The risk paradox: Exploring asymmetric nexus between climate policy uncertainty and renewable energy technology budgets.

The ups and downs of climate policy uncertainty (CPU) cast a captivating shadow over the budgets allocated to renewable energy (RE) technologies, where strategic choices and risk assessment will determine the course of our green environmental revolution. The main intention of this investigation is to scrutinize the effect of CPU on the RE technology budgets (RETBs) in the top 10 countries with the highest RE research and development budgets (the USA, China, South Korea, India, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Australia, and Italy). Although former researchers have typically employed panel data tools to contemplate the connection between CPU and RE technology, they repeatedly ignored variations in this connection throughout different economies. In contrast, our research adopts a unique approach, "quantile-on-quantile," to check this association at the country-to-country level. This approach offers a comprehensive worldwide perspective while procuring tailor-made perceptions for individual economies. The outcomes suggest that CPU significantly decreases RETBs across several data quantiles in our sample nations. In addition, the outcomes underscore that the connections between our variables differ among nations. These outcomes highlight the significance of policymakers implementing thorough appraisals and skillfully governing plans relevant to CPU and RETBs.

Rejuvenating potato growth and yield in challenging semiarid and saline sandy Cholistan: harnessing PGPB-coated N and P application strategies.

BACKGROUND: Potato serves as a major non-cereal food crop and income source for small-scale growers in Punjab, Pakistan. Unfortunately, improper fertilization practices have led to low crop yields, worsened by challenging environmental conditions and poor groundwater quality in the Cholistan region. To address this, we conducted an experiment to assess the impact of two fertilizer application approaches on potato cv. Barna using plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) coated biofertilizers. The first approach, termed conventional fertilizer application (CFA), involved four split applications of PGPB-coated fertilizers at a rate of 100:75 kg acre-1 (N and P). The second, modified fertilizer application (MFA), employed nine split applications at a rate of 80:40 kg acre-1. RESULTS: The MFA approach significantly improved various plant attributes compared to the CFA. This included increased plant height (28%), stem number (45%), leaf count (46%), leaf area index (36%), leaf thickness (three-folds), chlorophyll content (53%), quantum yield of photosystem II (45%), photosynthetically active radiations (56%), electrochromic shift (5.6%), proton flux (24.6%), proton conductivity (71%), linear electron flow (72%), photosynthetic rate (35%), water use efficiency (76%), and substomatal CO2 (two-folds), and lowered non-photochemical quenching (56%), non-regulatory energy dissipation (33%), transpiration rate (59%), and stomatal conductance (70%). Additionally, the MFA approach resulted in higher tuber production per plant (21%), average tuber weight (21.9%), tuber diameter (24.5%), total tuber yield (29.1%), marketable yield (22.7%), seed-grade yield (9%), specific gravity (9.6%), and soluble solids (7.1%). It also reduced undesirable factors like goli and downgrade yields by 57.6% and 98.8%, respectively. Furthermore, plants under the MFA approach exhibited enhanced nitrogen (27.8%) and phosphorus uptake (40.6%), with improved N (26.1%) and P uptake efficiency (43.7%) compared to the CFA approach. CONCLUSION: The use of PGPB-coated N and P fertilizers with a higher number of splits at a lower rate significantly boosts potato production in the alkaline sandy soils of Cholistan.

Computational fluid dynamics modeling of coronary artery blood flow using OpenFOAM: Validation with the food and drug administration benchmark nozzle model.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), a global health concern, particularly coronary artery disease (CAD), poses a significant threat to well-being. Seeking safer and cost-effective diagnostic alternatives to invasive coronary angiography, noninvasive coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) gains prominence. This study employed OpenFOAM, an open-source Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software, to analyze hemodynamic parameters in coronary arteries with serial stenoses. Patient-specific three-dimensional (3D) models from CCTA images offer insights into hemodynamic changes. OpenFOAM breaks away from traditional commercial software, validated against the FDA benchmark nozzle model for reliability. Applying this refined methodology to seventeen coronary arteries across nine patients, the study evaluates parameters like fractional flow reserve computed tomography simulation (FFRCTS), fluid velocity, and wall shear stress (WSS) over time. Findings include FFRCTS values exceeding 0.8 for grade 0 stenosis and falling below 0.5 for grade 5 stenosis. Central velocity remains nearly constant for grade 1 stenosis but increases 3.4-fold for grade 5 stenosis. This research innovates by utilizing OpenFOAM, departing from previous reliance on commercial software. Combining qualitative stenosis grading with quantitative FFRCTS and velocity measurements offers a more comprehensive assessment of coronary artery conditions. The study introduces 3D renderings of wall shear stress distribution across stenosis grades, providing an intuitive visualization of hemodynamic changes for valuable insights into coronary stenosis diagnosis.

