Explore the vast range of titles available.

Stereopsis is the ability to perceive depth through binocular vision. Artificial lighting conditions play a significant role in visual performance, yet their specific effects on stereopsis remain poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the effect of different light sources on stereopsis. Forty young adults with normal binocular vision and stereoacuity better than 40 arcseconds were included. Participants were exposed to four lighting conditions [light-emitting diode (LED), incandescent, sodium vapour, and compact fluorescent lamp (CFL)] with illumination levels set at 400 lux. Stereoacuity was measured using the Randot stereo test under these lighting conditions, with the order of exposure randomised for each participant. The median stereopsis values for CFL and LED lighting were 25 arcseconds, while those for incandescent and sodium vapour lamps were 30 arcseconds. Stereoacuity was significantly worse under sodium vapour and incandescent lighting compared to CFL and LED conditions ( < 0.05). However, the stereopsis values for CFL and LED did not significantly differ from the baseline ( > 0.05). No significant differences were found between the sodium vapour and incandescent lamps ( > 0.05), nor between the CFL and LED lamps ( > 0.05). Sodium vapour and incandescent lighting conditions significantly impair stereopsis, while CFL and LED lighting conditions do not adversely affect stereopsis.

Hillslope elements and land cover types are primarily determining the spatial variability of soils in the hilly and mountainous landscape. Among the soil forming factors, topography strongly influences pedogenic process and governs the variability of soils in hilly and mountainous landscape. This study mainly focusses on characterizing soil quality parameters distribution based on the hillslope elements and soil–landscape units in the watershed. Digital terrain model (DTM)-derived topographic position index was used to delineate various hillslope elements. Land use/land cover map was generated using random forest machine learning technique. Hillslope elements, land use/land cover types and aspects were integrated in GIS environment to generate soil–landscape unit map of the watershed. Soil samples were collected based on various soil–landscape units to characterize soil quality parameters such as total carbon (TC) soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN), aggregate stability (SAS) in the watershed. SOM ranged from 1.6% to 10.05% and higher estimated in shoulder (forest) followed by valley (agriculture) and toe slope (forest). TC and TN contents ranged from 0.93% to 5.84% and 0.11% to 0.38%, respectively. The C:N ratio ranged from 7.96% to 18.31% and high value was found in shoulder (forest) followed by valley (agriculture) and toe slope (forest). SAS under different hillslope elements in the area ranged from 0.0.552 to 0.615 indicating large spatial variation of soil quality parameters. The study indicates that in hilly and mountainous landscape, topography and land cover types have major role in determining soil quality. DTM-based soil–landscape units’ delineation can be helpful to study soil quality variability and can be used to generate soil map for the hilly and mountainous watershed. The significance of this study lies in its potential to make substantial contributions to land use planning, sustainable land management and environmental conservation planning in the challenging and ecologically fragile and sensitive Himalayan region.

During recent decades, bone cancer-related diseases have remained hard to treat because of poor diagnosis, systemic toxicity, and restricted conventional treatments. Hence, the fabrication of functionalised nanoparticles offers a promising alternative by limiting side effects and improving therapeutic outcomes. In this study, zinc-substituted hydroxyapatite (Zn-HA) nanoparticles were fabricated from biogenic tuna fish bone waste via a thermal decomposition method and subsequently functionalised with Catharanthus roseus (CR) flower extract to synthesise a Zn-HA/CR nanocomposite. Structural and compositional characterisations verified Zn ions incorporation into the HA lattice and efficient CR-derived phytochemical functionalisation without altering the hexagonal HA phase. Compared to pure hydroxyapatite, the Zn-HA/CR nanocomposite exhibited improved surface morphology, enhanced swelling behaviour and degradation, and increased microhardness. The nanocomposite demonstrated significantly enhanced antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The Zn-HA/CR nanocomposite also showed strong, dose-dependent antioxidant activity in DPPH assays. Furthermore, in vitro cytotoxicity studies using MG-63 (HOS) osteosarcoma cancer cells revealed that the proposed nanocomposite leads to pronounced morphological alterations and reduced cell viability. The prepared Zn-HA/CR nanocomposite would be a potential nanocomposite for enhanced antioxidant and anticancer activity, which highlights this composite as a multifunctional biomaterial platform for therapeutic applications.

