Assessing Parental Preferences for Children's Oral Health in Rural Areas: A Study on Maintenance and Treatment Choices.

AIM: This article investigates the oral health preferences of parents residing in rural areas for their children, including dental maintenance and treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were collected through a cross-sectional survey of 500 parents who sought dental consultation for their children between two and seven years old, excluding those with systemic or neurological disorders. Demographic characteristics, including child and parent age and gender, family structure, and parental education levels, were collected using self-administered questionnaires. RESULTS: The study on oral health preferences of rural parents reveals the following key trends: peak dental treatment interest at six years old (104 children), slight gender disparity favoring males (54.8%), prevalent joint family structures (58%), and families with two children (48%). Most mothers marry before age 21 (62.8%), with varied education levels. Toothpaste and toothbrushes are preferred by the majority (65.2%) for oral hygiene. Common treatments include oral prophylaxis (164), pulpectomy/pulpotomy (114), and extractions (86). However, significant gaps exist: 62.8% do not grasp the importance of primary teeth, and 72% lack knowledge about specific treatments and drug-induced tooth problems, urging targeted educational strategies. CONCLUSION: The study's outcome focuses on parental preferences for oral hygiene maintenance and their choices for dental treatment in primary dentition. The results highlight the influence of various factors on parental preferences and underscore the importance of improving parental knowledge for better oral health outcomes in rural populations.

Recent Advances and Clinical Approach to Cancer Treatment with Nanotechnology Derived Biomolecule.

Cancer nanomedicine has the potential to take advantage of the multifunctionality and diverse biological activity of nanostructures based on biomolecules. Novel drug delivery vehicles can be designed by programming the supramolecular features of biomolecules to achieve multiple therapeutic goals at once, including efficient in vivo transport and targeted drug administration. Proteins, peptides, nucleic acids, and polysaccharides can all be engineered into multipurpose nanomedicines. Even while numerous cancer medications reduce mortality, they are still insufficient. Early cancer cell detection and high-specificity therapeutic administration optimise treatment and prevent toxicity. Nanotechnology is improving cancer diagnosis and treatment due to increased systemic toxicity and refractoriness with current methods. Nanotechnology-based immunotherapeutic drugs have reduced cancer cell invasiveness while protecting healthy cells in several cancer types. Carbon nanotubes, polymeric micelles, and liposomes improve cancer medication pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Nanomedicines' use in patient care and promising nanotechnology-based cancer interventions have been covered in this article. Nanomaterials used in treating cancer have been discussed. Additionally, nanomaterial obstacles that hinder their applicability and clinical translation in certain cancer types are addressed.

Paving the way to environment-friendly greener anesthesia.

Health-care settings have an important responsibility toward environmental health and safety. The operating room is a major source of environmental pollution within a hospital. Inhalational agents and nitrous oxide are the commonly used gases during general anesthesia for surgeries, especially in the developing world. These greenhouse gases contribute adversely to the environmental health both inside the operating room and in the outside atmosphere. Impact of these anesthetic agents depends on the total consumption, characteristics of individual agents, and gas flows, with higher levels increasing the environmental adverse effects. The inimical impact of nitrous oxide is higher due to its longer atmospheric half-life and potential for destruction of the ozone layer. Anesthesiologist of today has a choice in the selection of anesthetic agents. Prudent decisions will help in mitigating environmental pollution and contributing positively to a greener planet. Therefore, a shift from inhalational to intravenous-based technique will reduce the carbon footprint of anesthetic agents and their impact on global climate. Propofol forms the mainstay of intravenous anesthesia technique and is a proven drug for anesthetic induction and maintenance. Anesthesiologists should appreciate growing concerns about the role of inhalational anesthetics on the environment and join the cause of environmental responsibility. In this narrative review, we revisit the pharmacological and pharmacokinetic considerations, clinical uses, and discuss the merits of propofol-based intravenous anesthesia over inhalational anesthesia in terms of environmental effects. Increased awareness about the environmental impact and adoption of newer, versatile, and user-friendly modalities of intravenous anesthesia administration will pave the way for greener anesthesia practice.

