All-Solid-State Lithium-Sulfur Batteries of High Cycling Stability and Rate Capability Enabled by a Self-Lithiated Sn-C Interlayer.

All-solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries (ASSLSBs) have attracted intense interest due to their high theoretical energy density and intrinsic safety. However, constructing durable lithium (Li) metal anodes with high cycling efficiency in ASSLSBs remains challenging due to poor interface stability. Here, a compositionally stable, self-lithiated tin (Sn)-carbon (C) composite interlayer (LSCI) between Li anode and solid-state electrolyte (SSE), capable of homogenizing Li-ion transport across the interlayer, mitigating decomposition of SSE, and enhancing electrochemical/structural stability of interface, is developed for ASSLSBs. The LSCI-mediated Li metal anode enables stable Li plating/stripping over 7000 h without Li dendrite penetration. The ASSLSBs equipped with LSCI thus exhibit excellent cycling stability of over 300 cycles (capacity retention of ≈80%) under low applied pressure (<8 MPa) and demonstrate improved rate capability even at 3C. The enhanced electrochemical performance and corresponding insights of the designed LSCI broaden the spectrum of advanced interlayers for interface manipulation, advancing the practical application of ASSLSBs.

Hemin competitively inhibits HSPA8 ATPase activity mitigating its foldase function.

Hemolysis in red blood cells followed by hemoglobin degradation results in high hemin levels in the systemic circulation. Such a level of hemin is disastrous for cells and tissues and is considerably responsible for the pathologies of diseases like severe malaria. Hemin's hydrophobic chemical nature and structure allow it to bind several proteins leading to their functional modification. Such modifications in physiologically relevant proteins can have a high impact on various cellular processes. HSPA8 is a chaperone that has a protective role in oxidative stress by aiding protein refolding. Through ATPase activity assays we found that hemin can competitively inhibit ATP hydrolysis by the chaperone HSPA8. Hemin as such does not affect the structural integrity of the protein which is inferred from CD spectroscopy and Gel filtration but it hinders the ATP-dependent foldase function of the chaperone. HSPA8 was not able to cause the refolding of the model protein lysozyme in the presence of hemin. The loss in HSPA8 function was due to competition between hemin and ATP as the chaperone was able to regain the foldase function when the concentration of ATP was gradually increased with hemin present at the inhibitory concentration. In-silico studies to establish the competition for the specific binding site revealed that ATP was unable to replace hemin from the ATP binding pocket of HSPA8 and was forced to form a non-specific and unstable complex. In-vitro isothermal calorimetry revealed that the affinity of ATP for binding to HSPA8 was reduced 22 folds in the presence of hemin. The prevention of HSPA8's cytoprotective function by hemin can be a major factor contributing to the overall cellular damage during hemin accumulation in the case of severe malaria and other hemolytic diseases.

Role Transformation of HSPA8 to Heme-peroxidase After Binding Hemin to Catalyze Heme Polymerization.

Hemin, a byproduct of hemoglobin degradation, inflicts oxidative insult to cells. Following its accumulation, several proteins are recruited for heme detoxification with heme oxygenase playing the key role. Chaperones play a protective role primarily by preventing protein degradation and unfolding. They also are known to have miscellaneous secondary roles during similar situations. To discover a secondary role of chaperones during heme stress we studied the role of the chaperone HSPA8 in the detoxification of hemin. In-silico studies indicated that HSPA8 has a well-defined biophoric environment to bind hemin. Through optical difference spectroscopy, we found that HSPA8 binds hemin through its N-terminal domain with a Kd value of 5.9 ± 0.04 µM and transforms into a hemoprotein. The hemoprotein was tested for exhibiting peroxidase activity using guaiacol as substrate. The complex formed reacts with H2O2 and exhibits classical peroxidase activity with an ability to oxidize aromatic and halide substrates. HSPA8 is dose-dependently catalyzing heme polymerization through its N-terminal domain. The IR results reveal that the polymer formed exhibits structural similarities to ß-hematin suggesting its covalent nature. The polymerization mechanism was tested through optical spectroscopy, spin-trap, and activity inhibition experiments. The results suggest that the polymerization occurs through a peroxidase-H2O2 system involving a one-electron transfer mechanism, and the formation of free radical and radical-radical interaction. It highlights a possible role of the HSPA8-hemin complex in exhibiting cytoprotective function during pathological conditions like malaria, sickle cell disease, etc.