Clinical genomics expands the link between erroneous cell division, primary microcephaly and intellectual disability.

Primary microcephaly is a rare neurogenic and genetically heterogeneous disorder characterized by significant brain size reduction that results in numerous neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) problems, including mild to severe intellectual disability (ID), global developmental delay (GDD), seizures and other congenital malformations. This disorder can arise from a mutation in genes involved in various biological pathways, including those within the brain. We characterized a recessive neurological disorder observed in nine young adults from five independent consanguineous Pakistani families. The disorder is characterized by microcephaly, ID, developmental delay (DD), early-onset epilepsy, recurrent infection, hearing loss, growth retardation, skeletal and limb defects. Through exome sequencing, we identified novel homozygous variants in five genes that were previously associated with brain diseases, namely CENPJ (NM_018451.5: c.1856A > G; p.Lys619Arg), STIL (NM_001048166.1: c.1235C > A; p.(Pro412Gln), CDK5RAP2 (NM_018249.6 c.3935 T > G; p.Leu1312Trp), RBBP8 (NM_203291.2 c.1843C > T; p.Gln615*) and CEP135 (NM_025009.5 c.1469A > G; p.Glu490Gly). These variants were validated by Sanger sequencing across all family members, and in silico structural analysis. Protein 3D homology modeling of wild-type and mutated proteins revealed substantial changes in the structure, suggesting a potential impact on function. Importantly, all identified genes play crucial roles in maintaining genomic integrity during cell division, with CENPJ, STIL, CDK5RAP2, and CEP135 being involved in centrosomal function. Collectively, our findings underscore the link between erroneous cell division, particularly centrosomal function, primary microcephaly and ID.

Xanthan gum-based edible coating effectively preserve postharvest quality of 'Gola' guava fruits by regulating physiological and biochemical processes.

BACKGROUND: Guava is a fruit prone to rapid spoilage following harvest, attributed to continuous and swift physicochemical transformations, leading to substantial postharvest losses. This study explored the efficacy of xanthan gum (XG) coatings applied at various concentrations (0.25, 0.5, and 0.75%) on guava fruits (Gola cultivar) over a 15-day storage period. RESULTS: The results indicated that XG coatings, particularly at 0.75%, substantially mitigated moisture loss and decay, presenting an optimal concentration. The coated fruits exhibited a modified total soluble soluble solids, an increased total titratable acidity, and an enhanced sugar-acid ratio, collectively enhancing overall quality. Furthermore, the XG coatings demonstrated the remarkable ability to preserve bioactive compounds, such as total phenolics, flavonoids, and antioxidants, while minimizing the levels of oxidative stress markers, such as electrolyte leakage, malondialdehyde, and H2O2. The coatings also influenced cell wall components, maintaining levels of hemicellulose, cellulose, and protopectin while reducing water-soluble pectin. Quantitative analysis of ROS-scavenging enzymes, including superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase, and ascorbate peroxidase, revealed significant increases in their activities in the XG-coated fruits compared to those in the control fruits. Specifically, on day 15, the 0.75% XG coating demonstrated the highest SOD and CAT activities while minimizing the reduction in APX activity. Moreover, XG coatings mitigated the activities of fruit-softening enzymes, including pectin methylesterase, polygalacturonase, and cellulase. CONCLUSIONS: This study concludes that XG coatings play a crucial role in preserving postharvest quality of guava fruits by regulating various physiological and biochemical processes. These findings offer valuable insights into the potential application of XG as a natural coating to extend the shelf life and maintain the quality of guava fruits during storage.

Innovation for a greener future: Disentangling the asymmetric impact of green finance on green technology in european union economies.