Platelet-Rich Plasma in the Management of Temporomandibular Joint Pain in Young Adults With Temporomandibular Disorder.

BACKGROUND: Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) encompasses a range of conditions affecting the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and associated structures, with TMJ pain being a prevalent symptom. Conventional management strategies have limitations, which require the exploration of innovative interventions. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP), known for its regenerative properties, presents a potential therapeutic avenue. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of PRP in reducing the pain associated with mild TMJ in young adults. METHODOLOGY: Participants (n = 128) aged 18 to 35 years with mild TMD were evenly randomized into PRP treatment and placebo control groups. PRP was prepared using a standardized protocol, and intra-articular injections were administered. Placebo injections mimic PRP. Follow-up evaluations were carried out at four and eight weeks after the intervention. RESULTS: The study successfully randomized comparable groups, and the PRP treatment group experienced a significant reduction in TMJ pain (visual analog scale [VAS] score: 6.8 ± 1.2 to 2.1 ± 1.0 at eight weeks, P < 0.001). The PRP treatment also increased the largest opening of the mouth (from 38.2 ± 2.5 to 43.5 ± 3.1, P < 0.001) and the number of lateral movements (12.3 ± 1.5 to 14.9 ± 2.0, P < 0.001), while the placebo group had very few changes. Positive patient-reported outcomes on daily activities were observed, with no serious complications reported in either group. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence supporting the efficacy of PRP in reducing TMJ pain, improving jaw function, and improving quality of life in young adults with mild TMD. The results underscore the potential of PRP as a minimally invasive intervention for TMJ disorders.

High-Resolution Ultrasound in Evaluation of Peripheral Neuropathy in Patients of Hansen's Disease.

Introduction: Hansen's disease (HD) is a major public health problem in developing countries. It causes peripheral neuropathy, and if left untreated, it leads to deformities. It is important to diagnose such cases early, and prompt treatment should be given to patients to preserve nerve function. Materials and Methods: A total of 40 patients with HD who were already on multi-drug therapy (MDT) or treatment-naive were included in this study. These were clinically diagnosed cases of HD as per the Ridley-Jopling classification, and these patients were subjected to high-resolution ultrasonography (HRUS). A total of 19 controls were also included. The patients were clinically evaluated, and HRUS of bilateral ulnar nerves (UNs) was performed in all cases and controls. The other peripheral nerves, if clinically thickened, were evaluated using HRUS. Results: The cross-sectional area (CSA) of the UN in cases was significantly thickened as compared to controls. There was no difference in the CSA of patients on MDT as compared to treatment naïve patients. In two patients with pure neuritic HD, the clinical examination missed the bilateral nerve enlargement, and only unilateral nerve thickening was clinically appreciated. However, bilateral thickening was detected on HRUS. Conclusion: HRUS is a non-invasive and sensitive diagnostic tool that gives significant information on nerve structure and morphology. HRUS adds a new dimension to diagnosing HD, particularly the pure neuritic type, with the assessment of early nerve damage, which can prevent disabilities. HRUS is an objective diagnostic tool that can complement the clinical examination.

Mixed Solvency Concept to Replace Harmful Organic Solvent: Recent Trends and Future Challenges in Formulation Development.

Organic solvents are hazardous and should be replaced with less harmful alternatives. When developing a new formulation for a medicine with low aqueous solubility, improving its solubility might be a significant difficulty. According to the mixed solvency concept, a novel concept of solubilization, the solubility of poorly soluble drugs can be increased by dissolving them in a concentrated solution comprising various substances. Methods commonly used to improve solubility include complexation, pH modification, salt formation, hydrotropy, cosolvency, and micelle solubilization. By reducing the concentration of specific solubilizers, this method can be used to reduce the toxicity of solubilizers in various formulations of poorly soluble medicines. This review aims to provide scientists with a fresh concept for enhancing medication solubility. The benefits and drawbacks of currently available green solvents have been analyzed as potential replacements for traditional solvents. Some examples of these solvents are bio-based solvents like ethanol, methanol, and cyrene; d-limonene; deep eutectic solvents such as ionic liquids and natural deep eutectic solvents; supercritical fluids; subcritical water; surfactant-based solutions like hydrotopes and supramolecular solvents; and deep eutectic solvents like cyrene.

Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing Assay for Direct Detection and Serotyping of Salmonella from Enrichment.

In this study, an automated, targeted next-generation sequencing (tNGS) assay to detect and serotype Salmonella from sample enrichments was evaluated. The assay generates millions of reads to detect multiple Salmonella-specific genes and serotype-specific alleles, detecting all Salmonella spp. tested to date, and serotyping 62 common Salmonella serotypes. Accuracy was tested on 291 pure reference cultures (251 Salmonella, 40 non-Salmonella), 21 artificially contaminated poultry carcass rinse samples, and 363 naturally contaminated poultry environmental samples. Among the 291 pure reference cultures, the automated tNGS assay resulted in 100% detection accuracy, 100% serotyping accuracy for the claimed serotypes, and 0% false positives. The limit of detection was estimated at 5 × 104 CFU/mL by testing enumerated cultures of strains representative of six serotypes. In cocontamination studies with mixtures of two serotypes (Enteritidis, Typhimurium, Kentucky, Infantis, and Newport) at a 1:1 ratio, tNGS detected both serotypes with 100% accuracy. The assay demonstrated 100% accuracy in artificially contaminated poultry carcass rinse sample enrichments. Targeted NGS was highly effective in detecting Salmonella in samples collected from poultry production facilities. Results demonstrated that tNGS could detect Salmonella and provide accurate serotyping information consistent with conventional serology. These findings highlight the reliable and efficient performance of a fully automated tNGS Salmonella assay in detecting and identifying Salmonella strains in complex matrices, reducing the time to results from 4 to 5 days required by the traditional isolation and serotyping to 10-12 h for tNGS after primary enrichment.

Discovery of anticancer compound possessing potential to bind γ-secretase catalytic subunit and inhibit notch promoter activity.

Gamma secretase (GS) is an important therapeutic target in anticancer drug discovery. Increased GS activity activates notch signaling pathway which is associated with cancer stemness and drug resistance in cancer cells. A total of 69,075 natural and their derivative compounds were screened to identify the lead compound on the basis of in silico GS catalytic domain binding potential and in vitro selective anticancer efficacy. STOCK1N-23234 showed higher dock score (-11.82) compared to DAPT (-9.2) in molecular docking experiment and formed hydrogen bond with the key amino acid (Asp385) involve in catalysis process. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation parameters (RMSD, RMSF, Rg, SASA and hydrogen bond formation) revealed that the STOTCK1N-23234 formed structurally and energetically stable complex with the GS catalytic domain with lower binding energy (-22.79 kcal/mol) compared to DAPT (-16.22 kcal/mol). STOCK1N-23234 showed better toxicity (up to 60%) against colon and breast cancer cells (HCT-116 and MDA-MB-453) at 1-70 µM concentration. Interestingly, STOCK1N-23234 did not showed cytotoxicity against human normal breast cells (MCF-10A). STOCK1N-23234 treatment significantly decreased sphere formation, notch promoter activity, and transcription of notch target genes (Hes-1 and Hey-1) in HCT-116 cells derived colonosphere. Confocal microscopy revealed that STOTCK1N-23234 treatment at test concentration induced apoptosis related morphological changes, reduced mitochondria membrane potential and increased reactive oxygen species production in HCT-116 cells compared to non-treated cells. In conclusion, STOCK1N-23234 is a novel lead natural anticancer compound which requires in depth validation in cancer preclinical models.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Arylazo sulfones: multifaceted photochemical reagents and beyond.

The photochemical action of arylazo sulfones under visible light irradiation has recently gained considerable attention for the construction of carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds in organic synthesis. The inherent dyedauxiliary group (-N2SO2R) embedded in the reagent is responsible for the absorption of visible light even in the absence of a photocatalyst, additive or oxidant, leading to the generation of three different radicals, viz. aryl (carbon-centred), sulfonyl (sulphur-centred) and diazenyl (nitrogen-centred) radicals, under different reaction conditions. Encountering a reagent with such a versatile behaviour is quite rare, which makes arylazo sulfones a highly interesting class of compounds. The mild reaction conditions under which these reagents can operate are an added advantage. Recently, they are also being used as non-ionic photoacid generators (PAGs), electron acceptors, and hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) and imination reagents in a number of synthetic transformations. They have displayed substantial damaging effect on the structure of DNA in the presence of light which can lead to their use as phototoxic pharmaceuticals for cancer treatment. Moreover, their photochemistry is also being exploited in polymerization reactions (as photoinitiators) and in materials chemistry (surface modification).

