft. The effectiveness of the proposed model is verified through several simulations in Matlab using different number of arrays, directions and ranges.

Optoelectronic and thermoelectric properties of A3InAs3 (A = Sr and Eu) Zintl compounds are investigated using FP-LAPW method with LDA, GGA and mBJ potentials for Sr3InAs3 in addition with Hubbard (U) for Eu3InAs3 based on DFT. Electronic properties reveal that both the compounds are direct bandgap semiconductors and their semiconducting nature is also supported by electrical resistivity (conductivity). The direct bandgap value is ranging from 0.50 to 0.74 and is decreasing with the replacement of Sr by Eu. The results divulge that both the compounds are optically active in the infrared region and optically anisotropic in nature and can be used as a shield for ultraviolet radiation and potential candidate for optoelectronic devices. Negative value of -383 and -411 µV/K Seebeck coefficients suggest that electrons are the majority charge carriers. Low thermal conductivity, high Seebeck coefficient and high power factor indicating that A3InAs3 (A = Sr and Eu) are the potential matrix for thermoelectric application.

This article presents the development of a fifth-order multi-resolution finite volume weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) scheme combined with the advection upstream splitting method based on flux vector splitting (AUSMV) numerical flux for analyzing two-phase flow in both horizontal and vertical pipelines. The drift flux flow model comprises of two separate mass conservation equations for each phase for liquid and gas and one momentum equation for mixture and submodels for thermodynamics and hydrodynamics. The two mass conservation equations describe the behavior of each phase in the flow. The mixture-momentum equation takes into account the frictional and gravitational forces acting on the mixture of both phases. The thermodynamic and hydrodynamic submodels provide additional information to fully describe the flow and close the drift flux model. In the presence of these source terms and submodels, it is a challenging task to develop a high order efficient and accurate numerical schemes. The proposed numerical technique captures the peaks of pressure wave, suppresses the erroneous oscillations at the transition zones and resolves the discontinuities more efficiently and accurately. The accuracy of proposed numerical technique is verified by solving the various test problems. Furthermore, the solution obtained by developed numerical technique are compared to those attained with the high-resolution improved CUP and simple finite volume WENO numerical schemes.

Innovative Work Behavior (IWB) of employees is one of the essential requirements for organizations to excel in competition in today's dynamic world. Nowadays, organizations can keep the current pace through competitive advantage. But to acquire competitive advantage, employees must be creative and innovative in their work-related behaviors. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Pakistan are suffering several challenges in this regard. Therefore, current study is designed to examine the role of negative events and negative leadership on the IWB of the employees with mediating role of Psychological Well-being (PsyWB). Further, the moderating role of Perceived Organizational Support (POS) has also been tested. The negative event used in current research is Workplace Incivility (WPI) and Despotic Leadership (DL) from the negative leadership styles examined. Results of the current study showed that the presence of WPI and DL in organizations damage the IWB of employees as they harm the PsyWB of employees. We find that PsyWB mediated the relationship among DL, WPI, and IWB. POS is helpful for employees to overcome the negative issues prevailing in the organizations. The SMEs need to construct policies to eradicate WPI and must discourage despotic personalities to make the environment favorable for employees to protect their IWB. There must be some events that can increase the positive PsyWB of employees to make them more creative and motivated. Likewise, POS must be at sufficient level so that employees feel safe and healthy in all respects.

Abstract A robust understanding of the sub-seasonal cold season (November–March) precipitation variability over the High Mountains of Asia (HMA) is lacking. Here, we identify dynamic and thermodynamic pathways through which natural modes of climate variability establish their teleconnections over the HMA. First, we identify evaporative sources that contribute to the cold season precipitation over the HMA and surrounding areas. The predominant moisture contribution comes from the mid-latitude regions, including the Mediterranean/Caspian Seas and Mediterranean land. Second, we establish that several tropical and extratropical forcings display a sub-seasonally fluctuating influence on precipitation distribution over the region during the cold season. Many of them varyingly interact, so their impacts cannot be explained independently or at seasonal timescales. Lastly, a single set of evaporative sources is not identifiable as the key determinant in propagating a remote teleconnection because the sources of moisture anomalies depend on the pattern of sub-seasonally varying dynamical forcing in the atmosphere.

