Dental caries is a polymicrobial infection affecting the dental hard tissues. Excessive carbohydrate intake leads to the accumulation of acid-producing and acid-resistant microorganisms in the oral ...region. It is a biofilm-dependent oral infection with cariogenic pathogens and the most prevalent disease globally. The prevention and control of caries play a vital role in global health management. Periodontal diseases and subgingival plaque etiology are due to the combined action of bacterial invasion and immune reaction, resulting in the devastation of periodontal tissues, culminating in tooth loss. The compact micro colony inhabiting the dental surfaces attaches with secreted polymer, forming a biofilm. Bacterial biofilm impervious to various drugs and chemicals poses a significant challenge in therapeutic scenarios of medical and odonatological infections. The quorum-sensing signaling mechanism in bacteria controls the metabolic and physiologic properties involved in bacterial existence, pathogenesis, and virulence. Hence, studies monitoring the molecular mechanism of quorum sensing and their restricted social interactions will be highly beneficial in the treatment regimen of the modern era. Natural bioactive compounds can be exploited for their medicinal value in combating oro-dental infections. Phytochemicals are promising candidates that could provide novel strategies for fighting infections. The current review highlights the mechanism of quorum sensing, plant products’ effect in controlling quorum sensing, and biofilm-induced dental infections like Periodontitis.
The Jack Rabbit II Special Sonic Anemometer Study (JRII-S), a field project designed to examine the flow and turbulence within a systematically arranged mock-urban environment constructed from CONEX ...shipping containers, is described in detail. The study involved the deployment of 35 sonic anemometers at multiple heights and locations, including a 32 m tall, unobstructed tower located about 115 m outside the building array to document the approach wind flow characteristics. The purpose of this work was to describe the experimental design, analyze the sonic data, and report observed wind flow patterns within the urban canopy in comparison to the approaching boundary layer flow. We show that the flow within the building array follows a tendency towards one of three generalized flow regimes displaying channeling over a wide range of wind speeds, directions, and stabilities. Two or more sonic anemometers positioned only a few meters apart can have vastly different flow patterns that are dictated by the building structures. Within the building array, turbulence values represented by normalized vertical velocity variance (σw2) are at least two to three times greater than that in the approach flow. There is also little evidence that σw2 measured at various heights or locations within the JRII array is a strong function of stability type in contrast to the approach flow. The results reinforce how urban areas create complicated wind patterns, channeling effects, and localized turbulence that can impact the dispersion of an effluent release. These findings can be used to inform the development of improved wind flow algorithms to better characterize pollutant dispersion in fast-response models.
•Jack Rabbit II Special Sonic Anemometer Study is described in detail.•Wind within the mock-urban building array is characterized by three flow regimes.•Turbulence and mixing increase within the array while overall wind speed decreases.•Flow at adjacent sonics varies strongly reinforcing urban dispersion complexity.•Atmospheric stability effects are moderated within the mock-urban array.
Expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam (thermocol waste) is produced at a rate of several million tons annually and poses serious environmental challenges due to its widespread use and lack of ...biodegradability. The present research is to design an effective Malachite Green (MG) dye adsorbent, RBT (Recycled polystyrene (RPS)—Benzophenone-3,3′,4′,4′-Tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPTCDA)) by the chemical modification of RPS with BPTCDA via two-step reactions (namely the Friedel–Crafts followed by amidation reactions). The adsorbent’s characteristics were studied using the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), X-Ray diffraction analysis (XRD), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) techniques. Solution pH, contact duration, initial dye concentration, adsorbent dose, and temperature of the adsorption process were individually optimized. The adsorption is well matched (
R
2
> 0.955) with pseudo second-order kinetics, and Freundlich isotherm was identified as most fitting with research findings. Thermodynamic analysis suggests that the adsorption is spontaneous and endothermic. The probable mechanism behind adsorption was predicted between adsorbent and adsorbate through FT-IR analysis. Finally, MG adsorbed RBT, was converted into 3D printing filaments by the extrusion process. When MG leaching of 3D filaments was evaluated, there was no evidence of MG leaching, which could imply that this approach is an environmentally benign way to remove toxic pollutants as well as reduce landfill polymer waste. Based on the adsorption experiment results, RBT is suitable for the adsorption of MG dye from a water-based medium; also the final product was converted into value-added products.