Green finance has originated as a critical factor for green development, where green technology innovation is a primary approach. Yet, limited information is available regarding how green finance influences green technological creation. This work probes the asymmetric linkage between green finance and green technology innovation in the selected European Union countries (Germany, Sweden, France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, and Finland). Prior works adopted panel data methods to get usual outcomes concerning the green finance-green technology nexus, nevertheless the reality is that various nations did not establish such connection separately. The present work, in contrast, utilizes a peculiar tool, 'Quantile-on-Quantile,' that facilitates research to probe temporal reliance in entire nations by giving global yet economy-specific intuitions on the variables' correlation. Estimates exhibit that green finance enhances green technology innovation in almost all our chosen nations at definite quantiles of data distribution. Furthermore, the findings expose that the extent of asymmetry throughout various quantiles of our variables differs by the economy, emphasising the relevance of policymakers paying particular consideration while employing green innovation and green finance policies.

Modulation in serum and hematological parameters as a prognostic indicator of COVID-19 infection in hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and different cardiovascular diseases.

SARS-CoV-2 infection affects and modulates serum as well as hematological parameters. However, whether it modifies these parameters in the existing disease conditions, which help in the erection of specific treatments for the disease, is under investigation. Here, we aimed to determine whether serum and hematological parameters alteration in various diseases, diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension (HTN), ischemic heart disease (IHD) and myocardial infarction (MI) conditions correlate and signal SARS-CoV-2 infection, which could be used as a rapid diagnosis tool for SARS-CoV-2 infection in disease conditions. To assess the projected goals, we collected blood samples of 1,113 male and female patients with solo and multiple disease conditions of DM/HTN/IHD/MI with severe COVID-19, followed by biochemical analysis, including COVID-19 virus detection by RT-qPCR. Furthermore, blood was collected from age-matched disease and healthy individuals 502 and 660 and considered as negative control. In our results, we examined higher levels of serum parameters, including D-dimer, ferritin, hs-CRP, and LDH, as well as hematological parameters, including TLC in sole and multiple diseases (DM/HTN/IHD/MI) conditions compared to the control subjects. Besides, the hematological parameters, including Hb, RBC, and platelet levels, decreased in the patients. In addition, we found declined levels of leukocyte count (%), lymphocyte (%), monocyte (%), and eosinophil (%), and elevated level of neutrophil levels (%) in all the disease patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. Besides, NLR and NMR ratios were also statistically significantly (p < 0.05) high in the patients with solo and multiple disease conditions of DM/HTN/IHD/MI infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. In conclusion, rapid alteration of sera and hematological parameters are associated with SARS-CoV-2 infections, which could help signal COVID-19 in respective disease patients. Moreover, our results may help to improve the clinical management for the rapid diagnosis of COVID-19 concurrent with respective diseases.

Study loss of vegetative cover and increased land surface temperature through remote sensing strategies under the inter-annual climate variability in Jinhua-Quzhou basin, China.

The Jinhua-Quzhou basin in China is one of the most susceptible areas to drought. Due to the loss of vegetation and great fluctuations in rainfall and surface temperature, global warming occurs. Timely, accurate, and effective drought monitoring is crucial for protecting local vegetation and determining which vegetation is most vulnerable to increased LST during the period 1982-2019. It assumes a strong correlation between loss of vegetation cover, changes in monsoon climate, drought, and increases in land surface temperature (LST). Due to significantly increased in LST, low precipitation and vegetation cover, NDVI, TVDI, VCI, and NAP are useful in characterizing drought mitigation strategies. The temperature vegetation drought index (TVDI), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), vegetation condition index (VCI), and monthly precipitation anomaly percentage (NAP) can be helped to characterize drought reduction strategies. Monthly NDVI, NAP, VCI, TVDI, normalized vegetation supply water index (NVSWI), temperature condition index (TCI), vegetation health index (VHI), and heat map analysis indicate that the Jinhua-Quzhou basin experienced drought during 1984, 1993, 2000, and 2011. Seasonal SR, WVP, WS, NDVI, VCI, and NAP charts confirm that the Jinhua-Quzhou basin was affected by severe drought in 1984, which continued and led to severe droughts in 1993, 2000, and 2011. Regression analysis showed a significant positive correlation between NDVI, TVDI, VCI, and NAP values, while NVSWI, TVDI, and VHI showed positive signs of good drought monitoring strategies. The research results confirm the correlation between loss of vegetation cover and LST, which is one of the causes of global warming. The distribution of drought changed a trend indicating that compared with the Jinhua region; the Quzhou region has more droughts. The changing trend of drought has characteristics from 1982 to 2019, and there are significant differences in drought changing trends between different Jinhua-Quzhou basin areas. Overall, from 1982 to 2019, the frequency of drought showed a downward trend. We believe that these results will provide useful tools for drought management plans and play a relevant role in mitigating the effects of drought and protecting humanity from climate hazards.

