A set of 710 accessions of global durum wheat panel was obtained from the International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dryland Areas (ICARDA) and evaluated for variability in 32 agro-morphological traits at the ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research, Karnal, India, during 2021–22 and 2022–23. The accessions were grouped based on the type of breeding material and geographical origin, and the Shannon–Wiener diversity index (H′) was calculated for each trait as well as each group. The H′ values ranged from 0.02 (grain crease) to 1.27 (wax of ear) with an overall mean of 0.63, when considering the entire set as a single group. Landraces exhibited higher variability (H′ = 0.64) as compared to released cultivars and evolutionary pre-breeding population lines (H′ = 0.55). Furthermore, accessions originating from West Asia exhibited the highest variability (H′ = 0.63). Traits such as coleoptile colour, plant growth habit, auricle colour and pubescence, flag leaf attitude, ear shape, presence or absence of awns, awns colour and attitude, glumes shape and pubescence, beak length, peduncle attitude, grain phenol colour, grain germ width and brush hair length were found suitable for distinguishing the present durum accessions due to their higher frequency distribution and Shannon–Wiener diversity index values. A core set of 13 accessions was developed using the programme Power Core. These accessions represent the overall variability of the entire set and can therefore serve as a potential source of new genes/alleles for the genetic enhancement of durum wheat. This durum panel may also serve as a valuable reference collection for global researchers in the characterization of durum wheat accessions.

Horseweed [Erigeron canadensis L.; syn.: Conyza canadensis (L.) Cronquist (2n = 18), family: Asteraceae] is known as one of the 10 most troublesome and most commonly occurring weeds in 12 categories of broadleaf crops, fruits, and vegetables and is present in 2,540 counties across the United States. Wide phenotypic plasticity coupled with highly adaptive traits and reported allelopathy might have resulted in its rapid spread and extensive presence across the United States, presumably by altering the composition of local plant community. This study for the first time revealed the allelopathic effect of E. canadensis leaf aqueous extract (10%) on seed germination and seedling growth of seven common weeds, namely, Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S. Watson), smooth pigweed (Amaranthus hybridus L.), prickly sida (Sida spinosa L.), and pitted morningglory (Ipomoea lacunosa L.), which are native to North America, and non-native lambsquarters (Chenopodium album L.), curly dock (Rumex crispus L.), and barnyardgrass [Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv.]. Erigeron canadensis aqueous extract significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the seed germination and seedling growth of A. hybridus, A. palmeri, R. crispus, and S. spinosa, but showed nonsignificant impacts on I. lacunosa, C. album, and E. crus-galli. Based on synthetical allelopathic effects (SE < 0), the order of inhibition from highest to lowest was as follows: A. hybridus (−0.580), R. crispus (−0.464), A. palmeri (−0.409), S. spinosa (−0.248), C. album (−0.143), I. lacunosa (−0.035), and E. crus-galli (0.009). Liquid chromatography of the E. canadensis aqueous extract identified a total of 38 compounds with previously known allelopathy, including piperidine, choline, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, acetonecyanohydrin, gallic acid, 2-furoic acid, genistein, and gentisic acid. The current study, utilizing a petri dish bioassay, explains E. canadensis’s invasive potential and mechanisms for affecting the succession of commonly occurring native and non-native weed species in the southern United States. These results establish a solid foundation for understanding the mechanisms driving the successful invasion of E. canadensis in its native range and provide a valuable theoretical framework for early-warning systems assessing ecological risks.

Kawasaki disease is a childhood vasculitic disorder that has a special predilection for coronary arteries. Kawasaki disease has been reported from all regions of the world, with an increasing incidence in several countries. Kawasaki disease is now the most common cause of acquired heart disease in children all over the world. However, it is concerning that the estimated vast majority of Kawasaki disease cases in low- and middle-income countries are not getting diagnosed and treated. The World Health Organization acknowledges cardiovascular disease in their priority of actions. The World Health Organization is invited to acknowledge the reality of Kawasaki disease in its list of cardiovascular diseases and take steps to facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of Kawasaki disease, especially in low- and middle-income countries. It is a disease of public health importance and needs urgent prioritisation by the World Health Organization.

This article presents an ultrawide bandpass filter structure developed along a notch band using a small rectangular impedance resonator. The proposed filter structure consists of a coupled rectangular resonator (CRR), open stub, and composited split ring resonator (CSRR) at the bottom of the structure. In-band and out-of-band properties are improved by the CRR and open stub. The notch band is obtained by placing CSRR below the rectangular resonator. A filter with a compact size of 0.15 × 0.10 λg is obtained at a lowered cutoff frequency of 3.0 GHz, where λg is the corresponding guided wavelength. The proposed structure has been constructed on 5880 Rogers substrate with a thickness of 0.787 mm and a dielectric constant of 2.2. Additionally, equivalent lumped parameters were obtained, and a lumped equivalent circuit was created to explain how the suggested filter operated. The Electromagnetic (EM)-simulated results are in good agreement with the circuit-simulated and measured result. The various machine learning approaches such as artificial neural network, K-nearest neighbour, decision tree, random forest (RF), and extreme gradient boosting algorithms are applied to optimize the design, in which RF algorithms achieve more than 90% accuracy for predicting the S parameters of the ultrawideband filter.