Graphical Abstract
Pollution risk assessment is an important task for sustainable management of groundwater resources. In this pilot study, we demarcated areas of different pollution vulnerabilities within the ...Vattamalaikarai River Basin (ca.435 km2) of south India using the DRASTIC index and involving the combined geospatial techniques of remote sensing, geographical information system and global positioning system. Seven major hydrogeological factors such as depth to water level, net recharge, aquifer media, soil characteristics, topography, impact of vadose zone and hydraulic conductivity, gathered from well inventory, were considered as variables in this model. Additionally, we took into account the rainfall, geology, digital elevation model (DEM) and borehole lithology data to understand the above variables. Our vulnerability map divided the study area into zones of ‘high’, ‘moderate’ and ‘low’ groundwater pollution risks. Most of the basin is under the moderate pollution risk, and the regions of “high” vulnerabilities are associated with the shallow and permeable aquifer formations. The partial validation of this modelling with respect to the spatial distribution of nitrate in groundwater suggests that studies similar to ours in other regions can provide quick information to decision makers for better groundwater resource management and protection.
The sciences and the humanities are treated as two incompatible discourses and the former enjoys a superior status both within and outside the academic society. This dominance of science as a ...discourse synonymous with knowledge while humanities and its methods are devaluated come from the assumption that scientific domain is a linear progression of facts discovered using a rational methodology. Thus, it’s worthwhile to lay bare the ruptures and the remedial rhetoric that lie behind the façade of ‘objectivity’ and ‘rationality’ in science in order to revise the existing academic framework. My attempt here is to re-articulate the discourse of science as shaped and subject to elements traditionally thought to be extra scientific or even anti-scientific in the positivist notion of science. Drawing from the postpositivist philosophy of science put forth by Michael Polanyi, Thomas Kuhn and Paul Feyerabend which dismisses an objective methodology in science, this paper argues that rhetoric plays a constitutive role in scientific knowledge by making scientific progress possible. By establishing rhetoric rather than methodology as the decisive element in the advancement of science, the boundaries between science and non-science begin to blur.
Organic solvents limit 2 + 2 cycloaddition-retroelectrocyclization (CA-RE) in biological fields. We examined the formation of 1,1,4,4-tetracyanobuta-1,3-dienes (TCBDs) through CA-RE reactions and ...their unusual reactivity to produce N-heterocyclic compounds when the nature of the surfactant and the concentrations were varied in the aqueous phase. An environment in which transient self-assemblies (vesicles) were induced by the substrate and surfactant molecules initiated new reactivity through H
2
O addition on the TCBD, generating the enol form of the intermediate, which results in the formation of the 6,6-dicyano-heteropentafulvene (amidofulvene) compound, while lamellar sheets at higher concentrations favored TCBD generation. Interestingly, the amidofulvene underwent a clean transformation to 6-membered heterocycles that resemble cardiotonic drugs (milrinone, amrinone)
via
keto-enol tautomerism mediated by a polar aprotic solvent, opening up a new avenue for drug discovery. Unlike organic-solvent-mediated CA-RE reactions, the present nanoreactor-mediated approach enabled the selective production of TCBDs as well as new heterocycles using H
2
O as a green solvent. In addition to the widely explored organic electronics/materials, we believe that this study will help to overcome the long-standing limitation of CA-RE reaction applicability in biological fields.
In H
2
O, an ideal CA-RE process was achieved using a transient nanoreactor that stimulates the selective formation of tetracyanobuta-1,3-dienes as well as new heterocycles resembling cardiotonic drug analogues.
In the present studies, the effects of vanadium substitution for 30Li2O–55B2O3-(15-x) ZnO–xV2O5, (0≤x≤7.5) glass system on the physical and optical properties have been investigated. V2O5 can work as ...a conditional glass former and its incorporation into glass yields vanadyl ions (VO2+), which causes considerable change in the structure of glass. The glass composition can be tailored by optimizing the zinc and vanadium content so as to obtain the desirable semiconducting or optical applications. Physical parameters like density, molar volume, molar electro-negativity, oxide electro-negativity, basicity moderating parameters, ionic concentration, and inter-ionic distance are obtained for all the glass compositions. Characterization techniques like X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–Visible and Fourier transforms infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR) are used to yield the structural and optical parameters. Average stretching force constant, network bond/volume and bulk modulus are calculated theoretically and correlated with each other. The Urbach energy as well as optical band gap shows a decreasing trend with decreasing concentration of V2O5 with respect to ZnO content.