Introduction: Patients infected by COVID-19 can present with severe lung damage and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and have a significant mortality risk involving all body system such as cardiovascular (CVS), gastrointestinal (GIT), neurological (CNS), immune system and haemopoietic system. Aims & Objectives: To determine frequency of Leukoerythroblastic picture, compare complete blood counts and cell ratios (NLR, PLR, LMR) of positive COVID-19 patients with suspected COVID-19 patients and their association with severity as stratified by mode of admission and clinical status. Place and duration of study: King Edward Medical University, Mayo Hospital Lahore from December 2020 to January 2021. Material &Methods: 75 RT-PCR confirmed COVID-19 and 75 suspected patients of both genders and aged above 18 years were included. Severity was classified by mode of admission and patient status. CBC samples of all patients were analyzed for counts, differential and LE picture on Sysmex XE-1000 automatic blood analyzer. NLR, LMR and PLR were calculated in both groups. Peripheral smear findings were noted for leukoerythroblastic picture in all patients.Data was analyzed using SPSS version 25, p value ?0.05 was considered significant. Results: Each group consist of equal (75) number of patients with male predominance. Mean age of patient in confirmed and suspected groups were 58±14 and 61±15 respectively in both groups. Majority were admitted in HDU and ICU compared to isolated wards (P: .000). Frequency of LE picture in both groups was (2.7%) (P:0.12) by Chi-square. Mean± SD were determined, of hematological parameters and ratios in confirmed and suspected groups. ANC (P:0.022), ALC (P:0.032), NLR (P:0.002) were significantly different when compared in both groups. Median (IQR) of Hb (p: 0.05), WBC (P: 0.000), platelet (P: 0.008), ANC (P: 0.000), NLR (P: 0.000), LMR (P: 0.016) were significantly correlated with severity, when analyzed by independent-sample Kruskal Wallis Test. Conclusion: Leukoerythroblastic picture is not associated with severity in COVID-19. Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio is important prognostic factor in suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients.

Cancer accounts for a huge mortality rate due to its aggressiveness, colossal potential of metastasis, and heterogeneity (causing resistance against chemotherapy). Lung and colon cancers are among the most prevalent types of cancer around the globe that can occur in both males and females. Early and accurate diagnosis of these cancers can substantially improve the quality of treatment as well as the survival rate of cancer patients. We propose a highly accurate and computationally efficient model for the swift and accurate diagnosis of lung and colon cancers as an alternative to current cancer detection methods. In this study, a large dataset of lung and colon histopathology images was employed for training and the validation process. The dataset is comprised of 25000 histopathology images of lung and colon tissues equally divided into 5 classes. A pretrained neural network (AlexNet) was tuned by modifying the four of its layers before training it on the dataset. Initial classification results were promising for all classes of images except for one class with an overall accuracy of 89%. To improve the overall accuracy and keep the model computationally efficient, instead of implementing image enhancement techniques on the entire dataset, the quality of images of the underperforming class was improved by applying a contrast enhancement technique which is fairly simple and efficient. The implementation of the proposed methodology has not only improved the overall accuracy from 89% to 98.4% but has also proved computationally efficient.

A major and essential issue in biomedical research is to predict genome disorder. Genome disorders cause multivariate diseases like cancer, dementia, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, leigh syndrome, etc. which are causes of high mortality rates around the world. In past, theoretical and explanatory-based approaches were introduced to predict genome disorder. With the development of technology, genetic data were improved to cover almost genome and protein then machine and deep learning-based approaches were introduced to predict genome disorder. Parallel machine and deep learning approaches were introduced. In past, many types of research were conducted on genome disorder prediction using supervised, unsupervised, and semi-supervised learning techniques, most of the approaches using binary problem prediction using genetic sequence data. The prediction results of these approaches were uncertain because of their lower accuracy rate and binary class prediction techniques using genome sequence data but not genome disorder patients’ data with his/her history. Most of the techniques used Ribonucleic acid (RNA) gene sequence and were not often capable of handling bid data effectively. Consequently, in this study, the AlexNet as an effective convolutional neural network architecture proposed to develop an advance genome disorder prediction model (AGDPM) for predicting genome multi classes disorder using a large amount of data. AGDPM tested and compare with the pre-trained AlexNet neural network model and AGDPM gives the best results with 89.89% & 81.25% accuracy of training and testing respectively. So, the advance genome disorder prediction model shows the ability to efficiently predict genome disorder and can process a large amount of patients’ genome disorder data with a multi-class prediction method. AGDPM has proved that it is capable to predict single gene inheritance disorder, mitochondrial gene inheritance disorder, and multifactorial gene inheritance disorder with respect to various statistical performance parameters. So, with the help of AGDPM biomedical research will be improved in terms to predict genetic disorders and put control on high mortality rates.

Optoelectronic and thermoelectric properties of A3AsN (A = Mg, Ca, Sr and Ba) compounds in cubic and orthorhombic crystallographic phases are investigated using FP-LAPW method along with GGA and GGA-mBJ potentials based on DFT. Electronic properties shows that all the compounds both in cubic and orthorhombic crystallographic phases are direct band gap semiconductor at central symmetry. The calculated band gap for the cubic and orthorhombic phases ranging from 2.43 to 0.084eV through GGA and GGA-mBJ. The calculated band gap not only decreases with cation replacement but also diereses going from cubic to orthorhombic phase. The result revel that all the compounds are optically active in visible and infrared region of electromagnetic spectrum. Due to the narrow band gap semiconducting nature of these compounds their thermoelectric parameters are also calculated which shows that these compounds are efficient to use as the active thermoelectric materials.