In Vitro Effects of Zirconia Nanoparticles: Uptake, Genotoxicity, and Mutagenicity in V-79 cells.

Zirconia nanoparticles are used in various industrial and biomedical applications such as dental implants, thermal barrier sprays, and fuel cells. The interaction of nanoparticles with the environment and humans is inevitable. Despite the enormous application potential of these nanoparticles, there are still some gaps in the literature regarding potential toxicological mechanisms and the genotoxicity of zirconia nanoparticles. The lung is one of the main exposure routes to nanomaterials; therefore, the present study was designed to determine the genotoxic and mutagenic effect of zirconia NPs in V-79 lung cells. Zirconia nanoparticles showed significant internalization in cells at 100 µg/mL and 150 µg/mL concentrations. Zirconia nanoparticles showed low cytotoxicity and were found to generate ROS in V-79 cells. In alkaline comet assay, zirconia nanoparticles (10 µg/mL, 50 µg/mL, and 100 µg/mL) exposed cells exhibited significant DNA strand breaks, while the neutral comet assay, which was used for double-strand break assessment, only revealed significant damage at 100 µg/mL. Chromosomal aberration induced by zirconia nanoparticles mainly resulted in the generation of gaps, few fragments, and breaks which signifies the low clastogenic activity of these nanoparticles in the V-79 cell line. In MN assay, zirconia nanoparticles resulted in no significant micronuclei induction at any given concentration. In the HPRT mutation assay, the particle shows a dose-dependent increase in the mutant frequency. It is evident from the result that zirconia nanoparticles cause dose-dependent cytotoxicity and genotoxicity, but still, more studies are needed to evaluate the clastogenic potential and the possible mechanism involved.

Forecasting global plastic production and microplastic emission using advanced optimised discrete grey model.

Plastic pollution has become a prominent and pressing environmental concern within the realm of pollution. In recent times, microplastics have entered our ecosystem, especially in freshwater. In the contemporary global landscape, there exists a mounting apprehension surrounding the manifold environmental and public health issues that have emerged as a result of the substantial accumulation of microplastics. The objective of the current study is to employ an enhanced grey prediction model in order to forecast global plastic production and microplastic emissions. This study compared the accuracy level of the four grey prediction models, namely, EGM (1,1, α, θ), DGM (1,1), EGM (1,1), and DGM (1,1, α) models, to evaluate the accuracy levels. As per the estimation of the study, DGM (1,1, α) was found to be more suitable with higher accuracy levels to predict microplastic emission. The EGM (1,1, α, θ) model has slightly better accuracy than the DGM (1,1, α) model in predicting global plastic production. Various accuracy measurement tools (MAPE and RMSE) were used to determine the model's efficiency. There has been a gradual growth in both plastic production and microplastic emission. The current study using the DGM (1,1, α) model predicted that microplastic emission would be 1,084,018 by 2030. The present study aims to provide valuable insights for policymakers in formulating effective strategies to address the complex issues arising from the release of microplastics into the environment and the continuous production of plastic materials.

Conservation of orbital angular momentum throughout amplification of high order harmonics in Ni-like krypton and silver plasmas.

In this article we present modelling results of the amplification of High Order Harmonics (HOH) carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) in plasma amplifiers created from krypton gas and silver solid targets. The resulting amplified beam is characterized in terms of intensity, phase and decomposition in helical and Laguerre-Gauss modes. Results show that the amplification process conserves OAM, although some degradation is apparent. Several structures appear in the intensity and phase profiles. These structures have been characterized with our model and related to refraction and interference with the plasma self-emission. Thus, these results not only demonstrate the capability of plasma amplifiers to deliver HOH amplified beams carrying OAM but also pave the way towards using HOH carrying OAM as a probe beam to diagnose the dynamics of hot, dense plasmas.

