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Micropollutants, such as heavy metals and pesticides, inhibit microbial growth, threatening ecosystems. Yet, the mechanism behind mycoremediation of the pesticide lindane and multiple metals (Cd, Total Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn) remains poorly understood. In our study, we investigated cellular responses in Aspergillus fumigatus PD-18 using LC-MS/MS, identifying 2190 proteins, 1147 of which were consistently present under both stress conditions. Specifically, Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase and heat shock proteins were up-regulated to counter oxidative stress and protein misfolding. Proteins involved in intracellular trafficking, secretion, and vesicular transport; RNA processing and modification showed enhanced abundance and regulating stress response pathways. Additionally, haloalkane dehalogenase and homogentisate 1,2-dioxygenase played pivotal roles in lindane mineralization. Bioinformatics analysis highlighted enriched pathways such as Glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism and Purine metabolism, that are crucial for combating adverse environments. We identified the hub protein 26 S proteasome regulatory subunit complex as potential biomarker and remedial targets for mycoremediation of wastewater, suggesting practical applications for environmental remediation.

The diverse populations reportedly suffer from obesity on a global scale, and inconclusive evidence has indicated that both environmental and genetic factors are associated with obesity development. Therefore, a need exists to examine potential therapeutic or prophylactic molecules for obesity treatment. Prebiotics with non-digestible oligosaccharides (NDOs) have the potential to treat obesity. A limited number of prebiotic NDOs have demonstrated their ability as a convincing therapeutic solution to encounter obesity through various mechanisms, viz .,  stimulating beneficial microorganisms, reducing the population of pathogenic microorganisms, and also improving lipid metabolism and glucose homeostasis. NDOs include pectic-oligosaccharides, fructo-oligosaccharides, xylo-oligosaccharides, isomalto-oligosaccharides, manno-oligosaccharides and other oligosaccharides which significantly influence the overall human health by different mechanisms. This review provides the treatment of obesity benefits by incorporating these prebiotic NDOs, according to established scientific research, which shows their good effects extend beyond the colon.

Access to quality primary education is a major concern in India. Despite of having reasonable infrastructure, issues of teacher absenteeism, poor accountability of teachers, ineffective teaching learning materials and inadequate teaching procedures are still the prevailing causes for poor educational quality in lower tier schools. Though private schools with their high-end infrastructures have tried to establish their domination in imparting quality learning, the latter continue to remain a distant dream for the underprivileged students. Studies have revealed that Internet-enabled, Web 2.0 based blended learning environments can stimulate student engagement, motivation, and learning. However ICT-based supports in Indian schools are provided either mostly to those who can afford it, or as sporadic government experiments which are either discontinued or undervalued. In this context, the paper presents an Internet-enabled blended-learning platform, which combine traditional models of classroom interactions with synchronous e-learning, facilitated by expert online teachers with digital audio-visual contents. The pilot study conducted using proposed blended learning platform proves that it is possible to provide quality education to underprivileged school students. The findings indicate that blended learning platforms in classroom settings, along with quality digital content, expert online teachers and on-site teaching assistants as class coordinator creates a learning environment that can improve learning achievements and well-being of students drastically, irrespective of their socioeconomic status.

The present study assessed the quality of Yamuna River and the Najafgarh drain water for irrigational purposes in the Delhi region in terms of spatial variations in the physicochemical characteristics as well as heavy metal concentrations. The monitoring was done for the period July 2012–August 2013 representing pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon sessions and considering six physicochemical parameters. Heavy metals such as cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, zinc, and lead have been found in the river due to rampant discharge of industrial effluents into the river. The mean metal concentrations in the 15 sampling sites were in the range of (mg L⁻¹) 0.02–0.64 (Cu), 0–0.42 (Cr), 0.13–2.22(Zn), 0.03–0.27 (Pb), 0–0.07 (Cd), and 0.01–0.13 (Ni). Multivariate statistics (PCA and HCA) were used to identify the possible sources of metal contamination and to examine the spatial changes in the Yamuna River as well as in the Najafgarh drain. This study reveals the occurrence of mean Cd concentration above the safe limit at Palla, Christian Ashram and Jagatpur of the Yamuna river while Punjabi Bagh of the Najafgarh drain necessitate treatment in terms of heavy metals such as Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn before it could be rendered useful for irrigation.