Ternary composite with great modulation of electron transfers has attracted a lot of attention from the field of high-performance room-temperature (RT) gas sensing. Herein, walnut-like WO3-Ni–graphene ternary composites were successfully synthesized by the hydrothermal method for formaldehyde (HCHO) sensing at RT. The structural and morphological analyses were carried out by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). SEM and TEM studies confirmed that walnut-like WO3 nanostructures with an average size of 53 ± 23 nm were functionalized. The Raman and XPS results revealed that, due to the deformation of the O-W-O lattice, surface oxygen vacancies Ov and surface-adsorbed oxygen species Oc were present. The gas-sensing measurement shows that the response of the WO3-Ni-Gr composite (86.8%) was higher than that of the Ni-Gr composite (22.7%) for 500 ppm HCHO at RT. Gas-sensing enhancement can be attributed to a p-n heterojunction formation between WO3 and Ni-Gr, Oc, spill-over effect of Ni decoration, and a special walnut-like structure. Moreover, long term stability (%R = 61.41 ± 1.66) for 30 days and high selectivity in the presence of other gases against HCHO suggested that the proposed sensor could be an ideal candidate for future commercial HCHO-sensing in a real environment.

The extracellular protease ADAMTS-7 has been identified as a potential therapeutic target in atherosclerosis and associated diseases such as coronary artery disease (CAD). However, ADAMTS-7 inhibitors have not been reported so far. Screening of inhibitors has been hindered by the lack of a suitable peptide substrate and, consequently, a convenient activity assay. Here we describe the first fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) substrate for ADAMTS-7, ATS7FP7. ATS7FP7 was used to measure inhibition constants for the endogenous ADAMTS-7 inhibitor, TIMP-4, as well as two hydroxamate-based zinc chelating inhibitors. These inhibition constants match well with IC50 values obtained with our SDS-PAGE assay that uses the N-terminal fragment of latent TGF-β–binding protein 4 (LTBP4S-A) as a substrate. Our novel fluorogenic substrate ATS7FP7 is suitable for high throughput screening of ADAMTS-7 inhibitors, thus accelerating translational studies aiming at inhibition of ADAMTS-7 as a novel treatment for cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis and CAD.

Abstract This paper reports the enhanced performance of cholesterol oxidase (COx) conjugated CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) by using water-soluble mercaptoacitic acid (MAA) as linker. The functionalized MAA-CdSe/ZnS QDs conjugated in four different dilutions of cholesterol oxidase significantly affected QDs photoluminescence intensities, which affected the process of charge transfer from QDs to MAA. The conjugation of COx to MAA-QDs in increased dilutions resulted in the regain of PL intensities, which were attributed to the passivation of MAA HOMO/LUMO states. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry of the conjugated QDs were performed to get study the charge transfer mechanism. The 1:1000 diluted COx conjugated MAA-CdSe/ZnS QDs was found to have the lowest charge transfer resistance of 228 Ω, the highest diffusion (~ 1.39 × 10–13 cm2/s) and charge transfer rates (~ 4.5 × 10–6 s−1) between the electrode and the redox species. The current study demonstrated the sensitivity of electrochemical and optical based detection on the alkaline.

The objective of the study was to investigate the effect of transportation distance and crating density on broiler meat quality during hot and humid weather. Breast meat samples were collected from broilers (Ross-308) after transportation for 80, 160, and 240 km at crating densities of 10, 12, and 15 birds per crate. The broilers were transported in plastic crates of 0.91 × 0.55 × 0.31 m (length × width × height) in summer at an ambient temperature of 27.2–33.6°C and relative humidity of 52.7–62.9%. The birds were then slaughtered, and the meats' physicochemical characteristics, marination and cooking attributes were measured. Meat pH at 2 hours (h) postmortem (PM) was significantly higher in birds transported for 80 and 160 km compared to those transported for up to 240 km, while meat pH at 24 h PM was higher in birds transported for up to 160 km compared to the other treatments; however, no effect of different crating densities on meat pH and drip loss was observed. Meat losses such as drip loss, thaw loss, cooking loss in raw and marinated breast, and meat shear force were significantly higher in birds transported for up to 240 km compared to the other treatments. An increase in crating density above 12 birds per crate also increased thaw loss, whereas crating density of 12 birds per crate and higher increased cooking loss and meat shear force. Meat lightness also increased significantly with the increase in transportation distance above 160 km and crating density above 12 birds per crate. In conclusion, transportation of broilers for more than 80 km with crating density higher than 12 birds per crate during summer was associated with severe losses in yield and deterioration in physical appearance and functional characteristics of meat.