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the deadliest infectious diseases globally, ranking as 13th leading cause of mortality and morbidity. According to the Global Tuberculosis Report 2022, TB claimed the lives of 1.6 million people worldwide in 2021. Among the casualties, 1 870 000 individuals with HIV co-infections contributed to 6.7% of the total fatalities, accounting TB as the second most lethal infectious disease following COVID-19. In the quest to identify biomarkers for disease progression and anti-TB therapy, microRNAs (miRNAs) have gained attention due to their precise regulatory role in gene expression in disease stages and their ability to distinguish latent and active TB, enabling the development of early TB prognostic signatures. miRNAs are stable in biological fluids and therefore will be useful for non-invasive and broad sample collection. However, their inherent lack of specificity and experimental variations may lead to false-positive outcomes. These limitations can be overcome by integrating standard protocols with machine learning, presenting a novel tool for TB diagnostics and therapeutics. This review summarizes, discusses and highlights the potential of miRNAs as a biomarker, particularly their differential expression at disease stages. The review assesses the advantages and obstacles associated with miRNA-based diagnostic biomarkers in pulmonary TB and facilitates rapid, point-of-care testing.

Growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) is an oocyte-specific paracrine factor involved in bidirectional communication, which plays an important role in oocyte developmental competence. In spite of its vital role in reproduction, there is insufficient information about exact transcriptional control mechanism of GDF9. Hence, present study was undertaken with the aim to study the expression of basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors (TFs) such as the factor in the germline alpha (FIGLA), twist-related protein 1 (TWIST1) and upstream stimulating factor 1 and 2 (USF1 and USF2), and nuclear receptor (NR) superfamily TFs like germ cell nuclear factor (GCNF) and oestrogen receptor 2 (ESR2) under three different in vitro maturation (IVM) groups [follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF1) and oestradiol)] along with all supplementation group as positive control, to understand their role in regulation of GDF9 expression. Buffalo cumulus–oocyte complexes were aspirated from abattoir-derived ovaries and matured in different IVM groups. Following maturation, TFs expression was studied at 8 h of maturation in all four different IVM groups and correlated with GDF9 expression. USF1 displayed positive whereas GCNF, TWIST1 and ESR2 revealed negative correlation with GDF9 expression. TWIST1 & ESR2 revealing negative correlation with GDF9 expression were found to be positively correlated amongst themselves also. GCNF & USF1 revealing highly significant correlation with GDF9 expression in an opposite manner were found to be negatively correlated. The present study concludes that the expression of GDF9 in buffalo oocytes remains under control through the involvement of NR and bHLH TFs.

Though commonly used to model affective disorders, zebrafish display notable differences in terms of the structure and function of the brain serotonin system, including responses to pharmacological interventions, as compared to mammals. For example, elevation of brain serotonin following acute administration of serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) generally has anxiogenic effects, both in the clinical situation and in rodent models of anxiety, but previous research has indicated the opposite in zebrafish. However, several issues remain unresolved. We conducted a systematic review of SRI effects in zebrafish models of anxiety and, on the basis of these results, performed a series of experiments further investigating the influence of serotonin-releasing agents on anxiety-like behaviour in zebrafish, with sex-segregated wild-type animals being administered either escitalopram, or the serotonin releaser fenfluramine, in the light-dark test. In the systematic review, we find that the available literature indicates an anxiolytic-like effect of SRIs in the novel-tank diving test. Regarding the light-dark test, most studies reported no behavioural effects of SRIs, although the few that did generally saw anxiolytic-like responses. In the experimental studies, consistent anxiolytic-like effects were observed with neither sex nor habituation influencing treatment response. We find that the general effect of acute SRI administration in zebrafish indeed appears to be anxiolytic-like, indicating, at least partly, differences in the functioning of the serotonin system as compared to mammals and that caution is advised when using zebrafish to model affective disorders.

Mental health apps (MHAs) are increasingly popular in India due to rising mental health awareness and app accessibility. Despite their benefits, like mood tracking, sleep tools and virtual therapy, MHAs lack regulatory oversight. India's framework, including the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) and Medical Device Rules 2017, does not cover standalone health apps, raising concerns about data privacy and accuracy. Establishing a centralised regulatory body with guidelines for MHAs is essential for user safety and efficacy. This paper examines the current regulatory landscape, compares international approaches and proposes a tiered regulatory framework to foster responsible innovation while safeguarding user interests in digital mental health services.