Immunodominant conserved moieties on spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 renders virulence factor for the design of epitope-based peptide vaccines.

The outbreak of novel SARS-CoV-2 virion has wreaked havoc with a high prevalence of respiratory illness and high transmission due to a vague understanding of the viral antigenicity, augmenting the dire challenge to public health globally. This viral member necessitates the expansion of diagnostic and therapeutic tools to track its transmission and confront it through vaccine development. Therefore, prophylactic strategies are mandatory. Virulent spike proteins can be the most desirable candidate for the computational design of vaccines targeting SARS-CoV-2, followed by the meteoric development of immune epitopes. Spike protein was characterized using existing bioinformatics tools with a unique roadmap related to the immunological profile of SARS-CoV-2 to predict immunogenic virulence epitopes based on antigenicity, allergenicity, toxicity, immunogenicity, and population coverage. Applying in silico approaches, a set of twenty-four B lymphocyte-based epitopes and forty-six T lymphocyte-based epitopes were selected. The predicted epitopes were evaluated for their intrinsic properties. The physico-chemical characterization of epitopes qualifies them for further in vitro and in vivo analysis and pre-requisite vaccine development. This study presents a set of screened epitopes that bind to HLA-specific allelic proteins and can be employed for designing a peptide vaccine construct against SARS-CoV-2 that will confer vaccine-induced protective immunity due to its structural stability. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13337-023-00852-9.

Transformation of PMMA from sunlight-blocking to sunlight-activated coupled with DNH photocatalytic platform for oxidative coupling of amines and generation/regeneration of LDC/NADH.

The photocatalytic oxidation and generation/regeneration of amines to imines and leucodopaminechrome (LDC)/NADH are subjects of intense interest in contemporary research. Imines serve as crucial intermediates for the synthesis of solar fuels, fine chemicals, agricultural chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. While significant progress has been made in developing efficient processes for the oxidation and generation/regeneration of secondary amines, the oxidation of primary amines has received comparatively less attention until recently. This discrepancy can be attributed to the high reactivity of imines generated from primary amines, which are prone to dehydrogenation into nitriles. In this study, we present the synthesis and characterization of a novel polymer-based photocatalyst, denoted as PMMA-DNH, designed for solar light-harvesting applications. PMMA-DNH incorporates the light-harvesting molecule dinitrophenyl hydrazine (DNH) at varying concentrations (5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%). Leveraging its high molar extinction coefficient and slow charge recombination, the 30% DNH-incorporated PMMA photocatalyst proves to be particularly efficient. This photocatalytic system demonstrates exceptional yields (96.5%) in imine production and high generation/regeneration rates for LDC/NADH (65.27%/78.77%). The research presented herein emphasizes the development and application of a newly engineered polymer-based photocatalyst, which holds significant promise for direct solar-assisted chemical synthesis in diverse commercial applications.

Every lid swelling is not stye: A rare presentation of scrub typhus eschar.

A 17-year-old female patient presented to us with complaints of diffuse swelling in her left upper eyelid with preauricular lymphadenopathy for three days. She was diagnosed with a case of hordeolum externum and was treated on the same line. However, during follow-up, she developed a mild- to moderate-grade fever, which did not subside with treatment. On further investigation, her IgM rapid ELISA for Scrub typhus was positive, which was further confirmed by the Weil-Fellix test (OXK=1:360). She was treated with systemic doxycycline. Within a week, her fever returned to normal baseline, with resolution of local eye lid swelling, and her black scab was also gone. We have reported a case of scrub typhus as a rare manifestation with lid swelling and subsequently eschar formation on the upper eye lid. The patient was promptly treated with oral antibiotics without any morbidity.