•Vanadium substitution affects the physical and optical properties of lithium borate glasses.•FTIR spectra reveal the bands shifting with the decrease in vanadium content.•Average stretching force constant, network bond/volume and bulk modulus are calculated theoretically.•The Urbach energy and optical band gap show a decreasing trend with decreasing concentration of V2O5.
Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the commonest malignancy in the oral cavity. The oral cavity has several subsites. Knowledge of the patterns of disease spread at each subsite with the impact on ...treatment and prognosis provides a deeper understanding of the role of imaging. Information from imaging helps accurate staging, assess resectability, and plan multimodality treatment. Mandibular erosion, posterior soft tissue extent, and perineural spread influence treatment and prognosis in gingival, buccal, and retromolar trigone (RMT) cancers. Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) with multiplanar reformations and bone and soft tissue algorithms provides the highest specificity for bone erosion. Hard palate SCC is optimally imaged with contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to detect perineural spread. In oral tongue and floor of the mouth (FOM) SCC, extrinsic muscle invasion, extension across the midline, extent of posterior and inferior spread, and proximity to the hyoid are issues that impact therapeutic options. Contrast-enhanced MRI is the optimal imaging method for staging the primary due to its superior soft tissue resolution. In oral tongue SCCs with tumour thickness ≤4 mm, elective neck dissection can be avoided. For nodal staging (N-staging), all imaging methods are comparable, but fall short of surgical staging. Sentinel lymph node biopsy has a promising role in N-staging. Positron emission tomography (PET)/integrated PET/CT has no role in evaluating the clinically negative neck. PET/CT has a role in pretreatment evaluation of advanced oral cavity SCC for depicting distant metastases and for mapping nodal extent in the clinically positive neck. Diffusion-weighted MRI, dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI, and CT perfusion have a potential role as baseline pretreatment studies for response assessment to chemoradiation in advanced oral cavity SCC.
Summary
Delayed emptying of the gastric conduit following esophagectomy can be associated with an increased incidence of complications including aspiration pneumonia and anastomotic leak. The aim of ...this systematic review is to evaluate the current modalities of pyloric drainage following esophagectomy and their impact on anastomotic integrity and postoperative morbidity. Medline, Web of Science, Cochrane library, trial registries, and conference proceedings were searched. Five pyloric management strategies following esophagectomy were evaluated: no intervention, botulinum toxin (botox) injection, finger fracture, pyloroplasty, and pyloromyotomy. Outcomes evaluated were hospital mortality, anastomotic leak, pulmonary complications, delayed gastric emptying, and the late complication of bile reflux. Twenty‐five publications comprising 3172 patients were analyzed. Pooled analysis of six comparative studies published after 2000 revealed pyloric drainage to be associated with a nonsignificant trend toward a reduced incidence of anastomotic leak, pulmonary complications, and delayed gastric emptying. Overall, the current level of evidence regarding the merits of individual pyloric drainage strategies remains very poor. There is significant heterogeneity in the definitions of clinical outcomes, in particular delayed gastric emptying, which has prevented meaningful assessment and formulation of consensus regarding the management of the pylorus during esophagectomy. Pyloric drainage procedures showed a non‐significant trend toward fewer anastomotic leaks, pulmonary complications, and reduced gastric stasis when employed following esophagectomy. However, the ideal technique remains unproven suggesting that further collaborative investigations are needed to determine the intervention that will maximize the potential benefits, if any, of pyloric intervention.
Recently, a novel technique for extraction of functional thermally sensitive bioactive components from food has been developed due to its green efficacy (no toxic chemicals) and cost effectiveness. ...Cloud point extraction (CPE) is one of the such best alternative techniques that can be used for extraction of wide range of organic and inorganic components using green surfactants. It is a simple, rapid and inexpensive extraction technique which involves clustering of non-ionic surfactant monomers to form a hydrophobic core (micelle), which then entraps the hydrophobic bioactive compounds within it. CPE can be applied for extraction of bioactives from food processing waste as well as separation and purification of proteins. Besides that, research has received special attention on sample preparation for analysis of food constituents in the last decade. The scope of CPE is very vast in these sectors because of the advantages of CPE over other methods. This review deals with significance of CPE method and their potential green applications in food processing.
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