Sustainability of maize production systems is threatened by poor economic returns and resource intensiveness. Therefore, an experiment was conducted at the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi during 2016–17 to 2017–18 to assess the effect of tillage and microbial inoculantsintegrated phosphorus (P) management on productivity, quality, economic outcome and energy dynamics of maize. Three tillage practices viz., CT–R (conventional tillage with no residue), ZT–R (zero tillage with no residue) and ZT + R (zero tillage with wheat crop residue at 2.5 Mg/ha) were assigned in main plots and five P management practices viz., P1 (control–NK as per recommendation, but no P), P2 (17.2 kg P/ha), P3 (17.2 kg P/ha + PSB), P4 (17.2 kg P/ha + compost inoculants) and P5 (34.4 kg P/ha) were allocated in subplots in three times replicated split-plot design. The maximum grain yield (5.96 Mg/ha), protein content (9.13%), protein yield (546 kg/ha) and gross energy returns (209 × 103 MJ/ha) were recorded under ZT + R while higher benefit: cost ratio (B: C ratio – the amount of economic gain per unit investment) (1.53) and energy efficiency (12.5) was noticed under ZT–R. Among the P management practices, the application of 34.4 kg P/ha recorded the highest grain yield (6.45 Mg/ha), protein content (9.34%), protein yield (603 kg/ha), B: C ratio (1.65) and energy efficiency (10.1). The results suggested that the application of P at the rate of 34.4 kg/ha under ZT + R is an economically robust approach for the quality maize production in semi-arid region.

Interaction of supercritical granular flow with obstacles in a confined channel generates shock waves characterised by a nearly parabolic front of agitated grains in the outer region and a heap of static grains in the inner region. The inner static heap results from granular collapse due to high volume fraction and enhanced collision rate near the obstacle. The present work reports interesting flow structures when granular shock waves are formed on an array of three identical triangular obstacles placed in a rectangular channel at different spacings. It is observed that spacing has a profound influence, resulting in three types of flow structures. Through dimensional analysis, it is found that the normalised shock stand-off distance primarily depends on the Froude number, $Fr$, and the normalised spacing between the wedges. The experimental data show a strong dependence on these parameters. The normalised shock stand-off distance decreases linearly for small $Fr$ and asymptotically approaches a small value at high $Fr$. The presence of a new stagnant dome-like structure results in a non-intuitive behaviour of shock stand-off with the wedge spacing. These features are discussed in detail using high-resolution shadowgraphy and the velocity field from particle image velocimetry.

Numerical simulation based on the discrete element method (DEM) is used to investigate the flow field generated when a cylindrical obstacle is placed in a supersonic granular stream. Robust validation of the simulation model is performed by comparing numerical results with experiments. Experiments are performed using a two-dimensional set-up generating rapid granular flow owing to gravity. DEM simulations demonstrate that a rapid gas-like stream of grains suddenly decelerates across the shock wave and finally collapses into a slow-moving heap at the cylinder. The volume fraction suddenly increases across the shock layer and remains constant thereafter. The flow physics of the shock wave and the granular heap is elucidated through fundamental fluid dynamic quantities such as the velocity, volume fraction, pressure and granular temperature. It is shown that the interaction of grains with a cylindrical obstacle results in the generation of pressure, which is responsible for sustaining static granular heaps on the cylinder. The total pressure is resolved into collisional and streaming components. A streaming pressure is generated owing to velocity fluctuations, and is found to be significant only in the shock wave region. The observations show that the rheological complexity offered by granular shock waves is a direct manifestation of the dissipative and frictional nature of granular collisions. The new insight into the granular heaps could be relevant to a variety of applications involving granular-fluid–solid interactions.

Granular flows are highly dissipative due to frictional resistance and inelasticity in collisions among grains. They are known to exhibit shock waves at velocities that are easily achieved in industrial and nature-driven flows such as avalanches and landslides. This experimental work investigates the formation of strong shock waves on triangular obstacles placed in a dry rapid granular stream in a confined two-dimensional set-up. Oblique attached shock waves are formed for mild turning angles and higher flow velocities, whereas strong bow shock waves are formed for higher turning angles and slower granular streams. A shadowgraph imaging technique elucidates interesting characteristics of the shock waves, especially in the vicinity of shock detachment. Velocity distributions in the form of scatter plots and probability distribution functions are calculated from the flow field data obtained by particle imaging velocimetry. The flow field around the granular shock wave region represents a bimodal distribution of velocities with two distinct peaks, one representing the supersonic flow within the free stream, and the other corresponding to the subsonic faction downstream of a shock wave. Connecting the two is a population that does not directly belong to either of the modes, constituting the non-equilibrium shock wave region. The effect of grain size and scaling, for fixed free-stream conditions and fixed channel width, on the shock detachment is presented. The mechanisms of the static heap formation and the shock detachment process in a confined environment are discussed.

This paper presents a comprehensive review of symmetrically shaped antennas in terms of antenna size, dielectric materials, resonating band, peak gain, radiation pattern, simulating tools, and their applications. In this article, flower shape, leaf shape, tree shape, fan shape, Pi shape, butterfly shape, bat shape, wearable, multiband, monopole, and fractal antennas are discussed. Further, a survey of previously reported bandwidth enhancement techniques of microstrip patch antenna like introduction of thick and lower permittivity substrate, multilayer substrate, parasitic elements, slots and notches, shorting wall, shorting pin, defected ground structure, metamaterial-based split ring resonator structure, fractal geometry, and composite right-hand/left-handed transmission line approach is presented. The physics of these techniques has been discussed in detail which is supported by circuit theory model approach.