The transcription factor CREB1 is a mechanistic driver of immunogenicity and reduced HIV-1 acquisition following ALVAC vaccination.

Development of effective human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) vaccines requires synergy between innate and adaptive immune cells. Here we show that induction of the transcription factor CREB1 and its target genes by the recombinant canarypox vector ALVAC + Alum augments immunogenicity in non-human primates (NHPs) and predicts reduced HIV-1 acquisition in the RV144 trial. These target genes include those encoding cytokines/chemokines associated with heightened protection from simian immunodeficiency virus challenge in NHPs. Expression of CREB1 target genes probably results from direct cGAMP (STING agonist)-modulated p-CREB1 activity that drives the recruitment of CD4+ T cells and B cells to the site of antigen presentation. Importantly, unlike NHPs immunized with ALVAC + Alum, those immunized with ALVAC + MF59, the regimen in the HVTN702 trial that showed no protection from HIV infection, exhibited significantly reduced CREB1 target gene expression. Our integrated systems biology approach has validated CREB1 as a critical driver of vaccine efficacy and highlights that adjuvants that trigger CREB1 signaling may be critical for efficacious HIV-1 vaccines.

Real-world and clinical trial outcomes in large B-cell lymphoma with axicabtagene ciloleucel across race and ethnicity.

ABSTRACT: Axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) is an autologous anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy approved for relapsed/refractory (R/R) large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL). Despite extensive data supporting its use, outcomes stratified by race and ethnicity groups are limited. Here, we report clinical outcomes with axi-cel in patients with R/R LBCL by race and ethnicity in both real-world and clinical trial settings. In the real-world setting, 1290 patients who received axi-cel between 2017 and 2020 were identified from the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research database; 106 and 169 patients were included from the ZUMA-1 and ZUMA-7 trials, respectively. Overall survival was consistent across race/ethnicity groups. However, non-Hispanic (NH) Black patients had lower overall response rate (OR, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.22-0.63) and lower complete response rate (OR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.33-0.97) than NH White patients. NH Black patients also had a shorter progression-free survival vs NH White (HR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.04-1.90) and NH Asian patients (HR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.08-2.59). NH Asian patients had a longer duration of response than NH White (HR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.33-0.94) and Hispanic patients (HR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.30-0.97). There was no difference in cytokine release syndrome by race/ethnicity; however, higher rates of any-grade immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome were observed in NH White patients than in other patients. These results provide important context when treating patients with R/R LBCL with CAR T-cell therapy across different racial and ethnic groups. ZUMA-1 and ZUMA-7 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers: #NCT02348216 and #NCT03391466, respectively) are registered on ClinicalTrials.gov.

STAT2 hinders STING intracellular trafficking and reshapes its activation in response to DNA damage.

In cancer cells, endogenous or therapy-induced DNA damage leads to the abnormal presence of DNA in the cytoplasm, which triggers the activation of cGAS (cyclic GMP-AMP synthase) and STING (stimulator of interferon genes). STAT2 suppresses the cGAMP-induced expression of IRF3-dependent genes by binding to STING, blocking its intracellular trafficking, which is essential for the full response to STING activation. STAT2 reshapes STING signaling by inhibiting the induction of IRF3-dependent, but not NF-κB-dependent genes. This noncanonical activity of STAT2 is regulated independently of its tyrosine phosphorylation but does depend on the phosphorylation of threonine 404, which promotes the formation of a STAT2:STING complex that keeps STING bound to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and increases resistance to DNA damage. We conclude that STAT2 is a key negative intracellular regulator of STING, a function that is quite distinct from its function as a transcription factor.

Unravelling reference bias in ancient DNA datasets.