Two experimental trials on commercial broiler (Ross-308) were conducted to evaluate the carryover effect of artificial insemination (AI) in parent flock (PF) kept in cages (C), and on floor (F) in comparison to natural mating (NM) in floored PF. A total of 900 broiler chicks were obtained from 38-week-old PF (peak production), representing C, F, and NM evenly during first trial, whereas in second trial, similar number of chicks were obtained from same PF during postpeak phase (55 wk of age). Subsequent effects of AI and NM in PF were evaluated by bacteriology, posthatch mortality, growth performance, immune response, and carcass traits on experimental birds (broiler). Chicks being produced through NM exhibited significantly (P ≤ 0.05) improved growth performance (feed conversion ratio, weight gain, European efficiency factor) along with the least (P ≤ 0.05) posthatch mortality and prevalence of Escherichia coli, Salmonella Pullorum, and Mycoplasma gallisepticum. Moreover, the experimental chicks obtained from floored PF subjected to AI particularly during postpeak phase expressed the highest (P ≤ 0.05) contamination of the said pathogens along with posthatch mortality. However, immune response against New Castle disease and infectious bronchitis vaccines and slaughtering parameters remained nonsignificant (P > 0.05) among the 3 treatments under both trials. It is concluded that the best growth performance along with the least depletion and microbial load of concerned pathogens were being pertained by the experimental birds representing NM.

A study was conducted to determine the effect of transportation distance and crating density on meat quality traits during winter. ROSS-308 broilers aged 35 days were divided into 10 treatment groups based on three transportation distances (80, 160, and 240 km) with three crating densities (10, 12, and 15 birds per crate) along with birds slaughtered on farm without crating as a control group. Each treatment was replicated 10 times and placed at various locations in the truck. The birds were transported in plastic crates of 0.91 m×0.55 m×0.30 m at ambient temperature and relative humidity of 3.6–9.5°C and 63.3–78.8%, respectively. The breast meat quality parameters including pH, color, drip loss, shear force, marinade uptake and retention, cooking losses, and yield were determined. The results showed significantly higher pH 15 min post-slaughter (PS), drip loss, lightness, marinade uptake, raw meat cooking yield, and shear force in birds slaughtered on farm without any transportation. The birds transported for 240 km had significantly higher pH at 2 hours (h) PS, marinade retention, and cooking yield. Whereas, pH at 24 h PS, meat redness, yellowness, chroma, and marinated meat cooking yield were significantly higher in all transported treatments compared to the control group. Among different crating densities, the birds transported with 10 birds per crate showed significantly higher meat redness, marinade retention, and cooking yield. The crating density of 15 birds per crate had significantly higher lightness, hue, cooking loss, and shear force. However, no effect of crating density was observed on meat pH, drip loss, and marinade uptake. It can be concluded that an increase in transportation distance and low crating density during winter can negatively affect physical quality of meat with significant improvement in marination and cooking characteristics.

This paper is aimed at establishing some unique common fixed point theorems in complex-valued b-metric space under the rational type contraction conditions for three self-mappings in which the one self-map is continuous. A continuous self-map is commutable with the other two self-mappings. Our results are verified by some suitable examples. Ultimately, our results have been utilized to prove the existing solution to the two Urysohn integral type equations. This application illustrates how complex-valued b-metric space can be used in other types of integral operators.

In this paper, we study a rational type common fixed-point theorem (CFP theorem) in complex-valued generalized b-metric spaces (Gb-metric spaces) by using three self-mappings under the generalized contraction conditions. We find CFP and prove its uniqueness. To justify our result, we provide an illustrative example. Furthermore, we present a supportive application of the three Urysohn type integral equations (UTIEs) for the validity of our result. The UTIEs are

Endophytic fungi (EF) are a group of fascinating host-associated fungal communities that colonize the intercellular or intracellular spaces of host tissues, providing beneficial effects to their hosts while gaining advantages. In recent decades, accumulated research on endophytic fungi has revealed their biodiversity, wide-ranging ecological distribution, and multidimensional interactions with host plants and other microbiomes in the symbiotic continuum. In this review, we highlight the role of secondary metabolites (SMs) as effectors in these multidimensional interactions, and the biosynthesis of SMs in symbiosis via complex gene expression regulation mechanisms in the symbiotic continuum and via the mimicry or alteration of phytochemical production in host plants. Alternative biological applications of SMs in modern medicine, agriculture, and industry and their major classes are also discussed. This review recapitulates an introduction to the research background, progress, and prospects of endophytic biology, and discusses problems and substantive challenges that need further study.

Objective: To evaluate different VMAT planning techniques for a multi-leaf collimator (MLC)providing maximum aperture of 21 × 16 cm². Methods: A VMAT planning study of nine prostate and nine head-and-neck cancer patients was carried out. The patients were previously treated with Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) technique during 2014-15, at radiation oncology SanBortolo Hospital, Vicenza, Italy. Three VMAT plans for each of prostate and head-and-neck cancer patient were optimized using Pinnacle treatment planning system for 6MV photon beam from ElektaSynergyS®Linac system. Single arc, dual arc and combined two independent-single-arcs were optimized for collimator angle 45°. VMAT treatment planning comparison was made among single-arc dual-arc and combined two independent-single-arcs. The student’s t-test (two-sided) with p ? 0.05 was applied for significant difference between dose volume indices of plans. Results: All VMAT techniques produced clinically acceptable plans for prostate, while for head-and-neck, DA and ISAs significantly improved target coverage compared to SA. Single arc is sufficient for prostate, while inefficient in case of head-and-neck dose-planning. In spite of having different VMAT optimization approach dual arc and two combined independent-single-arcs provided very similar target coverage, while dual arc improved sparing of organs-at-risk. Similar treatment delivery times were observed for DA and ISAs VMAT techniques. Conclusion: Single arc is sufficient for prostate, while inefficient in case of head-and-neck dose-planning.Dual arc and two combined independent-single-arcs provided similar PTV coverage, while DA provided better sparing of organs at risk. Continuous...