Tribal Malaria in India: An Analysis of Malaria Incidence and Mortality over 20-Year Period (2000-2020).

Objective: Tribal malaria is well known for its substantial share in the overall malarial load of the country. This paper examines the levels and trends of malaria incidence and mortality in the tribal population for the past two decades. Methods: Data on malaria incidence and mortality were collected from an online e-repository that provides statistical data and information on 19 sectors, including health. Results: The analysis showed that the malaria incidence and mortality in tribal-dominated regions declined at an average annual rate of 4.3% per annum between 2000 and 2020, which accompanies the tremendous progress made in malaria control at the country level during this time period. The results also showed that between 2016 and 2020, the decline in tribal-dominated regions was consistent and noteworthy in terms of magnitude, a period that marks the implementation of the national framework for malaria elimination in the country. Conclusion: The decisive fall in the incidence and mortality of malaria in the tribal-dominated region has put India on track to achieve the target of 3.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals. However, with the pandemic impacting service delivery, monitoring, and reporting, including malaria control programs, it is important to maintain the momentum of progress in malaria control.

Prediction of surface temperature and CO2 emission of leading emitters using grey model EGM (1,1, α, θ).

The current study projects the increase in surface temperature and CO2 emissions using the EGM (1,1, α, θ) grey model for the six most significant CO2 contributing countries, namely China, the USA, India, Russia, Japan, and Germany. The study uses time series data for surface temperature (in degree celsius) from 2010 to 2020, and CO2 emission (metric tons per capita) data from 2009 to 2019. The empirical results show a downward trend in CO2 emissions from Japan, Germany, the USA, and Russia by 2028. However, in the same time period, CO2 emissions are expected to increase for India and remain nearly constant for China. This study indicates an increase in surface temperature at a significant rate in all the 6 countries: by 6.70 °C for China, 7.52 °C for Germany, 2.95 °C for India, 2.66 °C for Japan, 3.61 °C for Russia, and 13.48 °C for the USA by the end of 2028. The study compares the EGM (1,1, α, θ) grey model with the general EGM (1,1) grey model and finds that the EGM (1,1, α, θ) model performs better in both in-sample and out-of-sample forecasting. The paper also puts forward policy suggestions to mitigate, manage, and reduce increases in surface temperature as well as CO2 emissions.

To compare the outcomes of pancreaticojejunostomy and pancreaticogastrostomy reconstruction after pancreaticoduodenectomy: A prospective observational study.

Background: We have been in constant search of novel innovations to decrease the high morbidity after Pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). Pancreaticojejunostomy (PJ) and pancreaticogastrostomy (PG) are the two different methods of reconstruction after PD. However, the existing data is ambiguous in supporting either of them as the preferred technique of reconstruction. Methods: This was a single-center prospective observational study that included 64 patients who underwent PD over two years. We compared PG with PJ as a method of reconstruction after PD. The primary objective was to assess whether PG decreases the rate of postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) rates or not. Secondary objectives comprised analysis of perioperative outcomes, 30-day and 90-day mortality. Results: Pancreatic fistula was significantly lower in PG as compared to the PJ group (24% vs. 47%) with a p-value of 0.027. The incidence of clinically pertinent (grade B) fistula was only 3% in the PG group and 32% in the PJ group. PG group had a higher incidence of post pancreatectomy hemorrhage (PPH) and delayed gastric emptying (DGE). No statistically significant difference was seen between either group need for blood transfusion, re-exploration, re-admissions, ICU stay, or length of hospital stay, and 30-day and 90-day mortality. Pancreatic texture and high BMI were independent predictors for pancreatic fistula. Conclusion: PG when compared to PJ for reconstruction after PD, decreases the rate of POPF significantly; however, it is associated with an elevated risk of DGE and PPH. There was no difference in 30-day and 90-day mortality between both the treatment groups.