MOTIVATION: The alignment of sequencing reads is a critical step in the characterization of ancient genomes. However, reference bias and spurious mappings pose a significant challenge, particularly as cutting-edge wet lab methods generate datasets that push the boundaries of alignment tools. Reference bias occurs when reference alleles are favoured over alternative alleles during mapping, whereas spurious mappings stem from either contamination or when endogenous reads fail to align to their correct position. Previous work has shown that these phenomena are correlated with read length but a more thorough investigation of reference bias and spurious mappings for ancient DNA has been lacking. Here, we use a range of empirical and simulated palaeogenomic datasets to investigate the impacts of mapping tools, quality thresholds, and reference genome on mismatch rates across read lengths. RESULTS: For these analyses, we introduce AMBER, a new bioinformatics tool for assessing the quality of ancient DNA mapping directly from BAM-files and informing on reference bias, read length cut-offs and reference selection. AMBER rapidly and simultaneously computes the sequence read mapping bias in the form of the mismatch rates per read length, cytosine deamination profiles at both CpG and non-CpG sites, fragment length distributions, and genomic breadth and depth of coverage. Using AMBER, we find that mapping algorithms and quality threshold choices dictate reference bias and rates of spurious alignment at different read lengths in a predictable manner, suggesting that optimized mapping parameters for each read length will be a key step in alleviating reference bias and spurious mappings. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: AMBER is available for noncommercial use on GitHub (https://github.com/tvandervalk/AMBER.git). Scripts used to generate and analyse simulated datasets are available on Github (https://github.com/sdolenz/refbias_scripts).

Covalent Organic Framework Membranes and Water Treatment.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are an emerging class of highly porous crystalline organic polymers comprised entirely of organic linkers connected by strong covalent bonds. Due to their excellent physicochemical properties (e.g., ordered structure, porosity, and stability), COFs are considered ideal materials for developing state-of-the-art separation membranes. In fact, significant advances have been made in the last six years regarding the fabrication and functionalization of COF membranes. In particular, COFs have been utilized to obtain thin-film, composite, and mixed matrix membranes that could achieve effective rejection (mostly above 80%) of organic dyes and model organic foulants (e.g., humic acid). COF-based membranes, especially those prepared by embedding into polyamide thin-films, obtained adequate rejection of salts in desalination applications. However, the claims of ordered structure and separation mechanisms remain unclear and debatable. In this perspective, we analyze critically the design and exploitation of COFs for membrane fabrication and their performance in water treatment applications. In addition, technological challenges associated with COF properties, fabrication methods, and treatment efficacy are highlighted to redirect future research efforts in realizing highly selective separation membranes for scale-up and industrial applications.

PEO-Based Solid Composite Polymer Electrolyte for High Capacity Retention All-Solid-State Lithium Metal Battery.

The limited ionic conductivity at room temperature and the constrained electrochemical window of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) pose significant obstacles that hinder its broader utilization in high-energy-density lithium metal batteries. The garnet-type material Li6.4 La3 Zr1.4 Ta0.6 O12 (LLZTO) is recognized as a highly promising active filler for enhancing the performance of PEO-based solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs). However, its performance is still limited by its high interfacial resistance. In this study, a novel hybrid filler-designed SPE is employed to achieve excellent electrochemical performance for both the lithium metal anode and the LiFePO4 cathode. The solid composite membrane containing hybrid fillers achieves a maximum ionic conductivity of 1.9 × 10-4 S cm-1 and a Li+ transference number of 0.67 at 40 °C, respectively. Additionally, the Li/Li symmetric cells demonstrate a smooth and stable process for 2000 h at a current density of 0.1 mA cm-2 . Furthermore, the LiFePO4 /Li battery delivers a high-rate capacity of 159.2 mAh g-1 at 1 C, along with a capacity retention of 95.2% after 400 cycles. These results validate that employing a composite of both active and inactive fillers is an effective strategy for achieving superior performance in all-solid-state lithium metal batteries (ASSLMBs).

Trends and disparities in cardiac implantable electronic device infection-related mortality in the United States.

INTRODUCTION: We performed a cross-sectional study using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) database to analyze the trends in cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) infection-related mortality from 1999 to 2020. METHODS: We analyzed the death certificate data from the CDC WONDER database from 1999 to 2020 for CIED infections in the US population aged ≥25 years using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes, listed as the underlying or contributing cause of death. Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed per 1 million population by standardizing crude mortality rates to the 2000 US census population. To assess annual mortality trends, we employed the Joinpoint regression model, calculating the annual percent change (APC) in AAMR and corresponding 95% CIs. RESULTS: Overall, there was an observed declining trend in AAMRs related to CIED infection-related mortality. Males accounted for 55% of the total deaths, with persistently higher AAMRs compared to females over the study duration. Both males and females had an overall decreasing trend in AAMRs throughout the study duration. On race/ethnicity stratified analysis, non-Hispanic (NH) Blacks exhibited the highest overall AAMR, followed by NH American Indians or Alaska Natives, NH Whites, Hispanic or Latinos, and NH Asian or Pacific Islanders. On a stratified analysis based on region, the South region had the highest overall AAMR, followed by the Midwest, West, and Northeast regions. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates a significant decline in CIED infection-related mortality in patients over the last two decades. Notable gender, racial/ethnic, and regional differences exist in the rates of mortality related to CIED infections.