As formaldehyde is an extremely toxic volatile organic pollutant, a highly sensitive and selective gas sensor for low-concentration formaldehyde monitoring is of great importance. Herein, metal-organic framework (MOF) derived Pd/PdO@ZnO porous nanostructures were synthesized through hydrothermal method followed by calcination processes. Specifically, porous Pd/PdO@ZnO nanomaterials with large surfaces were synthesized using MOFs as sacrificial templates. During the calcination procedure, an optimized temperature of 500°C was used to form a stable structure. More importantly, intensive PdO@ZnO inside the material and composite interface provides lots of p-n heterojunction to efficiently manipulate room temperature sensing performance. As the height of the energy barrier at the junction of PdO@ZnO exponentially influences the sensor resistance, the Pd/PdO@ZnO nanomaterials exhibit high sensitivity (38.57% for 100 ppm) at room temperature for 1-ppm formaldehyde with satisfactory selectivity towards (ammonia, acetone, methanol, and IPA). Besides, due to the catalytic effect of Pd and PdO, the adsorption and desorption of the gas molecules are accelerated, and the response and recovery time is as small as 256 and 264 s, respectively. Therefore, this MOF-driven strategy can prepare metal oxide composites with high surface area, well-defined morphology, and satisfactory room-temperature formaldehyde gas sensing performance for indoor air quality control.

In the current study, the ratio of a precise heat transfer growth to the different wt.% of the Zinc oxide-DW (ZnO-DW) based nanofluids are considered in a closed single-tube circular heat exchanger experimentally and by using ANSYS modeling. Four varying concentrations, 0.1%, 0.075%, 0.05%, and 0.025% wt. of the ZnO-DW nanofluids were considered and their thermal and hydrodynamic characteristics were determined experimentally and numerically. The experiments were conducted with base fluid (distilled water) as a working fluid for the validation of the 2-D numerical model. Using ANSYS-Fluent, a 2-dimensional domain was constructed and k-ϵ turbulent model was utilized to evaluate the continuity, energy, and momentum equations. All the nanofluids were experimentally and numerically examined with Reynolds (Re) numbers ranging from 5849 to 24544 and then validated using empirical correlations. Reynolds (Re) number, heat transfer coefficient, and Nusselt number were calculated and analyzed. The highest pressure drop was noticed for 0.1 wt% which is about 11184.9 m.Pas, while the highest friction (f) was 0.072983. Similarly, the maximum average heat transfer coefficient (h) and average Nusslet numbers (Nu) were been calculated both numerically and experimentally. At the highest 0.1 wt%. concentration of the ZnO-DW based nanofluids the supreme heat transfer was recorded about 13799.50 W/m2.K (71%) and the average Nusselt numbers (Nu) were noticed 176.47 (67.3%). Both experimental and ANSYS modeling results reflected that the 0.1% ZnO-DW based nanofluids contributed the highest heat transfer coefficient with an overall average deviation up to ±9.2%. Both experimental and numerical results showed promising and similar outcomes.

ABSTRACT: The study evaluated the effect of housing system, insemination frequency, and sperm concentration on hatching traits of commercial broiler breeder. Experiment was set up as 2 × 4 × 4 factorial arrangement under completely randomized design. A total of 960 broiler breeder females (Ross-308) were divided evenly (480) into two groups for Artificial Insemination in cages (AIC) and on deep litter floor (AIF) with 41 and 48 males were allocated for aforesaid flocks, respectively. Females birds of both flocks (AIC and AIF) were further divided into 4 treatment groups to apply 4 various insemination frequencies at 4, 6, 8, and 10th days. These treated groups were further divided into 4 subgroups to apply each of insemination frequencies with 4 different sperm concentrations per insemination dose 100, 125, 150, and 175 × 106 sperms during peak phase of production which were replaced with 200, 225, 250, and 275 × 106 sperms in post peak phase. According to the results, significantly higher egg production, fertility, hatchability and number of chicks were documented when AI was conducted in cages as compared to deep litter floor. Although, the best reproductive performance was observed on 4 and 6th day insemination frequencies on all subjected sperm concentrations during peak; however, these parameters were found better on only 4th day during post peak. Sperms concentrations of 150, 175 × 106 during peak and 250 and 275 × 106 during post peak brought forth the best reproductive performance on all insemination frequencies. Although, embryonic mortality was significantly higher, when AI was conducted in floored flocks particularly when repeated after 4th day; however, various sperm concentrations found inert. In conclusion, AI found advantageous in caged flock as compared to floored. The consortium of different insemination frequencies and sperms concentrations are required for sustainable reproductive traits with progression of breeder age.