Myeloperoxidase Staining Identifies Endothelial Injury of Peritubular Capillaries and Glomeruli in Renal Antibody-Mediated Rejection.

OBJECTIVE: It remains unclear if C4d staining is related to any peritubular and glomerular injury during antibody mediated rejection (ABMR). The goal of this study was to determine if myeloperoxidase (MPO) staining can highlight endothelial injury in peritubular capillaries (PTC) and glomeruli. METHODS: The study included 12 native negative controls, 19 transplant biopsies with borderline changes (BC) as transplant controls, and one group of renal transplant biopsies with ABMR as the study group (acute/chronic, n=22). All three groups were stained for MPO immunohistochemically, and the MPO expressions in the endothelium of PTC and glomeruli were evaluated and correlated with serum creatinine (SCr). In addition, the ultrastructural layers of the PTC (an index for chronic allograft rejection) were correlated with MPO indices in PTC. RESULTS: The negative control group and the transplant controls showed no MPO expression in the endothelium of glomeruli and PTC. However, in the biopsies with ABMR, there were MPO-positive stains in the endothelial cells of glomeruli (15/21 cases, 71.4 %) and PTC (16/22 cases, 72.7 %). There were significant correlations between the peritubular MPO staining versus SCr (r=0.355 and p=0.0106) and glomerular MPO staining versus SCr (r=0.365 and p=0.0092). Furthermore, the layers of PTC by electron microscopy were significantly correlated with MPO scores in PTC (r=0.696, p=0.0001). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that the MPO-positive endothelial injuries are most likely the cause leading to renal graft dysfunction following ABMR.

Natural bone inspired core-shell triple-layered gel/PCL/gel 3D printed scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.

Despite technological advancements in bone tissue engineering, it is still a challenge to fabricate a scaffold with high bioactivity as well as high mechanical strength that can promote osteogenesis as well as bear load. Here we developed a 3D printed gel-polymer multi-layered hybrid scaffold. The innermost layer is porous gel-based framework made of gelatin/carboxymethyl-chitin/nano-hydroxyapatite and is cryogenically 3D printed. Further, the second and middle layer of micro-engineered polycaprolactone (PCL) is infused in the gel with controlled penetration and tuneable coating thickness. The PCL surface is further coated with a third and final thin layer of gel matrix used for the first layer. This triple-layered structure demonstrates compression strength and modulus of 13.07 ± 1.15 MPa and 21.8 ± 0.82 MPa, respectively, post 8 weeks degradation which is >3000% and >700% than gel scaffold. It also shows degradation of 6.84 ± 0.70% (83% reduction than gel scaffold) after 12 weeks and swelling of 69.09 ± 6.83% (81% reduction) as compared to gel scaffolds. Further, nearly 300%, 250%, 50%, and 440% increase in cellular attachment, proliferation, protein generation, and mineralization, respectively are achieved as compared to only PCL scaffolds. Thus, these hybrid scaffolds offer high mechanical strength, slow degradation rate, high bioactivity, and high osteoconductivity. These multifunctional scaffolds have potential for reconstructing non-load-bearing bone defects like sinus lift, jaw cysts, and moderate load-bearing like reconstructing hard palate, orbital palate, and other craniomaxillofacial bone defects.

Does the Nae Umeed group intervention improve mental health and social participation? A pre-post study in Uttarakhand, India.

There are few evidence-based interventions to support caregiver mental health developed for low- and middle-income countries. Nae Umeed is a community-based group intervention developed with collaboratively with local community health workers in Uttarakhand, India primarily to promote mental wellbeing for caregivers and others. This pre-post study aimed to evaluate whether Nae Umeed improved mental health and social participation for people with mental distress, including caregivers. The intervention consisted of 14 structured group sessions facilitated by community health workers. Among 115 adult participants, 20% were caregivers and 80% were people with disability and other vulnerable community members; 62% had no formal education and 92% were female. Substantial and statistically significant improvements occurred in validated psychometric measures for mental health (12-Item General Health Questionnaire, Patient Health Questionnaire-9) and social participation (Participation Scale). Improvements occurred regardless of caregiver status. This intervention addressed mental health and social participation for marginalised groups that are typically without access to formal mental health care and findings suggest Nae Umeed improved mental health and social participation; however, a controlled community trial would be required to prove causation. Community-based group interventions are a promising approach to improving the mental health of vulnerable groups in South Asia.