Secondary metabolic profiling, antioxidant potential, enzyme inhibitory activities and in silico and ADME studies: a multifunctional approach to reveal medicinal and industrial potential of Tanacetum falconeri.

Tanacetum falconeri is a significant flowering plant that possesses cytotoxic, insecticidal, antibacterial, and phytotoxic properties. Its chemodiversity and bioactivities, however, have not been thoroughly investigated. In this work, several extracts from various parts of T. falconeri were assessed for their chemical profile, antioxidant activity, and potential for enzyme inhibition. The total phenolic contents of T. falconeri varied from 40.28 ± 0.47 mg GAE/g to 11.92 ± 0.22 mg GAE/g in various extracts, while flavonoid contents were found highest in TFFM (36.79 ± 0.36 mg QE/g extract) and lowest (11.08 ± 0.22 mg QE/g extract) in TFSC (chloroform extract of stem) in similar pattern as found in total phenolic contents. Highest DPPH inhibition was observed for TFFC (49.58 ± 0.11 mg TE/g extract) and TFSM (46.33 ± 0.10 mg TE/g extract), whereas, TFSM was also potentially active against (98.95 ± 0.57 mg TE/g) ABTS radical. In addition, TFSM was also most active in metal reducing assays: CUPRAC (151.76 ± 1.59 mg TE/g extract) and FRAP (101.30 ± 0.32 mg TE/g extract). In phosphomolybdenum assay, the highest activity was found for TFFE (1.71 ± 0.03 mg TE/g extract), TFSM (1.64 ± 0.035 mg TE/g extract), TFSH (1.60 ± 0.033 mg TE/g extract) and TFFH (1.58 ± 0.08 mg TE/g extract), while highest metal chelating activity was recorded for TFSH (25.93 ± 0.79 mg EDTAE/g extract), TFSE (22.90 ± 1.12 mg EDTAE/g extract) and TFSC (19.31 ± 0.50 mg EDTAE/g extract). In biological screening, all extracts had stronger inhibitory capacity against AChE while in case of BChE the chloroform extract of flower (TFFC) and stem (TFSC) showed the highest activities with inhibitory values of 2.57 ± 0.24 and 2.10 ± 0.18 respectively. Similarly, TFFC and TFSC had stronger inhibitory capacity (1.09 ± 0.015 and 1.08 ± 0.002 mmol ACAE/g extract) against α-Amylase and (0.50 ± 0.02 and 0.55 ± 0.02 mmol ACAE/g extract) α-Glucosidase. UHPLC-MS study of methanolic extract revealed the presence of 133 components including sterols, triterpenes, flavonoids, alkaloids, and coumarins. The total phenolic contents were substantially linked with all antioxidant assays in multivariate analysis. These findings were validated by docking investigations, which revealed that the selected compounds exhibited high binding free energy with the enzymes tested. Finally, it was found that T. falconeri is a viable industrial crop with potential use in the production of functional goods and nutraceuticals.

Lipase and Protease Production Ability of Multi-drug Resistant Bacteria Worsens the Outcomes of Wound Infections.