Forecasting of non-renewable and renewable energy production in India using optimized discrete grey model.

Renewable energy delivers reliable power supplies and fuel diversification, enhancing energy security and lowering fuel spill risk. Renewable energy also helps conserve the nation's natural resources. Solar and other renewable energy sources have become increasingly prominent in recent years. India has achieved the 20 GW capacity solar energy production target before 2022. It is presently producing the lowest-cost solar power at the global level. Thermal energy has dominated the energy market. Countries have decided on energy generation from renewable sources and adopting green energy. This study forecasted non-renewable and renewable energy from multiple sources (hydropower, solar, wind and bioenergy) using grey forecasting model DGM (1,1,α). The comparative analyses with the classical models DGM (1,1) and EGM (1,1) revealed the superiority of the DGM (1,1,α). We also used CAGR for 2009-2019 to compare the actual and predicted data growth rate. The results show that non-renewable and renewable energy production is expected to increase. However, renewable energy generation wind sources continue to increase faster than hydropower, solar and bioenergy.

Physicochemical characterization and oxidative potential of size fractionated Particulate Matter: Uptake, genotoxicity and mutagenicity in V-79 cells.

For many years, the impact of Particulate Matter (PM) in the ambient air has been one of the major concerns for the environment and human health. The consideration of the heterogeneity and complexity of different size fractions is notably important for the assessment of PM toxicological effects. The aim of the study was to present a comprehensive size-composition-morphology characterization and to assess the oxidative potential, genotoxicity, and mutagenicity of the atmospheric PM fractions, collected by using MOUDI near a busy roadside in Lucknow, India. Physicochemical characterization of ambient coarse particles (1.8-10 µm), fine particles (0.32-1.8 µm), quasi-ultrafine (0.1-0.32 µm) and ultrafine particles (≤0.1 µm) along with SRM 1649b was done using TEM, SEM, DLS, NTA, ICP-MS, and IC in parallel with the estimation of exogenous Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) by acellular assays. In this study, two different acellular assays, dithiothreitol (DTT) and the CM-H2DCFDA assay, indicated stronger mass-normalized bioactivity for different size ranges. Enrichment factor analysis indicated that the different size fractions were highly enriched with elements of anthropogenic origin as compared to elements of crustal origin. The endotoxin concentration in different size fractions was also estimated. Cellular studies demonstrated significant uptake, cytotoxicity, ultrastructural changes, cellular ROS generation, and changes in the different phases of the cell cycle (Sub G1, G1, S, G2/M) exposed to different size fractions. The Comet assay and the Micronucleus assay were used to estimate genotoxicity. Mutagenic potential was revealed by the HGPRT gene forward mutation assay in V-97 cells. Conclusively, our results clearly indicate that the genotoxic and mutagenic potential of the coarse PM was greater than the other fractions, and interestingly, the ultrafine PM has higher bioactivity as compared to quasi-ultrafine PM.

Engineered Nanoparticle-Protein Interactions Influence Protein Structural Integrity and Biological Significance.

Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) are artificially synthesized particles with unique physicochemical properties. ENPs are being extensively used in several consumer items, elevating the probability of ENP exposure to biological systems. ENPs interact with various biomolecules like lipids, proteins, nucleic acids, where proteins are most susceptible. The ENP-protein interactions are mostly studied for corona formation and its effect on the bio-reactivity of ENPs, however, an in-depth understanding of subsequent interactive effects on proteins, such as alterations in their structure, conformation, free energy, and folding is still required. The present review focuses on ENP-protein interactions and the subsequent effects on protein structure and function followed by the therapeutic potential of ENPs for protein misfolding diseases.

Cobalt oxide (Co3O4) nanoparticles induced genotoxicity in Chinese hamster lung fibroblast (V79) cells through modulation of reactive oxygen species.