Massaro et al. (2015) stated that there have been limited international comparisons and studies of knowledge management (KM) in the public sector. In addition, in spite of the importance of KM in renewal processes, creating a KM culture in the public sector is more challenging than in the private sector (Edge, 2005). When it comes to the public sector, a large amount of scepticism is prevalent in regards to the capacity for innovating public policies, organisations and services (Sprensen and Torfing, 2012). Supporters of the status quo are often intransigent in the face of change, while the general public, who are used to a certain way of doing things, can be resistant (Balogun et al., 2015). Political interests can also influence vision and targets within the community, which could limit the capacity for knowledge innovation in the public sector (Amayah, 2013). The potential benefits of innovation networks for organisations are that they can help reduce the cost of exploring and testing new innovative processes and products in ways that were previously unexplored, due to the inaccessibility of knowledge from other fields (Levén et al. 2014). Thus, interacting with other organisations and extending beyond the organisation's own field of operation could enable better innovation in terms of a wider range of knowledge, generated by a diverse network. As a result, this paper consists of primary research conducted on non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in two countries. Firstly, it will identify the knowledge enablers that are key to managing knowledge produced in the NGOs. Secondly, the paper seeks to provide a benchmark study to enable networks for innovation in managing knowledge. There are currently only 15 articles that provide international comparisons about KM (Massaro et al, 2015) and this paper aims to fill this gap in the literature.

Social knowledge management can be defined as a knowledge management framework that allows us to create and modify content collaboratively using social media and web 2.0 technologies. Another definition of social knowledge management is the management of social knowledge -- where the aim is more towards social development -- not only promoting competitive advantages for companies. This paper combines both the aspects of social knowledge management to address the challenges faced by the contemporary societies to impart \"education for all\" and to ensure delivery of holistic education for underprivileged children. To achieve this, the authors' paper proposes a framework for a social media based social knowledge management platform that captures and disseminates informal wisdom of the elderly for teaching underprivileged children online using synchronous mode of distance learning. Their aim is to mobilize this heterogeneous social knowledge resource, activated through social engagement of senior citizens with children through OwlishOracle.

The study is a predictive model for exploring the adoption factors of green practices and the influence of green culture (GC) as a mediator in West Bengal service sector MSMEs. The study used partial least square structural equation modelling (PLSSEM) to assess an integrated framework using Technological-OrganisationalEnvironmental theory, Innovation Diffusion Theory, Upper Echelon theory, and the influence of GC as a mediator. The technological, organisational, and environmental dimensions influencing the top management initiative (TMI) to implement the green practices and influence of GC as a mediator of TMI and green practices adoption (GPA)were assessed. Test result indicated that the technological and organisational factors which are compatibility (COM) and skilled workforce (SW) respectively, significantly impact the GPA while the organisational factor-government regulation (GR) was found to be non-significant for GPA. Test result also indicated that GC partially mediates between TMI and GPA. Keywords: Green practices, green culture, Technological Innovation, top management initiative, sustainability.