BACKGROUND: Surgical site infections are one of the major clinical problems in surgical departments that cost hundreds of millions of dollars to healthcare systems around the world. AIM: The study aimed to address the pressing issue of surgical site infections, which pose significant clinical and financial burdens on healthcare systems globally. Recognizing the substantial costs incurred due to these infections, the research has focused on understanding the role of lipase and protease production by multi-drug resistant bacteria isolated from surgical wounds in the development of post-surgical wound infections. METHODS: For these purposes, 153 pus specimens were collected from patients with severe post-surgical wound infections having prolonged hospital stays. The specimens were inoculated on appropriate culture media. Gram staining and biochemical tests were used for the identification of bacterial growth on suitable culture media after 24 hours of incubation. The isolated pathogens were then applied for lipase and protease, key enzymes that could contribute to wound development, on tributyrin and skimmed milk agar, respectively. Following the CSLI guidelines, the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method was used to assess antibiotic susceptibility patterns. The results revealed that a significant proportion of the samples (127 out of 153) showed bacterial growth of Gram-negative (n = 66) and Gram-positive (n = 61) bacteria. In total, isolated 37 subjects were declared MDR due to their resistance to three or more than three antimicrobial agents. The most prevalent bacteria were Staphylococcus aureus (29.13%), followed by S. epidermidis (18.89%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (18.89%), Escherichia coli (14.96%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (10.23%), and Proteus mirabilis (7.87%). Moreover, a considerable number of these bacteria exhibited lipase and protease activity with 70 bacterial strains as lipase positive on tributyrin agar, whereas 74 bacteria showed protease activity on skimmed milk agar with P. aeruginosa as the highest lipase (69.23%) and protease (76.92%) producer, followed by S. aureus (lipase 62.16% and protease 70.27%). RESULTS: The antimicrobial resistance was evaluated among enzyme producers and non-producers and it was found that the lipase and protease-producing bacteria revealed higher resistance to selected antibiotics than non-producers. Notably, fosfomycin and carbapenem were identified as effective antibiotics against the isolated bacterial strains. However, gram-positive bacteria displayed high resistance to lincomycin and clindamycin, while gram-negative bacteria were more resistant to cefuroxime and gentamicin. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the findings suggest that lipases and proteases produced by bacteria could contribute to drug resistance and act as virulence factors in the development of surgical site infections. Understanding the role of these enzymes may inform strategies for preventing and managing post-surgical wound infections more effectively.

Cryogenic Thermal Shock Effects on Optical Properties of Quantum Emitters in Hexagonal Boron Nitride.

Solid-state quantum emitters are vital building blocks for quantum information science and quantum technology. Among various types of solid-state emitters discovered to date, color centers in hexagonal boron nitride have garnered tremendous traction in recent years, thanks to their environmental robustness, high brightness, and room-temperature operation. Most recently, these quantum emitters have been employed for satellite-based quantum key distribution. One of the most important requirements to qualify these emitters for space-based applications is their optical stability against cryogenic thermal shock. Such an understanding has, however, remained elusive to date. Here, we report on the effects caused by such thermal shock that induces random, irreversible changes in the spectral characteristics of the quantum emitters. By employing a combination of structural characterizations and density functional calculations, we attribute the observed changes to lattice strain caused by cryogenic temperature shock. Our study sheds light on the stability of the quantum emitters under extreme conditions─similar to those countered in outer space.

Global chessboard: Analyzing how geopolitical risk shapes renewable energy technology investments.

The allocation of budgets for renewable energy (RE) technology is significantly influenced by geopolitical risks (GPRs), reflecting the intricate interplay among global political dynamics, social media narratives, and the strategic investment decisions essential for advancing sustainable energy solutions. Against the backdrop of increasing worldwide initiatives to transition to RE sources, it is crucial to understand how GPR affects funding allocations, informing policy decisions, and fostering international collaboration to pursue sustainable energy solutions. Existing work probes the nonlinear effect of GPR on RE technology budgets (RTB) within the top 10 economies characterized by substantial research and development investments in RE (China, USA, Germany, Japan, France, South Korea, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Italy). Past research largely focused on panel data techniques to delve the interconnection between GPR and RE technology, overlooking the distinctive characteristics of individual economies. Contrarily, existing investigation implements the "Quantile-on-Quantile" tool to explore this association on an economy-particular basis, enhancing the precision of our analysis and offering both a comprehensive global perspective and nuanced perceptions for entire countries. The findings manifest a significant reduction in funding for RE technology associated with GPR across various quantile levels in the chosen economies. The disparities in results spotlight the necessity for policymakers to perform thorough assessments and carry out competent strategies to address the variations in GPR and RTB.

The 3-component mixture of power distributions under Bayesian paradigm with application of life span of fatigue fracture.

Mixture distributions are naturally extra attractive to model the heterogeneous environment of processes in reliability analysis than simple probability models. This focus of the study is to develop and Bayesian inference on the 3-component mixture of power distributions. Under symmetric and asymmetric loss functions, the Bayes estimators and posterior risk using priors are derived. The presentation of Bayes estimators for various sample sizes and test termination time (a fact of time after that test is terminated) is examined in this article. To assess the performance of Bayes estimators in terms of posterior risks, a Monte Carlo simulation along with real data study is presented.

Sample size determination for time-to-event endpoints in randomized selection trials with generalized exponential distribution.