Synthesis and characterization of chitosan-zinc-salicylic acid nanoparticles: A plant biostimulant.

The vastly expanding global population raised the demand for profuse food grain production. For food security in India, high yield and nutritional quality of grain crops, both are essential. Zinc is a crucial micronutrient generally deficient in food grains grown in India, reflecting their deteriorating nutritional quality. To address these issues, in the present study, a novel tri-component nanoparticle of chitosan­zinc-salicylic acid (CS-Zn-SA NPs) has been synthesized by ionotropic gelation method. The average size of synthesized CS-Zn-SA NPs was recorded 13.5 nm by dynamic light scattering (DLS) spectroscopy. The presence of chitosan, zinc and salicylic acid and crosslinking among these components in synthesized nanoparticles has been demonstrated by Fourier transforms infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Further, synthesized CS-Zn-SA NPs at various concentrations (50-200 ppm) were evaluated for seed germination via seed priming, yield, grain zinc content and defence enzyme activity through the foliar application. CS-Zn-SA NPs revealed significant seed germination activities, 19.8 % higher grain yield, 45.5 % increased grain zinc content and manyfold defence enzyme activities than the control. The obtained results exposed the potential of CS-Zn-SA NPs as a stimulant for effective seedling development, higher yield, a virtuous micronutrient fortifying agent and defence enzyme promoter.

Designing of neoepitopes based vaccine against breast cancer using integrated immuno and bioinformatics approach.

Cancer is characterized by genetic instability due to accumulation of somatic mutations in the genes which generate neoepitopes (mutated epitopes) for targeting by Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). Breast cancer has a high transformation rate with unique composition of mutational burden and neoepitopes load that open a platform to designing a neoepitopes-based vaccine. Neoepitopes-based therapeutic cancer vaccines designed by neoantigens have shown to be feasible, nontoxic, and immunogenic in cancer patients. Stimulation of CTL by neoepitope-based vaccine of self-antigenic proteins plays a key role in distinguishing cancer cells from normal cells and selectively targets only malignant cells. A neoepitopes-based vaccine to combat breast cancer was designed by combining immunology and bioinformatics approaches. The vaccine construct was assembled by the fusion of CTL neoepitopes, helper sequences (used for better separation of the epitopes), and adjuvant together with linkers. The neoepitopes were identified from somatic mutations in the MUC16, TP53, RYR2, F5, DNAH17, ASPM, and ABCA13 self-antigenic proteins. The vaccine construct was undertaken to study the immune simulations (IS), physiochemical characteristics (PP), molecular docking (MD) and simulations, and cloning in appropriate vector. Together, these parameters establish safety, stability, and a strong binding affinity against class I MHC molecules capable of inducing a complete immune response against breast cancer cells.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Selective aerobic coupling of amines to imines using solar spectrum-responsive flower-like Nen-graphene quantum dots (GQDs) decorated with 2, 4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (PH) as a photocatalyst.

Indeed, the development of ecologically benign molecular fabrication methods for highly efficient graphene quantum dots-based photocatalysts is of great significant. Graphene quantum dots-based photocatalysts have promising applications in various field, including environmental remediation, energy conversion, and splitting of water. However, ensuring resource reusability and minimizing the environmental impact are crucial considerations in the development. From this perspective, attention has also been paid to the creation of easy to make solar light harvesting graphene quantum dots-based photocatalysts for synthesising pharmaceuticals and functional imines compounds. Imines are excellent significant building blocks in pharmaceutical chemistry and excellent examples of these valuable compounds' synthetic intermediates, and the environmentally friendly oxidative synthesis of imines from amines. Therefore, herein, we designed a facile and efficient condensation route to synthesize the Nen-GQDs@PH photocatalyst. This route involves coupling of 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (PH) with nitrogen-enriched graphene quantum dots (Nen-GQDs). The Nen-GQDs@PH as photocatalyst functions in a highly selective and efficient manner, leading to high amines conversion efficiency to imines (95%). Our results highlight a novel and environmentally safe approach for generating highly selective imines from various types of amines, setting a new benchmark in the current research field.