Contemporary trends of leadless pacemaker implantation in the United States.

INTRODUCTION: Leadless pacemakers (LPM) have established themselves as the important therapeutic modality in management of selected patients with symptomatic bradycardia. To determine real-world utilization and in-hospital outcomes of LPM implantation since its approval by the Food and Drug Administration in 2016. METHODS: For this retrospective cohort study, data were extracted from the National Inpatient Sample database from the years 2016-2020. The outcomes analyzed in our study included implantation trends of LPM over study years, mortality, major complications (defined as pericardial effusion requiring intervention, any vascular complication, or acute kidney injury), length of stay, and cost of hospitalization. Implantation trends of LPM were assessed using linear regression. Using years 2016-2017 as a reference, adjusted outcomes of mortality, major complications, prolonged length of stay (defined as >6 days), and increased hospitalization cost (defined as median cost >34 098$) were analyzed for subsequent years using a multivariable logistic regression model. RESULTS: There was a gradual increased trend of LPM implantation over our study years (3230 devices in years 2016-2017 to 11 815 devices in year 2020, p for trend <.01). The adjusted mortality improved significantly after LPM implantation in subsequent years compared to the reference years 2016-2017 (aOR for the year 2018: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.51-0.73; aOR for the year 2019: 0.49, 95% CI: 0.41-0.59; and aOR for the year 2020: 0.52, 95% CI: 0.44-0.62). No differences in adjusted rates of major complications were demonstrated over the subsequent years. The adjusted cost of hospitalization was higher for the years 2019 (aOR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.22-1.46) and 2020 (aOR: 1.69, 95% CI: 1.55-1.84). CONCLUSION: The contemporary US practice has shown significantly increased implantation rates of LPM since its approval with reduced rates of inpatient mortality.

Association of Surgical Approaches and Outcomes in Total Mesorectal Excision and Margin Status for Rectal Cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Despite being a key metric with a significant correlation with the outcomes of patients with rectal cancer, the optimal surgical approach for total mesorectal excision (TME) has not yet been identified. The aim of this study was to assess the association of the surgical approach on the quality of TME and surgical margins and to characterize the surgical and long-term oncologic outcomes in patients undergoing robotic, laparoscopic, and open TME for rectal cancer. METHODS: Patients with primary, nonmetastatic rectal adenocarcinoma who underwent either lower anterior resection or abdominoperineal resection via robotic (Rob), laparoscopic (Lap), or open approaches were selected from the US Rectal Cancer Consortium database (2007-2017). Quasi-Poisson regression analysis with backward selection was used to investigate the relationship between the surgical approach and outcomes of interest. RESULTS: Among the 664 patients included in the study, the distribution of surgical approaches was as follows: 351 (52.9%) underwent TME via the open approach, 159 (23.9%) via the robotic approach, and 154 (23.2%) via the laparoscopic approach. There were no significant differences in baseline demographics among the three cohorts. The laparoscopic cohort had fewer patients with low rectal cancer (<6 cm from the anal verge) than the robotic and open cohorts (Lap 28.6% versus Rob 59.1% versus Open 45.6%, P = 0.015). Patients who underwent Rob and Lap TME had lower intraoperative blood loss compared with the Open approach (Rob 200 mL [Q1, Q3: 100.0, 300.0] versus Lap 150 mL [Q1, Q3: 75.0, 250.0] versus Open 300 mL [Q1, Q3: 150.0, 600.0], P < 0.001). There was no difference in the operative time (Rob 243 min [Q1, Q3: 203.8, 300.2] versus Lap 241 min [Q1, Q3: 186, 336] versus Open 226 min [Q1, Q3: 178, 315.8], P = 0.309) between the three approaches. Postoperative length of stay was shorter with robotic and laparoscopic approach compared to open approach (Rob 5.0 d [Q1, Q3: 4, 8.2] versus Lap 5 d [Q1, Q3: 4, 8] versus Open 7.0 d [Q1, Q3: 5, 9], P < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in the quality of TME between the robotic, laparoscopic, and open approaches (79.2%, 64.9%, and 64.7%, respectively; P = 0.46). The margin positivity rate, a composite of circumferential margin and distal margin, was higher with the robotic and open approaches than with the laparoscopic approach (Rob 8.2% versus Open 6.6% versus Lap 1.9%, P = 0.17), Rob versus Lap (odds ratio 0.21; 95% confidence interval 0.05, 0.83) and Rob versus Open (odds ratio 0.5; 95% confidence interval 0.22, 1.12). There was no difference in long-term survival, including overall survival and recurrence-free survival, between patients who underwent robotic, laparoscopic, or open TME (Figure 1). CONCLUSIONS: In patients undergoing surgery with curative intent for rectal cancer, we did not observe a difference in the quality of TME between the robotic, laparoscopic, or open approaches. Robotic and open TME compared to laparoscopic TME were associated with higher margin positivity rates in our study. This was likely due to the higher percentage of low rectal cancers in the robotic and open cohorts. We also reported no significant differences in overall survival and recurrence-free survival between the aforementioned surgical techniques.