Randomized selection trials are frequently used to compare experimental treatments that have the potential to be beneficial, but they often do not include a control group. While time-to-event endpoints are commonly applied in clinical investigations, methodologies for determining the required sample size for such endpoints, except exponential distribution, are lacking. In recent times, there has been a shift in clinical trials, with a growing emphasis on progression-free survival as a primary endpoint. However, the utilization of this measure has typically been restricted to specific time points for both sample size determination and analysis. This alteration in approach could wield a substantial influence on the clinical trial process, potentially diminishing the capacity to discern variances between treatment groups. In the calculation of sample sizes for randomized trials, this investigation operates under the assumption that the time-to-event endpoint conforms to either an exponential, Weibull, or generalized exponential distribution.

PROTOCOL: Effectiveness of public-private partnerships on educational access and quality of primary and secondary schooling in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review.

This protocol serves as a guiding source for a Campbell registered systematic review aiming to assess the effectiveness of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in education in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). The primary question for this review is: What is known about the impact of PPPs on improving access (i.e., enrolment, attendance, drop-out, and completion) and quality (i.e., students' learning outcomes and teachers' teaching practices) of primary and secondary schooling in LMICs? Using a predefined search query, we will retrieve studies from various databases including Scopus, Campbell Library, EBSCO Education Research Complete, NBER, Dissertation and Theses Global (ProQuest), along with other sources of grey literature. Covidence will be used for screening and extraction. A bias assessment tool will be used for the included studies. A standardised mean difference (SMD) effect size of Hedges' g will be calculated for the outcome variables using RevMan. This review will provide updated evidence about the impact of PPP in school education across LMICs, which will be instrumental for policy and practice level decisions for education improvement.

Intraoperative Neurophysiological Monitoring in Corrective Surgery of Scoliosis - Experience at a Tertiary Care Hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the role of intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) in reducing the postoperative neurologic deficit following corrective surgery of scoliosis. STUDY DESIGN: Observational Study. Place and Duration of the Study: Spine Surgery Department, Combined Military Hospital, Rawalpindi, from December 2022 to May 2023. METHODOLOGY: The study included 170 cases of scoliosis operated under multimodal IONM. Decreased amplitude of ≥50% in SSEP or 70-80% in MEPs were considered warning signs. Cases were divided into two groups: Group 1 (signal drop) and Group 2 (no signal drop). Group 1 was subdivided into Group 1a (true positive), Group 1b (false positive) and Group 1c (intermediate positive). Group 2 was subdivided into Group 2a (true negative) and Group 2b (false negative). RESULTS: Evoked potential changes were observed in 27 (15.9%) cases. This includes transient drop of signals in 16 (9.4%) and sustained drop of signals in 11 (6.5%) cases. Among sustained signal drop, 9 (5.29%) cases had exhibited postoperative neurological deficit whereas 2 (1.17%) cases did not show postoperative neurological deficit (false positive). Multimodal IONM in the current study shows sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 98.6%, positive predictive value of 92.6%, and negative predictive value of 100%. CONCLUSION: Multimodal IONM reduces the incidence of postoperative neurological deficit in corrective surgery of scoliosis by effectively detecting neurologic injury during surgery. Monitoring events alert surgical team to exercise immediate corrective measures which likely results in recovery of lost signals and predict the favorable outcome. KEY WORDS: Intraoperative monitoring, Motor evoked potentials, Neurological deficit, Scoliosis, Somatosensory evoked potentials.

From darkness to light: Unveiling the asymmetric nexus between energy poverty and environmental quality in South Asia.

Energy poverty alleviation has emerged as a critical economic problem in recent years. Given the enormous number of people without essential energy services, a crucial concern is whether providing universal access to electrification will considerably affect environmental quality. The present research evaluates the asymmetric energy poverty-environmental quality nexus in South Asian economies. Previous works adopted panel data techniques, resulting in distinctive conclusions about the energy poverty-environmental quality nexus, irrespective of the truth that several nations could not establish such a correlation separately. This research, conversely, applies the Quantile-on-Quantile methodology, which enables independent determinations of time-series interconnection in all nations to offer worldwide yet economy-particular evidence concerning the relationship between the variables. The results indicate that energy poverty degrades environmental quality in most selected economies at particular data distribution quantiles. Moreover, the findings disclose that the ranks of asymmetries between the variables change by country, emphasizing the requirement of governments to take special care when accepting policies linked to energy poverty and environmental quality.