Investigation of barriers and mitigation strategies to blockchain technology implementation in construction industry: an interpretive structural modeling approach.

Blockchain technology has emerged as a promising solution for enhancing transparency, efficiency, and security in various industries, including construction. However, implementing blockchain in the construction industry faces several barriers that hinder its widespread adoption. To fill this gap, this study is aimed at identifying and discussing the key barriers to implementing blockchain in the construction industry. The study employs a four-phase methodology. In the first phase, barriers are identified through a comprehensive literature review and supplemented with semi-structured interviews with different stakeholders, identifying critical barriers. The second phase involves data collection from ten construction experts, while the third phase utilizes the interpretive structural modeling (ISM) technique for data analysis. In the fourth phase, ten effective strategies are formulated to tackle the identified barriers and their interdependencies. The results reveal the overall structure of barriers and classify them into four groups based on driving and dependence power using the cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to the classification (MICMAC) technique. The identified barriers include a lack of collaboration in consortium formation, insufficient capacity and performance, and regulatory uncertainty, which hinders blockchain implementation in the construction industry. The research findings provide valuable information for policymakers on the overall structure with barriers and implementation in India and other countries with similar situations. Additionally, the management implications of the results were analyzed to facilitate the effective implementation of measures to overcome the obstacles and increase the level of blockchain adoption in the construction industry.

Rationalizing mineral gypsum use through microbially enriched municipal solid waste compost for amelioration and regaining productivity potential of degraded alkali soils.

Reclamation of alkali soils to harness their productivity potential is more complex due to the presence of excess sodium ions, poor hydraulic conductivity and infiltration rate, resulting in poor plant growth and crop productivity. Sodic soil reclamation using inorganic ameliorants like mineral gypsum or phosphogypsum is beyond the reach of small and marginal farmers having alkali soils because of their higher market prices and shortage of availability. Conjoint use of inorganic and organic amendments can be a pragmatic solution for improving soil physico-chemical and biological properties and sustaining crop productivity. Municipal solid waste compost (MSWC) available in abundant quantity if enriched with the efficient halophilic microbial consortium and used in conjunction with a reduced dose of gypsum can be a cost-effective approach for sustainable reclamation of alkali soils and harnessing their productivity potential. Hence, a field experiment was conducted on a high alkali soil (pH2 9.2 ± 0.10), electrical conductivity (EC) 1.14 ± 0.12 dS m-1, exchangeable sodium percentage 48 ± 2.50 and organic carbon (0.30%) was conducted during 2018-19 to 2020-21 to study the combined effect inorganic and organic (enriched municipal solid waste compost (EMSWC)) amendments on amelioration of alkali soils and sustaining productivity of rice-wheat cropping system. Application of gypsum @ 25% GR + enriched MSW compost @ 10 t ha-1 (T6) showed significant improvement in soil physico-chemical and biological properties over the sole application of organic (T3 and T4), inorganic (T2) and control (T1). A significant improvement in soil fertility status in terms of available nitrogen and micronutrients as well as CO3, HCO3, Cl, Ca and Mg content were recorded with the combined application of organic and inorganic soil amendments (T5 and T6) over the sole application of mineral gypsum. Soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC), nitrogen (MBN) and phosphorus (MBP) improved significantly due to the application of EMSWC with gypsum over the application of gypsum only. Grain yield of rice and wheat increased significantly (P < 0.05) owing to the application of a reduced dose of gypsum (25% GR) and EMSWC @ 10 t ha-1 (T6) with values of 5.55 and 3.83 t ha-1, respectively over rest of the treatments. Three years economic analysis of the study revealed that treatments T6 and T5 gave the highest positive net return whereas it was lowest in treatment T1 and negative in treatment T2. The highest benefit-to-cost ratio (B:C) was obtained in treatments T6 and T5 which were significantly higher compared to the rest of the treatments.