The Acute Impact of Propofol on Blood-Brain Barrier Integrity in Mice.

PURPOSE: We investigated whether short term infusion of propofol, a highly lipophilic agonist at GABAA receptors, which is in widespread clinical use as anesthetic and sedative, affects passive blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability in vivo. METHODS: Mice were anesthetized with an intraperitoneal injection of ketamine/xylazine followed by a continuous IV infusion of propofol in lipid emulsion through a tail vein catheter. Control groups received ketamine/xylazine anesthesia and an infusion of Intralipid, or ketamine/xylazine anesthesia only. [13C12]sucrose as a permeability marker was injected as IV bolus 15 min after start of the infusions. Brain uptake clearance, Kin, of sucrose was calculated from the brain concentrations at 30 min and the area under the plasma-concentration time curve. We also measured the plasma and brain concentration of propofol at the terminal time point. RESULTS: The Kin value for propofol-infused mice was significantly higher, by a factor of 1.55 and 1.87, compared to the Intralipid infusion and the ketamine/xylazine groups, respectively, while the control groups were not significantly different. No difference was seen in the expression levels of tight junction proteins in brain across all groups. The propofol plasma concentration at the end of infusion (10.7 µM) matched the clinically relevant range of blood concentrations reported in humans, while concentration in brain was 2.5-fold higher than plasma. CONCLUSIONS: Propofol at clinical plasma concentrations acutely increases BBB permeability, extending our previous results with volatile anesthetics to a lipophilic injectable agent. This prompts further exploration, potentially refining clinical practices and ensuring safety, especially during extended propofol infusion schemes.

Morphometric and molecular characterization of Channa marulius from Riverine system of Punjab, Pakistan.

OBJECTIVE: Channidae family, are major freshwater fish species amongst the local aquatic fauna of Pakistan, while, there is limited availability of local data on their molecular identification and phylogenetic analysis. METHODS: Channa species were collected from four different geographical sites in the tertiary of Punjab province on the Indus and Chenab rivers of Pakistan. Morphometric records and molecular techniques were used to determine the intraspecific variations among populations of Channa marulius. Mitochondrial DNA was extracted from the flesh of C. marulius, while, COI gene was used for molecular identification and variation levels were estimated by using Principal Component Analysis. RESULTS: Data recorded on the basis of morphometric parameters clearly divided the C. marulius of different locations into two distinct categories, which accounted for a cumulative variability of 97.6%. Non-significance (P < 0.05) among the C. marulius showed that it contains a unique control haplotype localized within the sub-population. The intra-species distance ranged from 0.000 to 0.001 for four different populations, in contrast, the sequences retrieved from the NCBI database exhibited a range span of 0.000-0.003, while, sequence diversity ranged from 0.000 to 0.006 for this intra-specific comparison. The cladogram was also constructed for C. marulius of different geographical locations for observation of phylogenetic relationship. The conclusion drawn from the phylogenetic analysis of C. marulius populations used in this study, contributes significantly to the understanding of genetic variations within populations of this species. The findings provide valuable insight to devise conservation strategies in fisheries management programs in Pakistan.