Incessant production, pervasive applications in different fields, and eventually unintended exposure of cobalt oxide nanoparticles (Co3O4 NPs) lead to rise in their toxicity studies toward human health. However, the information regarding the potential toxicity mechanisms of Co3O4 NPs especially genotoxicity is still sparse with missing interconnections. So far, only solitary reports on Co3O4 NPs are at hand, bearing witness to reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated DNA damage in lung cells. To address this, we evaluated the Co3O4 NP-induced cytotoxic and genotoxic potential in Chinese hamster lung fibroblast cell line (V79). Our preliminary results demonstrate that Co3O4 NPs at concentrations of 20-100 µg/ml induced moderate mortality after 24-h exposure. However, these low concentrations caused a significant reduction in various organelles' activity in a concentration-dependent manner. Mitochondrial activity and membrane potential were found to be compromised due to NP exposure in a concentration-dependent manner. The study affirms that Co3O4 NPs inhibited lysosomal activity in V79 cells. In addition to this, Co3O4 NPs are also found to stimulate free oxygen radical generation. Genotoxicity studies revealed a potent and dose-dependent effect of non-cytotoxic concentrations of Co3O4 NPs in the induction of DNA lesions. Interestingly, N-acetylcysteine, a free oxygen radical scavenger (5, 10 mM, pretreatment) inhibited the progression of free oxygen radicals and induction of Co3O4 NP-mediated DNA lesions. This suggests the ROS-mediated genotoxic potential of Co3O4 NPs.

Multiple forecasting approach: a prediction of CO2 emission from the paddy crop in India.

This paper compares four prediction methods, namely random forest regressor (RFR), SARIMAX, Holt-Winters (H-W), and the support vector regression (SVR), to forecast the total CO2 emission from the paddy crop in India. The major objective of this study is to compare these four models and suggest an effective model for the prediction of total CO2 emission. Data from 1961 to 2018 has been categorised into two parts: training and test data. The study forecasts total CO2 emission from paddy crops in India from 2019 to 2025. A comparison of mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and the mean square error (MSE) highlights the differences in accuracy among the four models. The mean absolute percentage eror (MAPE) and the mean square error (MSE) for the four methods are RFR (MAPE: 5.67; MSE: 549,900.02), SARIMAX (MAPE: 1.67; MSE:70,422.35), H-W (MAPE:0.75; MSE:16,648.58), and SVR (MAPE: 0.91; MSE: 17,832.4). The values of MAPE and MSE with the Holt-Winters (H-W) and the support vector regression (SVR) are relatively low as compared to SARIMAX and RFR. Based on these results, it can be inferred that H-W and SVR were found suitable models to forecast the total CO2 emission from paddy crops. Holt-Winters model predicted 14,364.97 for the year 2025, and SVR predicted 13,696.67 for the year 2025. The decision-maker can use these predictions to build a suitable policy for the future. This approach can be contrasted with other forecasting methods, such as the neural network, and train the model to achieve better forecast accuracy.

COVID-19 pandemic and transmission factors: An empirical investigation of different countries.

The present work evaluates the impact of age, population density, total population, rural population, annual average temperature, basic sanitation facilities, and diabetes prevalence on the transmission of COVID-19. This research is an effort to identify the major predictors that have a significant impact on the number of COVID-19 cases per million population for 83 countries. The findings highlight that a population with a greater share of old people (aged above 65) shows a higher number of COVID-19 positive cases and a population with a lower median age has fewer cases. This can be explained in terms of higher co-morbidities and the lower general immunity in the older age group. The analysis restates the widely seen results that a higher median age and greater prevalence of co-morbidities leads to higher cases per million and lesser population density and interpersonal contact helps in containing the spread of the virus. The study finds foundation in the assertion that a higher temperature might lower the number of cases, or that temperature in general can affect the infectivity. The study suggests that better access to sanitation is a certain measure to contain the spread of the virus. The outcome of this study will be helpful in ascertaining the impact of these indicators in this pandemic, and help in policy formation and decision-making strategies to fight against it.

