In the recent article, a reaction-advection-diffusion model of the hepatitis-B virus (HBV) is studied. Existence and uniqueness of the optimal solution for the proposed model in function spaces is ...analyzed. The advection and diffusion terms make the model more generic than the simple model. So, the numerical investigation plays a vital role to understand the behavior of the solutions. To find the existence and uniqueness of the optimal solutions, a closed and convex subset (closed ball) of the Banach space is considered. The explicit estimates regarding the solution of the system for the admissible auxiliary data is computed. On the other hand, for the numerical approximation of the solution, an elegant numerical technique is devised to find the approximate solutions. After constructing the discrete model, some fundamental properties must necessarily be possessed by the proposed numerical scheme. For instance, consistency, stability, and positivity of the solutions. These properties are carefully studied in the current article. To prove the positivity of the proposed scheme, M-matrix theory is used. All the above mentioned properties are verified by sketching the graph via simulations. Furthermore, these plots are helpful to understand the true behavior of the solutions. For this purpose, a fruitful discussion is included about the simulations to justify our results.
Heat waves occur with more regularity and they adversely affect the yield of cool season crops including carrot ( Daucus carota L.). Heat stress influences various biochemical and physiological ...processes including cell membrane permeability. Ion leakage and increase in cell permeability are indicators of cell membrane stability and have been used to evaluate the stress tolerance response in numerous crops and inform plant breeders for improving heat tolerance. No study has been published about the effects of heat stress on cell membrane stability and relative cell injury of carrot. Therefore, the present study was designed to estimate these stress indicators in response to heat stress at the early and late seedling developmental stages of 215 diverse accessions of wild and cultivated carrot germplasm. The article identifies the relationship between early and late stages of seedling tolerance across carrot genotypes and identifies heat-tolerant genotypes for further genetic analysis. Significant genetic variation among these stress indicators was identified with cell membrane stability and relative cell injury ranging from 6.3% to 97.3% and 2.8% to 76.6% at the early seedling stage, respectively; whereas cell membrane stability and relative cell injury ranged from 2.0% to 94.0% and 2.5% to 78.5%, respectively, at the late seedling stage under heat stress. Broad-sense heritability ranged from 0.64 to 0.91 for traits of interest under study, which indicates a relatively strong contribution of genetic factors in phenotypic variation among accessions. Heat tolerance varied widely among both wild and cultivated accessions, but the incidence of tolerance was higher in cultivated carrots than in wild carrots. The cultivated carrot accessions PI 326009 (Uzbekistan), PI 451754 (Netherlands), L2450 (USA), and PI 502654 (Pakistan) were identified as the most heat-tolerant accessions with highest cell membrane stability. This is the first evaluation of cell membrane stability and relative cell injury in response to heat stress during carrot development.
Esterification, a reaction extensively used in chemical processing, is limited by the establishment of kinetic equilibrium,
i.e.
marginally exer/endergonic. The reaction is generally slow with low ...yield making downstream separation cost intensive. A new heterogeneous contacting method for the synthesis of ethyl acetate through fine bubbles tests the hypothesis that reactive distillation can “pull” the reaction nearer to completion, reducing the downstream separation requirements. It achieves a high yield of ethyl acetate, 79.9% in 35 min, as compared with 64% conversion in 350 min using a conventional method. The kinetics of esterification reaction under bubbly flow conditions are studied – entirely different from the conventional bulk model. The alcohol is fed as vapor within the bubbles which means alcohol is always in deficit, providing an opportunity to convert an equilibrium limited reaction to nearly irreversible one. As the bubbles flow upwards, the reaction proceeds at the “skin” of the bubble. If the esterification reaction occurs at or near the microbubble interface, ethanol is in large
excess
in the bubble phase, as acetic acid is well below its boiling point in the liquid phase. By Le Chatelier's principle, the local excess ethanol will
push
the equilibrium towards completion. Similarly, removal of water and ethyl acetate
via
the “dry” bubble
pulls
the equilibrium towards completion.
The COVID-19, caused by a novel coronavirus, was declared as a global pandemic by WHO more than five months ago, and we are still experiencing a state of global emergency. More than 74.30 million ...confirmed cases of the COVID-19 have been reported globally so far, with an average fatality rate of almost 3.0%. Seven different types of coronaviruses had been detected from humans; three of them have resulted in severe outbreaks, i.e., MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2. Phylogenetic analysis of the genomes suggests that the possible occurrence of recombination between SARS-like-CoVs from pangolin and bat might have led to the origin of SARS-CoV-2 and the COVID-19 outbreak.