Software defined radio frequency sensing framework for intelligent monitoring of sleep apnea syndrome.

Healthy sleep is vital to all functions in the body. It improves physical and mental health, strengthens resistance against diseases, and develops strong immunity against metabolism and chronic diseases. However, a sleep disorder can cause the inability to sleep well. Sleep apnea syndrome is a critical breathing disorder that occurs during sleeping when breathing stops suddenly and starts when awake, causing sleep disturbance. If it is not treated timely, it can produce loud snoring and drowsiness or causes more acute health problems such as high blood pressure or heart attack. The accepted standard for diagnosing sleep apnea syndrome is full-night polysomnography. However, its limitations include a high cost and inconvenience. This article aims to develop an intelligent monitoring framework for detecting breathing events based on Software Defined Radio Frequency (SDRF) sensing and verify its feasibility for diagnosing sleep apnea syndrome. We extract the wireless channel state information (WCSI) for breathing motion using channel frequency response (CFR) recorded in time at every instant at the receiver. The proposed approach simplifies the receiver structure with the added functionality of communication and sensing together. Initially, simulations are conducted to test the feasibility of the SDRF sensing design for the simulated wireless channel. Then, a real-time experimental setup is developed in a lab environment to address the challenges of the wireless channel. We conducted 100 experiments to collect the dataset of 25 subjects for four breathing patterns. SDRF sensing system accurately detected breathing events during sleep without subject contact. The developed intelligent framework uses machine learning classifiers to classify sleep apnea syndrome and other breathing patterns with an acceptable accuracy of 95.9%. The developed framework aims to build a non-invasive sensing system to diagnose patients conveniently suffering from sleep apnea syndrome. Furthermore, this framework can easily be further extended for E-health applications.

Intensive Care Admissions and Outcome of Cardiac Arrests; A National Cohort Study From the United States.

OBJECTIVE: Outcomes of cardiac arrest among patients who had cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in intensive care units (ICU) has limited data on the national level basis in the United States. We aimed to study the outcomes of ICU CPRs. METHODS: Data from the national readmissions database (NRD) sample that constitutes 49.1% of the stratified sample of all hospitals in the United States were analyzed for ICU-related hospitalizations for the years 2016 to 2019. ICU CPR was defined by procedure codes. RESULTS: A total of 4,610,154 ICU encounters were reported for the years 2016 to 2019 in the NRD. Of these patients, 426,729 (9.26%) had CPR procedure recorded during the hospital encounter (mean age 65 ± 17.81; female 42.4%). And 167,597 (39.29%) patients had CPR on the day of admission, of which 63.16% died; while 64,752 (15.18%) patients had CPR on the day of ICU admission, of which 72.85% died. And 36,002 (8.44%) had CPR among patients with length of stay 2 days, of which 73.34% died. A total of 1,222,799 (26.5%) admitted to ICU died, and patients who had ICU CPR had higher mortality, 291,391(68.3%). Higher complication rates were observed among ICU CPR patients, especially who died. Over the years from 2016 to 2019, ICU CPR rates increased from 8.18% (2016) to 8.66% (2019); p-trend = 0.001. The mortality rates among patients admitted to ICU increased from 22.1% (2016) to 24.1% (2019); p-trend = 0.005. CONCLUSION: The majority of ICU CPRs were done on the first day of ICU admission. The trend for ICU CPR was increasing. The mortality trend for overall ICU admissions has increased, which is concerning and would suggest further research to improve the high mortality rates in the CPR group.

Recent Advances of carbon Pathways for Sustainable Environment development.