Alternaria blight is a devastating disease that causes significant crop losses in oilseed Brassicas every year. Adoption of conventional breeding to generate disease-resistant varieties has so far been unsuccessful due to the lack of suitable resistant source germplasms of cultivated Brassica spp. A thorough understanding of the molecular basis of resistance, as well as the identification of defense-related genes involved in resistance responses in closely related wild germplasms, would substantially aid in disease management. In the current study, a comparative transcriptome profiling was performed using Illumina based RNA-seq to detect differentially expressed genes (DEGs) specifically modulated in response to Alternaria brassicicola infection in resistant Sinapis alba , a close relative of Brassicas, and the highly susceptible Brassica rapa . The analysis revealed that, at 48 hpi (hours post inoculation), 3396 genes were upregulated and 23239 were downregulated, whereas at 72 hpi, 4023 genes were upregulated and 21116 were downregulated. Furthermore, a large number of defense response genes were detected to be specifically regulated as a result of Alternaria infection. The transcriptome data was validated using qPCR-based expression profiling for selected defense-related DEGs, that revealed significantly higher fold change in gene expression in S. alba when compared to B. rapa . Expression of most of the selected genes was elevated across all the time points under study with significantly higher expression towards the later time point of 72 hpi in the resistant germplasm. S. alba activates a stronger defense response reaction against the disease by deploying an array of genes and transcription factors involved in a wide range of biological processes such as pathogen recognition, signal transduction, cell wall modification, antioxidation, transcription regulation, etc. Overall, the study provides new insights on resistance of S. alba against A. brassicicola , which will aid in devising strategies for breeding resistant varieties of oilseed Brassica.

Purpose The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the novel Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has put the world in a medical crisis for the past three years; nearly 6.3 million lives have been diminished due to the virus outbreak. This review aims to update the recent findings on COVID-19 infections from an epigenetic scenario and develop future perspectives of epi-drugs to treat the disease. Methods Original research articles and review studies related to COVID-19 were searched and analyzed from the Google Scholar/PubMed/Medline databases mainly between 2019 and 2022 to brief the recent work. Results Numerous in-depth studies of the mechanisms used by SARS-CoV-2 have been going on to minimize the consequences of the viral outburst. Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 receptors and Transmembrane serine protease 2 facilitate viral entry to the host cells. Upon internalization, it uses the host machinery to replicate viral copies and alter the downstream regulation of the normal cells, causing infection-related morbidities and mortalities. In addition, several epigenetic regulations such as DNA methylation, acetylation, histone modifications, microRNA, and other factors (age, sex, etc.) are responsible for the regulations of viral entry, its immune evasion, and cytokine responses also play a major modulatory role in COVID-19 severity, which has been discussed in detail in this review. Conclusion Findings of epigenetic regulation of viral pathogenicity open a new window for epi-drugs as a possible therapeutical approach against COVID-19.

Multivesicular bodies (MVBs) are vesicles of endosomal origin containing intraluminal vesicles, which upon fusion with plasma membrane, secrete exosomes. They play a significant role in the physiology and pathology of type‐2 diabetes (T2D) due to disrupted intercellular communication. The role of MVBs and their influence on insulin secretory granules (ISGs) of β‐cells or their characterization is yet to be uncovered. In our study, we compared MVBs to largely well‐characterized ISGs in β‐cells. This study compares the density, localization, and exocytosis of CD63+ compartments (CD63+c) with NPY labelled ISGs (NISGs) in β‐cells. For this, tetraspanin CD63 was exploited to majorly label MVBs in β‐cells. These labels preserve the structural integrity of labelled compartments and mostly do not localize with other endo‐lysosomal compartments. This study showed that the β‐cells have a significantly higher density of NISGs than CD63+c. CD63+c and NISGs are spatially localized apart within β‐cells. The proteins that localize with CD63+c are different from the ones that localize with NISGs. Exocytosis of NISGs occurs at the periphery of the β‐cells and takes significantly less time when compared to the release of CD63+c, which is non‐peripheral and takes a longer duration. Mechanistically, the availability of CD63+c for exocytosis was assessed and found that an equilibrium is maintained between docking and undocking states at the plasma membrane. Although there are a high number of short‐term residing, visiting CD63+c at the plasma membrane, the availability of CD63+c for exocytosis is maintained due to docking and undocking states. Further, a significant reduction in the density of NISGs and CD63+c was observed in β‐cells isolated from T2D donors compared to healthy counterparts. Studying the effect of MVBs on insulin secretion in physiological and T2D conditions has huge potential. This study provides a strong basis to open new avenues for such future studies.