Coronaviruses are positive-sense, single-stranded RNA viruses and harbour a genome (30 kb) consisting of two terminal untranslated regions and twelve putative functional open reading frames (ORFs), encoding for non-structural and structural proteins. There are sixteen putative non-structural proteins, including proteases, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, helicase, other proteins involved in the transcription and replication of SARS-CoV-2, and four structural proteins, including spike protein (S), envelope (E), membrane (M), and nucleocapsid (N). SARS-CoV-2 infection, with a heavy viral load in the body, destroys the human lungs through cytokine storm, especially in elderly persons and people with immunosuppressed disorders. A number of drugs have been repurposed and employed, but still, no specific antiviral medicine has been approved by the FDA to treat this disease. This review provides a current status of the COVID-19, epidemiology, an overview of phylogeny, mode of action, diagnosis, and possible treatment methods and vaccines.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The laser irradiation effects on surface, structural and mechanical properties of zirconium (Zr) have been investigated. For this purpose, Zr samples were irradiated with Excimer (KrF) laser (
λ
≈ ...248 nm,
τ
≈ 18 ns, repetition rate ≈ 30 Hz). The irradiation was performed under the ambient environment of oxygen gas at filling pressure of 20 torr by varying laser fluences ranging from 3.8 to 5.1 cm
-2
. The surface and structural modification of irradiated targets was investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). In order to explore the mechanical properties of irradiated Zr, the tensile testing and Vickers micro hardness testing techniques were employed. SEM analysis reveals the grain growth on the irradiated Zr surfaces for all fluences. However, the largest sized grains are grown for the lowest fluence of 3.8 J cm
−2
. With increasing fluence from 4.3 to 5.1 J cm
−2
, the compactness and density of grains increase whereas their size decreases. XRD analysis reveals the appearance of new phases of ZrO
2
and Zr
3
O. The variation in the peak intensity is observed to be anomalous whereas decreasing trend in the crystallite size and residual stresses has been observed with increasing fluence. Micro hardness analysis reveals the increasing trend in surface hardness with increasing fluence. The tensile testing exhibits the increasing trend of yield stress (YS), decreasing trend of percentage elongation and anomalous behaviour of ultimate tensile strength with increasing fluence.
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DOBA, EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
•This study focused on the understanding of the permafrost hydrology in the Yangtze River Source Region.•An impermeable layer was introduced within the SWAT model settings to reproduce the permafrost ...conditions.•The model parameters were adjusted to attain the permafrost hydrological characteristics.•In the spring season, surface runoff is mainly contributing to streamflow because of snowmelt the study area.
The Yangtze River Source Region (YaRSR) is located in the third polar region, the most threatened zone by global warming after the Arctic. Permafrost covers eighty percent of the total area of YaRSR, while the rest is seasonally frozen ground. Due to a significant rise in air temperature, degradation of the permafrost could occur. Permafrost coverage in a river basin greatly controls its hydrology. This study focuses on hydrological modeling in this permafrost environment using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). The SWAT model was calibrated (1985–2000) and validated (2001–2015) on a daily time step. The results were also compared on a monthly time scale. An impermeable layer was introduced within the SWAT model to represent the permafrost conditions. The streamflow is strongly dependent on the seasonal variation of precipitation and temperature, and the rising limb of the hydrograph shows the melting of snow, the contribution of soil water, and thawing of permafrost during the spring-summer season. The permafrost layer well restricted the deep percolation of water. During the spring season, streamflow mainly consists of surface runoff because of the frozen soils. Permafrost and frozen ground thawing lead to an increase in the contribution of groundwater flow to streamflow. Ultimately, the frozen ground depletes as the temperature gets close to the freezing point. This study also describes the SWAT model application to better analyze and understand the hydrology of the permafrost/frozen ground with limited data availability.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
A series of 4-hydroxy-N′-1-phenylethylidene-2H/2-methyl, 1,2-benzothiazine-3-carbohydrazide 1,1-dioxides was synthesized from commercially available sodium saccharin. Base catalyzed ring expansion of ...methyl (1,1-dioxido-3-oxo-1,2-benzisothiazol-2(3H)-yl)acetate followed by ultrasound mediated hydrazinolysis and subsequent reaction with 1-phenylethanones under the influence of microwaves yielded the title compounds. Besides, microwave assisted synthesis of 1,4-dihydropyrazolo4,3-c1,2benzothiazin-3-ol 5,5-dioxide and 4-methyl-1,4-dihydropyrazolo4,3-c1,2benzothiazin-3-ol 5,5-dioxide is also discussed. Most of the synthesized compounds were found to possess moderate to significant anti-microbial (anti-bacterial and anti-fungal) activities. It is found that compounds with greater lipophilicity (N-methyl analogues) possessed higher anti-bacterial activities.