Carbon dots (CDs) are an emerging type of carbon nanomaterial with strong biocompatibility, distinct chemical and physical properties, and low toxicity. CDs may emit fluorescence in the ultraviolet (UV) to near-infrared (NIR) range, which renders them beneficial for biomedical applications. CDs are usually made from carbon precursors and can be synthesized using top-down and bottom-up methods and it can be easily functionalized using different methods. For specific cases of biomedical applications carbon dot functionalization augments the materials' characteristics. Novel functionalization techniques are still being investigated. This review will look at the benefits of functionalization to attain a high yield and various biological applications. Biomedical applications such as photodynamic and photothermal therapy, biosensing, bioimaging, and antiviral and antibacterial properties will be covered in this review. The future applications of green synthesized carbon dots will be determined in part by this review.

DeepIOD: Towards A Context-Aware Indoor-Outdoor Detection Framework Using Smartphone Sensors.

Accurate indoor-outdoor detection (IOD) is essential for location-based services, context-aware computing, and mobile applications, as it enhances service relevance and precision. However, traditional IOD methods, which rely only on GPS data, often fail in indoor environments due to signal obstructions, while IMU data are unreliable on unseen data in real-time applications due to reduced generalizability. This study addresses this research gap by introducing the DeepIOD framework, which leverages IMU sensor data, GPS, and light information to accurately classify environments as indoor or outdoor. The framework preprocesses input data and employs multiple deep neural network models, combining outputs using an adaptive majority voting mechanism to ensure robust and reliable predictions. Experimental results evaluated on six unseen environments using a smartphone demonstrate that DeepIOD achieves significantly higher accuracy than methods using only IMU sensors. Our DeepIOD system achieves a remarkable accuracy rate of 98-99% with a transition time of less than 10 ms. This research concludes that DeepIOD offers a robust and reliable solution for indoor-outdoor classification with high generalizability, highlighting the importance of integrating diverse data sources to improve location-based services and other applications requiring precise environmental context awareness.

Open-Path Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy for Simultaneous Detection of Hydrogen Chloride and Particles in Cleanroom Environment.

The present study addresses advanced monitoring techniques for particles and airborne molecular contaminants (AMCs) in cleanroom environments, which are crucial for ensuring the integrity of semiconductor manufacturing processes. We focus on quantifying particle levels and a representative AMC, hydrogen chloride (HCl), having known detrimental effects on equipment longevity, product yield, and human health. We have developed a compact laser sensor based on open-path cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) using a 1742 nm near-infrared diode laser source. The sensor enables the high-sensitivity detection of HCl through absorption by the 2-0 vibrational band with an Allan deviation of 0.15 parts per billion (ppb) over 15 min. For quantifying particle number concentrations, we examine various detection methods based on statistical analyses of Mie scattering-induced ring-down time fluctuations. We find that the ring-down distributions' 3rd and 4th standard moments allow particle detection at densities as low as ~105 m-3 (diameter > 1 µm). These findings provide a basis for the future development of compact cleanroom monitoring instrumentation for wafer-level monitoring for both AMC and particles, including mobile platforms.

Straw incorporation into microplastic-contaminated soil can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by enhancing soil enzyme activities and microbial community structure.

Microplastic (MP) contamination poses a substantial threat to agroecosystems, disrupting soil properties, nutrient cycles, and microbial communities and ultimately affecting plant growth and ecosystem resilience. The effects of straw addition on the storage of soil organic carbon (SOC) and greenhouse gas emissions have been extensively explored, but these effects have not been examined in the context of MP contamination. To assess the impacts of legume straw and polyethylene microplastics on SOC fractions and carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, 7-month soil incubation experiments were performed. The results revealed that the inclusion of legume straw in soil considerably increased microbial SOC compared to the control. However, straw addition to MP-contaminated soil reduced microbial SOC compared to that in soil containing only straw. In contrast, the addition of straw to MP-contaminated soil elevated (+44%) the SOC mineral relative to the sole application of straw. Intriguingly, straw incorporation into MP-contaminated soil reduced microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen relative to soil containing only straw. Straw addition to MP-contaminated soil enhanced the nitrification activity and reduced the relative expression of AOBamoABC gene compared to sole straw-incorporated soil and the control. Greenhouse gas emissions were also modulated; for instance, straw incorporation into MP-contaminated soil reduced CO2 and N2O emissions by -11% and -46%, compared to straw incorporation alone. The urease and phosphatase activities were decreased (-58% and -12%) in the MP-polluted soil with straw incorporation compared with those in the soil in which only straw was applied. However, invertase and catalase activities were upregulated in the straw-incorporated soil contaminated with MPs. Straw addition in the MP-polluted soil considerably enhanced (+2%) the microbial community structure (indicated by PLFA) compared to the sole straw application. These results provide a comprehensive perspective on the role of legume straw incorporation in addressing MP pollution, showcasing its potential for sustainable agricultural practices in the face of evolving environmental challenges.