ECAP (Equal Channel Angular Pressing) is a technique used to enhance the strength of material by grain refinement. In this research, an aerospace grade aluminum alloy-6061 is investigated. The specimens were pressed through ECAP die channels, intersecting each other at an angle of 90oC where a shear plane of 45oC was developed, that results grains refinement. Fatigue strengths and CGR (Crack Growth Rate) for the stress ratio R 0.7 and 0.1 are found and compared with the as-received material.It was observed that the CGR is slower at stress ratio R=0.1, as compared to stress ration R=0.7. An electric furnace was embedded with ECAP die to regulate the material flow through this die. The temperature of the die was maintained at 450oC during ECAP pressing and the specimens were also preheated at this temperature using another furnace. The ECAP die consistsof two channels intersecting at 90o provided with safe inner and outer corner radius to avoid scaling.The microstructural observations revealed that the deformation was perfectly plastic. The ECAPed and as-received materials were also characterized by tensile tests, micro-hardness tests, and 3-point bend fatigue tests.

The study presents a framework to analyze and detect meddling in real-time network data and identify numerous meddling patterns that may be harmful to various communication means, academic institutes, and other industries. The major challenge was to develop a non-faulty framework to detect meddling (to overcome the traditional ways). With the development of machine learning technology, detecting and stopping the meddling process in the early stages is much easier. In this study, the proposed framework uses numerous data collection and processing techniques and machine learning techniques to train the meddling data and detect anomalies. The proposed framework uses support vector machine (SVM) and K-nearest neighbor (KNN) machine learning algorithms to detect the meddling in a network entangled with blockchain technology to ensure the privacy and protection of models as well as communication data. SVM achieves the highest training detection accuracy (DA) and misclassification rate (MCR) of 99.59% and 0.41%, respectively, and SVM achieves the highest-testing DA and MCR of 99.05% and 0.95%, respectively. The presented framework portrays the best meddling detection results, which are very helpful for various communication and transaction processes.

Bone tumors, such as osteosarcomas, can occur anywhere in the bones, though they usually occur in the extremities of long bones near metaphyseal growth plates. Osteosarcoma is a malignant lesion caused by a malignant osteoid growing from primitive mesenchymal cells. In most cases, osteosarcoma develops as a solitary lesion within the most rapidly growing areas of the long bones in children. The distal femur, proximal tibia, and proximal humerus are the most frequently affected bones, but virtually any bone can be affected. Early detection can reduce mortality rates. Osteosarcoma’s manual detection requires expertise, and it can be tedious. With the assistance of modern technology, medical images can now be analyzed and classified automatically, which enables faster and more efficient data processing. A deep learning-based automatic detection system based on whole slide images (WSIs) is presented in this paper to detect osteosarcoma automatically. Experiments conducted on a large dataset of WSIs yielded up to 99.3% accuracy. This model ensures the privacy and integrity of patient information with the implementation of blockchain technology. Utilizing edge computing and fog computing technologies, the model reduces the load on centralized servers and improves efficiency.

In this paper, we establish some new generalized rational type common fixed point results for compatible three self-mappings in complex-valued b-metric space, in which a one self-map is continuous. In support of our results, we present some illustrative examples to verify the validity of our main work. Moreover, we present the application of two Urysohn integral type equations (UITEs) for the existence of a common solution to support our work. The UITEs are v1p=∫k1k2Q1p,r,v1rdr+ℏ1p and v2p=∫k1k2Q2p,r,v2rdr+ℏ2p, where p∈k1,k2,v1,v2,ℏ1,ℏ2∈V, where V=Ck1,k2,ℝn is the set of all real-valued continuous functions defined on k1,k2 and Q1,Q2:k1,k2×k1,k2×ℝn⟶ℝn.

Convex functions play an important role in many areas of mathematics. They are especially important in the study of optimization problems where they are distinguished by a number of convenient properties. In this paper, firstly we introduce the notion of h-exponential convex functions. This notion can be considered as generalizations of many existing definitions of convex functions. Then, we establish some well-known inequalities for the proposed notion via incomplete gamma functions. Precisely speaking, we established trapezoidal, midpoint, and He’s inequalities for h-exponential and harmonically exponential convex functions via incomplete gamma functions. Moreover, we gave several remarks to prove that our results are more generalized than the existing results in the literature.

Chl1 is a member of the XPD family of 5'-3' DNA helicases, which perform a variety of roles in genome maintenance and transmission. They possess a variety of unique structural features, including the presence of a highly variable, partially-ordered insertion in the helicase domain 1. Chl1 has been shown to be required for chromosome segregation in yeast due to its role in the formation of persistent chromosome cohesion during S-phase. Here we present structural and biochemical data to show that Chl1 has the same overall domain organisation as other members of the XPD family, but with some conformational alterations. We also present data suggesting the insert domain in Chl1 regulates its DNA binding.