Microwave assisted synthesis of a series of biologically active 4-hydroxy-N′-1-phenylethylidene-2H/2-methyl, 1,2-benzothiazine-3-carbohydrazide 1,1-dioxides along with the synthesis of 1,4-dihydropyrazolo4,3-c1,2benzothiazin-3-ol-5,5-dioxide and 4-methyl-1,4-dihydropyrazolo4,3-c1,2benzothiazin-3-ol-5,5-dioxide from commercially available sodium saccharin is reported. Display omitted
► 4-Hydroxy-N′-1-phenylethylidene-2H/2-methyl, 1,2-benzothiazine-3-carbohydrazide 1,1-dioxides. ► 1,4-Dihydropyrazolo4,3-c1,2benzothiazin-3-ol 5,5-dioxide. ► 4-Methyl-1,4-dihydropyrazolo4,3-c1,2benzothiazin-3-ol 5,5-dioxide. ► Anti-fungal and anti-bacterial assay. ► Microwave assisted synthesis.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
In the present work, pristine and transition metal (TM) (W, Ag, Zn)-doped SnO
2
nanocrystals using a facile sol–gel approach were synthesized. The grown products were anchored on graphene oxide (GO) ...sheets via a simple ultrasonication technique to fabricate binary nanocomposites. The structural, optical, and morphological properties of as-synthesized samples were studied by XRD, FTIR, Raman, EDX, UV–Visible, PL, and FE-SEM. The charge transferability of graphene oxide-based samples was investigated by EIS. The XRD exhibited the TM doping in SnO
2
and the development of GO-based nanocomposite. FTIR data evidenced the existence of the metal–oxygen bonds. Raman spectra presented the optical phonon modes of SnO
2
and the existence of oxygen vacancy defects. FE-SEM images demonstrated the anchoring of particles on the GO sheet, and EDX further approved the existence of desired dopants. The integration of SnO
2
with TM doping remarkably reduced optical bandgap (3.65–3.10 eV), which was further decreased (3.10–2.99 eV) by making composite with GO. The photodegradation results exhibited that GO-based nanocomposites have the higher potential to degrade synthetic dyes (methyl red (MR), and methyl orange (MO) and SnZnO
2
/GO have shown superb photocatalytic performance after 80-min sunlight illumination (99.9% MR and 95.0% MO dyes) with the higher rate constant and superior stability up to 6th cycle against MR dye. The grown samples were tested for bacterial disinfection, and SnZnO
2
/GO sample showed a higher zone of inhibition towards
S. aureus
and
K. pneumoniae
bacteria strains. The greater charge transfer rate and lower recombination of charge carriers in GO-based composites were also observed by EIS and PL analysis. Moreover, the present article ascribed that the photocatalytic and antibacterial properties of bare SnO
2
could be improved by TM doping and fabricating their composite with GO.
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CEKLJ, EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis is a rarely occurring condition. Pregnancy and postpartum are both known risk factors for cerebral venous sinus thrombosis. Early detection and treatment are ...critical, as CVST can be potentially life-threatening. Here, we present a case of a patient who developed left transverse and superior sagittal sinus thrombosis 15 days after normal vaginal delivery. The patient presented to the emergency department with complaints of irritability and an altered state of consciousness for two days. The patient also developed seizures extending from the lower limb to the upper body. Laboratory investigations revealed abnormalities in the complete blood count report and urine complete examination. The patient's coagulation profile was totally abnormal, indicating a presence of a thrombus. All the other diagnostic techniques, including Electrocardiogram, Carotid Doppler Scan, and Ultrasound abdomen, revealed no findings. However, Magnetic resonance venography + Magnetic resonance imaging showed partial superior sagittal sinus thrombosis in the anterior and upper parietal regions, right internal jugular vein thrombosis, and left transverse thrombosis with associated left parietal infarcts. The presence of thrombosis in sinuses and jugular vein resulted in seizures, altered state of consciousness, and other associated symptoms. The patient was treated with sodium valproate, heparin, and other medications accordingly. The above-mentioned case was unique due to the involvement of unusual sinuses (transverse sinus) as previous studies have only reported cases of thrombus presence in the superior sagittal sinus. This case study will discuss patient diagnosis and management with Heparin and Diazepam to stop altered state of consciousness and seizures in females.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The present work is focused on preparation, characterization, and antibacterial activity evaluation of graphene oxide/polyethersulfone mixed matrix filtration membranes. Graphene oxide (GO) was ...synthesized via improved Hummer’s method and characterized by XRD, FTIR, and SEM. FT-IR spectra showed the presence of carboxylic acid and hydroxyl groups on GO nanosheets. Different concentrations of the synthesized GO at 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 wt. % were incorporated in polyethersulfone (PES) matrix via phase inversion method to fabricate GO-PES membranes. Increasing porosity and formation of wider, finger-like channels were observed with increased GO concentrations relative to pristine membranes as evident from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs of the fabricated membranes. However, membranes prepared with 1 wt. % GO appear to contain aggregation and narrowing of pore morphology. GO-incorporated membranes demonstrated enhanced flux, water-retaining capacities, and wettability as compared to pristine PES membranes. Shake flask and colony counting methods were employed to carry out antibacterial testing of synthesized GO and fabricated GO-PES membranes against Salmonella typhi (S. typhi)—a gram-negative bacteria present in water that is known as causative agent of typhoid. Synthesized GO showed significant reduction up to 70.8% in S. typhi cell count. In the case of fabricated membranes, variable concentrations of GO are observed to significantly influence the percentage viability of S. typhi, with reduction percentages observed at 41, 60, and 69% for 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 wt. % GO-incorporated membranes relative to 17% in the case of pristine PES membranes. The results indicate a good potential for applying GO/PES composite membranes for water filtration application.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
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