Carbon trade-off and energy budgeting under conventional and conservation tillage in a rice-wheat double cropping system.

Amid rising energy crises and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, designing energy efficient, GHG mitigation and profitable conservation farming strategies are pertinent for global food security. Therefore, we tested a hypothesis that no-till with residue retaining could improve energy productivity (EP) and energy use efficiency (EUE) while mitigating the carbon footprint (CF), water footprint (WF) and GHG emissions in rice-wheat double cropping system. We studied two tillage viz., conventional and conservation, with/without residue retaining, resulting as CT0 (puddled-transplanted rice, conventional wheat -residue), CTR (puddled-transplanted rice, conventional wheat + residue), NT0 (direct seeded rice, zero-till wheat -residue), and NTR (direct seeded rice, zero-till wheat + residue). The overall results showed that the NTR/NT0 had 34% less energy consumption and 1.2-time higher EP as compared to CTR/CT0. In addition, NTR increased 19.8% EUE than that of CT0. The grain yield ranged from 8.7 to 9.3 and 7.8-8.5 Mg ha-1 under CT and NT system, respectively. In NTR, CF and WF were 56.6% and 17.9% lower than that of CT0, respectively. The net GHG emissions were the highest (7261.4 kg CO2 ha-1 yr-1) under CT0 and lowest (4580.9 kg CO2 ha-1 yr-1) under NTR. Notably, the carbon sequestration under NTR could mitigate half of the system's CO2-eq emissions. The study results suggest that NTR could be a viable option to offset carbon emissions and water footprint by promoting soil organic carbon sequestration, and enhancing energy productivity and energy use efficiency in the South Asian Indo-Gangetic Plains.

Food authentication, current issues, analytical techniques, and future challenges: A comprehensive review.

Food authentication and contamination are significant concerns, especially for consumers with unique nutritional, cultural, lifestyle, and religious needs. Food authenticity involves identifying food contamination for many purposes, such as adherence to religious beliefs, safeguarding health, and consuming sanitary and organic food products. This review article examines the issues related to food authentication and food fraud in recent periods. Furthermore, the development and innovations in analytical techniques employed to authenticate various food products are comprehensively focused. Food products derived from animals are susceptible to deceptive practices, which can undermine customer confidence and pose potential health hazards due to the transmission of diseases from animals to humans. Therefore, it is necessary to employ suitable and robust analytical techniques for complex and high-risk animal-derived goods, in which molecular biomarker-based (genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) techniques are covered. Various analytical methods have been employed to ascertain the geographical provenance of food items that exhibit rapid response times, low cost, nondestructiveness, and condensability.

Membrane distillation of wastewater: comparison of model and real organics.

Fouling behaviour in membrane distillation (MD) processes plays a crucial role in determining their widespread acceptability. Most studies have primarily focused on model organic foulants, such as humic acid (HA) and sodium alginate (SA). This study investigates the fouling of a polytetrafluoroethylene membrane in a direct contact MD (DCMD) using model organics (i.e., HA and SA) and real wastewater. The results indicated that the flux decline (5-60%) was only observed during the initial phase of the operation with model organic foulants. In contrast, real wastewater caused a gradual decline in flux throughout the experiment in both the concentrate (40%) and continuous (90%) modes. The study also found significant differences in the fouling layer morphology, composition, and hydrophobicity between the model organic foulants and real wastewater. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy findings demonstrated that the fouling layer formed by real wastewater varied significantly from model organics, which primarily comprised of protein-like and polysaccharide-like functional groups. Finally, liquid chromatography-organic carbon detection revealed that the fouling layer of the MD membrane with real wastewater was composed of 40.7% hydrophobic and 59.3% hydrophilic organics. This study suggests that model organics may not accurately reflect real wastewater fouling.