2D-WS2 incorporated polyaniline nanocomposites (WS2-PANI) with varying WS2 loadings were synthesized by a facile in situ oxidative polymerization technique which effectively promoted photocatalytic waste-water remediation using methylene blue (MB) as the probe molecules. The physicochemical properties of WS2-PANI (1–5) nanocomposites were investigated using multifarious techniques such as FT-IR, XRD, BET surface area, TGA, FESEM, and HRTEM. An electron microscopy analysis that was performed using HRTEM analysis confirm the layered structure of WS2 with periodic planes (100) separated by 0.27 nm. The photocatalytic performance of the WS2-PANI (1–5) for MB degradation performed under UV photo irradiation clearly showed that 2 wt.% WS2-PANI outperformed other variants with 93% degradation MB within 90 min. Furthermore, the catalytic material was reusable for five cycles without a significant loss of the catalytic performance.

ABSTRACT Plasmodium falciparum RH5 is a secreted parasite ligand that is essential for erythrocyte invasion through direct interaction with the host erythrocyte receptor basigin. RH5 forms a tripartite complex with two other secreted parasite proteins, CyRPA and RIPR, and is tethered to the surface of the parasite through membrane-anchored P113. Antibodies against RH5, CyRPA, and RIPR can inhibit parasite invasion, suggesting that vaccines containing these three components have the potential to prevent blood-stage malaria. To further explore the role of the P113-RH5 interaction, we selected monoclonal antibodies against P113 that were either inhibitory or noninhibitory for RH5 binding. Using a Fab fragment as a crystallization chaperone, we determined the crystal structure of the RH5 binding region of P113 and showed that it is composed of two domains with structural similarities to rhamnose-binding lectins. We identified the RH5 binding site on P113 by using a combination of hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry and site-directed mutagenesis. We found that a monoclonal antibody to P113 that bound to this interface and inhibited the RH5-P113 interaction did not inhibit parasite blood-stage growth. These findings provide further structural information on the protein interactions of RH5 and will be helpful in guiding the development of blood-stage malaria vaccines that target RH5. IMPORTANCE Malaria is a deadly infectious disease primarily caused by the parasite Plasmodium falciparum. It remains a major global health problem, and there is no highly effective vaccine. A parasite protein called RH5 is centrally involved in the invasion of host red blood cells, making it—and the other parasite proteins it interacts with—promising vaccine targets. We recently identified a protein called P113 that binds RH5, suggesting that it anchors RH5 to the parasite surface. In this paper, we use structural biology to locate and characterize the RH5 binding region on P113. These findings will be important to guide the development of new antimalarial vaccines to ultimately prevent this disease, which affects some of the poorest people on the planet.

Centriole duplication is tightly regulated in vivo, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are incompletely understood. Here the authors use high-resolution structural and imaging methods to show that CEP85 directly interacts with STIL and mediates efficient centriolar targeting of STIL, PLK4 activation and centriole assembly.

This study was conducted to explore the effect of Moringa oleifera pods meal (MPM) on growth performance, blood metabolites, chemical composition, meat quality and immunity of broilers. For the purpose, two hundred (Hubbard classic) broiler birds having weight 40.4±3.02 g, were assigned to four treatments with five replicates and ten birds per replicate in a completely randomized design. Starter and finisher diets were added with four levels (0, 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5% of MPM) over and above. Results of this study showed that growth performance was improved as feed conversion ratio (FCR) and feed intake (FI) were decreased with the increase in supplementation level (P≤0.05). Dressing percentage was lowered, whereas giblet weights were improved with the MPM supplementation levels (P≤0.05). β-carotene, Quercetin and Selenium content of breast meat was linearly increased resulting in higher values of di-phenyl picryl hydrazil (DPPH) radical scavenging and improved shelf life. Serum biochemical compounds like serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT), Creatinine, Glucose and meat cholesterol level was significantly decreased and was recorded lowest in 1.5% MPM supplemented diet (P≤0.05). At the end of the trial it was concluded that Moringa pods may positively affect the growth and chemical composition of broiler meat.