Abdominal wall actinomycotic mycetoma involving the bowel: a rare entity.

Actinomycotic mycetoma is a disease of the tropical region and usually presents as a chronic, suppurative and deforming granulomatous infection. We present an unusual case of actinomycotic mycetoma of the abdominal wall that was found to infiltrate into the bowel. A 51 year-old man presented with pain and swelling in the left flank of 2-year duration. Even after comprehensive preoperative evaluation with advanced radiological imaging, biochemistry and pathology, the diagnosis could not be arrived at. Histopathological examination of the excised specimen after the surgery guided to the diagnosis of actinomycotic mycetoma, which entirely changed the management in the postoperative period. We propose that mycetoma should be kept as a possible differential diagnosis for anterior abdominal wall swelling in the indicated clinical setting and the investigations be done keeping the same in mind. Otherwise, a lot of valuable time may be lost allowing the disease to progress further.

Shack-Hartmann Wavefront Sensing of Ultrashort Optical Vortices.

Light beams carrying Orbital Angular Momentum (OAM), also known as optical vortices (OV), have led to fascinating new developments in fields ranging from quantum communication to novel light-matter interaction aspects. Even though several techniques have emerged to synthesize these structured-beams, their detection, in particular, single-shot amplitude, wavefront, and modal content characterization, remains a challenging task. Here, we report the single-shot amplitude, wavefront, and modal content characterization of ultrashort OV using a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor. These vortex beams are obtained using spiral phase plates (SPPs) that are frequently used for high-intensity applications. The reconstructed wavefronts display a helical structure compatible with the topological charge induced by the SPPs. We affirm the accuracy of the optical field reconstruction by the wavefront sensor through an excellent agreement between the numerically backpropagated and experimentally obtained intensity distribution at the waist. Consequently, through Laguerre-Gauss (LG) decomposition of the reconstructed fields, we reveal the radial and azimuthal mode composition of vortex beams under different conditions. The potential of our method is further illustrated by characterizing asymmetric Gaussian vortices carrying fractional average OAM, and a realtime topological charge measurement at a 10Hz repetition rate. These results can promote Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensing as a single-shot OV characterization tool.

Towards subpicosecond pulses from solid target plasma based seeded soft X-ray laser.

We investigate the coherence of plasma-based soft X-ray laser (XRL) for different conditions that can alter the electron density in the gain region. We first measure the source temporal coherence in amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) mode. We develop a data analysis procedure to extract both its spectral width and pulse duration. These findings are in agreement with the spectral line shape simulations and seeded operation experimental results. Utilizing the deduced spectral width and pulse duration in a one-dimensional Bloch-Maxwell code, we reproduce the experimental temporal coherence properties of the seeded-XRL. Finally, we demonstrate efficient lasing in ASE and seeded mode at an electron density two times higher than the routine conditions. In this regime, using Bloch-Maxwell modeling, we predict the pulse duration of the seeded XRL to be ∼500fs.

Importance of protozoa Tetrahymena in toxicological studies: A review.

Tetrahymena is a single-cell eukaryotic organism present in all aquatic environments and can easily be maintained in laboratory conditions in a cost-effective manner. This review gives a brief description of the physiology of Tetrahymena, culture handling, and maintenance of Tetrahymena species. The review article focuses on various toxicological bioassays at different biological organizational (biochemical, individual, population, and community) levels. Furthermore, some techniques such as single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) and microcalorimetry assay are also available to investigate the effect of xenobiotics on the integrity of DNA and metabolic state of Tetrahymena species respectively. The article also discusses how the general physiology, behavioural activities and different organelles of Tetrahymena could be useful in toxicological studies. The strength and limitations of Tetrahymena over other model organisms are also discussed. This article also provides suggestions to overcome some problems related to toxicity assessment. Various aspects associated with variability in results, toxicity endpoints, characteristics of organisms and responses against xenobiotic substances (old and new emerging toxicants) are considered.