Halotolerant Pseudomonas koreensis S4T10 mitigate salt and drought stress in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Salt and drought are documented among the most detrimental and persistent abiotic stresses for crop production. Here, we investigated the impact of Pseudomonas koreensis strain S4T10 on plant performance under salt and drought stress. Arabidopsis thaliana Col-0 wild type and atnced3 mutant plants were inoculated with P. koreensis or tap water and exposed to NaCl (100 mM) for five days and drought stress by withholding water for seven days. P. koreensis significantly enhanced plant biomass and photosynthetic pigments under salt and drought stress conditions. Moreover, P. koreensis activated the antioxidant defence by modulating glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activities to scavenge the reactive oxygen species produced due to the stress. In addition, the application of P. koreensis upregulated the expression of genes associated with antioxidant responses, such as AtCAT1, AtCAT3, and AtSOD. Similarly, genes linked to salt stress, such as AtSOS1, AtSOS2, AtSOS3, AtNHX1, and AtHKT1, were also upregulated, affirming the positive role of P. koreensis S4T10 in streamlining the cellular influx and efflux transport systems during salt stress. Likewise, the PGPB inoculation was observed to regulate the expression of drought-responsive genes AtDREB2A, AtDREB2B, and ABA-responsive genes AtAO3, AtABA3 indicating that S4T10 enhanced drought tolerance via modulation of the ABA pathway. The results of this study affirm that P. koreensis S4T10 could be further developed as a biofertilizer to mitigate salt and drought stress at the same time.

Dual centrifugation as a novel and efficient method for the preparation of lipodisks.

Polyethylene glycol (PEG)-stabilized lipodisks have emerged as innovatiive, promising nanocarriers for several classes of drugs. Prior research underscores the important role of lipid composition and preparation method in determining the lipodisk size, uniformity, and drug loading capacity. In this study, we investigate dual centrifugation (DC) as a novel technique for the production of PEG-stabilized lipodisks. Moreover, we explore the potential use of DC for the encapsulation of two model drugs, curcumin and doxorubicin, within the disks. Our results show that by a considerate choice of experimental conditions, DC can be used as a fast and straightforward means to produce small and homogenous lipodisks with a hydrodynamic diameter of 20-30 nm. Noteworthy, the technique works well for the production of both cholesterol-free and cholesterol-containing disks and does not require pre-mixing of the lipids in organic solvent. Furthermore, our investigations confirm the efficacy of DC in formulating curcumin and doxorubicin within these lipodisks. For doxorubicin, careful control and optimization of the experimental conditions resulted in formulations displaying an encouraging encapsulation efficiency of 84 % and a favourable drug-to-lipid ratio of 0.13 in the disks.

The detrimental effects of heavy metals on tributaries exert pressure on water quality, Crossocheilus aplocheilus, and the well-being of human health.

The escalating presence of heavy metals (HMs) in the Panjkora River water and their impact on fish pose a significant challenge to both the ecological community and human health. Consequently, a study was conducted with the primary aim of elucidating their influence on human health-related issues. To address this, the concentrations of heavy metals, including arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn), in both water and the fish species Crossocheilus diplocheilus were investigated across various locations within the study area. The quantification of HMs concentration was carried out utilizing an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The highest concentration in water was found as 0.060 mg/L for Pb and lowest for Fe, whereas the highest concentration in fish was 2.028 mg/kg for Pb and lowest for As. Human health risk associated with fish eating was evaluated by using health risk indices (HRI) for non-carcinogenic health risks and targeted cancer risk (TR) for carcinogenic health risks. The values of the health risk index (HRI) were found greater than 1 except Fe (0.0792), Zn (0.782), and Mn (0.541). The highest mean HRI > 1 was recorded for As (62.99), Cd (26.85), and Pb (10.56). This implies that fish consumption from river Panjkora is not safe up to some extent. Similarly, the TR value for As, Cd, and Pb was found 2.8 [Formula: see text], 1.6 [Formula: see text], 2.8 ×[Formula: see text] which showed cancer risk. There is a detected risk to human health associated with the consumption of fish from the Panjkora River. The government must implement adaptive measures to address this significant issue of water pollution in the study area. Additionally, there is a need for further extensive and prolonged research studies in this context.