EDMed (Electric Discharge Machined) surfaces are unique in their appearance and metallurgical characteristics, which depend on different parameter such as electric parameters, flushing method, and dielectric type. Conventionally, in static workpiece method the EDM (Electric Discharge Machining) is performed by submerging both of the tool and workpiece in dielectric liquid and side flushing is provided by impinging pressurized dielectric liquid into the gap. Another flushing method has been investigated in this study, in which, instead of side flushing the rotation motion is provided to the workpiece. Surface characteristics for both flushing methods are determined and compared in this study. The investigated surface characteristics are: surface roughness, crater size, surface morphology, white layer thickness and composition. These investigations are performed using optical and SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope). Statistical confidence limits are determined for scattered data of surface roughness. It is found that the white layer thickness and surface roughness are directly proportional to discharge current for both flushing methods. The comparison has shown that the side flushing of statics workpiece gives thicker white layer and lower surface finish as compared to the flushing caused by the rotation of workpiece

In this study the MRR (Material Removal Rate) of the aerospace grade (2024 T6) aluminum alloy 2024 T6 has been determined with copper electrode and kerosene oil is used as dielectric liquid. Discharge energy is controlled by electric current while keeping Pulse-ON time and Pulse-OFF time as constant. The characteristics of the EDMed (Electric Discharge Machined) surface are discussed. The sub-surface defect due to arcing has been explained. As the surface material of tool electrode and workpiece melts simultaneously and there are chances of the contamination of both surfaces by the contents of each other. Therefore, the EDS (Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy) of the white layer and base material of the workpiece was performed by SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) at the discharge currents of 3, 6 and 12 amperes. It was conformed that the contamination of the surface of the workpiece material occurred by carbon, copper and oxygen contents. The quantitative analysis of these contents with respect to the discharge current has been presented in this paper.

Abstract Prevalence of honeybee viral diseases has recently been causing major problems in the beekeeping industry, causing economic losses worldwide. Honeybees are susceptible to a variety of diseases and various pathogens. Among these pathogens, prevalence viruses, along with other factors, are seriously threatening the health of bee species. In the present study, samples were collected from 80 Apis cerana cerana (A. c. cerana) colonies from three different locations, Cangshan, Fuan, and Yongtai, in the Fujian Province of China. All samples were screened using the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) method for detection of seven honeybee viruses, namely, Chinese sacbrood virus (CSBV), deformed wing virus (DWV), Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV), black queen cell virus (BQCV), chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV), acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV), and Kashmir bee virus (KBV). Our results showed that CSBV was the most prevalent as it was detected in (90%), of the samples, DWV was detected in (81.25%), and IAPV was detected in (26.25%). In contrast, insignificant prevalence results were obtained from all apiaries for BQCV, CBPV, APBV, and KBV, which were not detected in any sample. Here, we are providing the first report on the molecular detection of honeybee viruses, especially the prevalence of IAPV, from different regions in the Fujian Province of China with a high prevalence of bee viruses, on A. c. cerana, and there is great concern for the presence of honeybee viruses in the population of the native honeybee (A. c. cerana) in China.

Sacbrood virus (SBV) is a common honey bee virus disease. SBV variants and strains identified in Asian honey bees, Apis cerana, have created confusion in identifications. Although the regional names indicated the expansions of the virus in new regions, pathogenesis, and genomes of these variants are not distinct enough to be a separate virus species. However, current SBV qPCR methods may not detect newly identified A. cerana SBV variants (Ac SBV) according to the genome sequences. Since these Ac SBV can naturally infect A. mellifera and possibly other hymenopterans, ignorance of Ac SBV variants in detection methods is simply unwise. In this report, we updated the qPCR method based on Blanchard’s design that used conserved regions of VP1 to design a TaqMan method with an MGB (minor groove binder) probe. We tested the method in bees and hornets, including A. mellifera, A. cerana, and Vespa velutina. The updated primers and the probe can match published SBV and Ac SBV genomes in databases, and this updated method has reasonable sensitivity and flexibility to be applied as a detection and quantification method before the discovery of variants with more mutated VP1 gene.

Pore-forming toxins act by forming oligomeric pores in lipid membranes. Here the authors report the crystal structure of the lysenin pore, providing insights into the assembly and function of the pore in addition to suggesting that its properties make lysenin potentially well-suited for nanopore sensing applications.

FLRT proteins are known to interact with Lphns and Unc5s, mediating cell adhesion and repulsion respectively. Here the authors use crystallography, native mass spectrometry, molecular dynamics simulations and cell-based assays to show that these three proteins form large super-complexes with functions distinct from their smaller subcomplexes.

Cosmetic products are used in large quantities across the world. An increasing number of chemical compounds are being added to the formulation of cosmetic products as additives, fragrances, preservatives, stabilizers, surfactants, dye and shine to potentiate their quality, property and shelf life. Owing to their widespread use, active residues of cosmetic products are continuously introduced into the environment in several ways. Many of these chemicals are bioactive and are characterized by potential bioaccumulation ability and environmental persistence, thus exerting a major risk to humans and the health of ecosystems. Hence, the indiscriminate consumption of cosmetics may present a looming issue with significant adverse impacts on public health. This review intends to spotlight a current overview of toxic ingredients used in formulating cosmetics such as parabens, triclosan, benzalkonium chloride, 1,4-dioxane, plastic microbeads, formaldehyde, diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea, sunscreen elements (organic and inorganic UV filters) and trace metals. Specific focus is given to illustrate the biological risks of these substances on human health and aquatic system in terms of genotoxicity, cytotoxicity, neurotoxicity mutagenicity, and estrogenicity. In addition to conclusive remarks, future directions are also suggested.