Presence of heavy metals in industrial discharge warrants the adoption of efficient and cost-effective treatment technologies. In this work, lichen Parmotrema tinctorum biomass was utilized as biosorbent for removal of Ni (II) from metal finishing industry effluents. Optimal adsorption was observed at pH 7, stirring speed of 300 rpm, 120 min incubation from independent batch experiments. Adsorption isotherm at optimal conditions followed Langmuir model (R2 > 0.974) with a maximum adsorption capacity of 33.92 mg g−1. Adsorption kinetics could be described with pseudo-first-order model (R2 > 0.98). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of pristine and metal loaded P. tinctorum biomass indicated electrostatics and ionic interaction in the adsorption process. Biosorbent treated water showed no inhibition against agriculturally important microorganisms like Phosphobacter sp. and Azospirillum sp. in microbial toxicity assay. Similarly, biosorbent treated water offered better germination and growth for Vigna radiata than the untreated water in greenhouse phytotoxicity assessment. Though the result suggests detoxification of industrial effluents following P. tinctorum biosorption, reusability of treated wastewater in agricultural practice warrants multi-tiered ecotoxicity assessment, and long-term environmental impact analysis.

Graphene oxide–rhodamine B hydrazide (GO-RhB) nanocomposite was prepared by a simple chemical method and characterized by various spectroscopic and analytical techniques. GO-RhB nanocomposite potentially detects Cr 3+ ion (excitation/emission = 550 nm/572 nm) via fluorescence turn “on–off” approach. This composite showed high binding affinity (10 6  M −1 ) with Cr 3+ and a+ limit of detection (LOD) down to picomolar concentration (LOD = 85.6 pM). As far as we know, this is the first report for the sensing of Cr 3+ ion at picomolar concentration. GO-RhB selectively senses Cr 3+ ion without any interference of other coexisting metal ions. In addition, this composite exhibited the dynamic nature of quenching in the presence of Cr 3+ ion, which is confirmed by the Stern–Volmer plot, fluorescence temperature profiles, and decay time experiments. The GO-RhB nanocomposite-based fluorescent probe was successfully applied to the quantitative detection of Cr 3+ ion in milk sample (linear range = 2 to 10 nM) with better performance than other existing methods. Besides, this GO-RhB composite showed better antibiofilm activity against Acinetobacter baumannii and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) by using the Congo red agar and tube method. Graphical abstract

Most stromal corneal dystrophies are associated with aggregation and deposition of the mutated transforming growth factor-β induced protein (TGFβIp). The 4 th _FAS1 domain of TGFβIp harbors ~80% of the mutations that forms amyloidogenic and non-amyloidogenic aggregates. To understand the mechanism of aggregation and the differences between the amyloidogenic and non-amyloidogenic phenotypes, we expressed the 4 th _FAS1 domains of TGFβIp carrying the mutations R555W (non-amyloidogenic) and H572R (amyloidogenic) along with the wild-type (WT). R555W was more susceptible to acidic pH compared to H572R and displayed varying chemical stabilities with decreasing pH. Thermal denaturation studies at acidic pH showed that while WT did not undergo any conformational transition, the mutants exhibited a clear pH-dependent irreversible conversion from αβ conformation to β-sheet oligomers. The β-oligomers of both mutants were stable at physiological temperature and pH. Electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering studies showed that β-oligomers of H572R were larger compared to R555W. The β-oligomers of both mutants were cytotoxic to primary human corneal stromal fibroblast (pHCSF) cells. The β-oligomers of both mutants exhibit variations in their morphologies, sizes, thermal and chemical stabilities, aggregation patterns and cytotoxicities.

Most stromal corneal dystrophies are associated with aggregation and deposition of the mutated transforming growth factor-β induced protein (TGFβIp). The 4th _FAS1 domain of TGFβIp harbors ~80% of the mutations that forms amyloidogenic and non-amyloidogenic aggregates. To understand the mechanism of aggregation and the differences between the amyloidogenic and non-amyloidogenic phenotypes, we expressed the 4th _FAS1 domains of TGFβIp carrying the mutations R555W (non-amyloidogenic) and H572R (amyloidogenic) along with the wild-type (WT). R555W was more susceptible to acidic pH compared to H572R and displayed varying chemical stabilities with decreasing pH. Thermal denaturation studies at acidic pH showed that while WT did not undergo any conformational transition, the mutants exhibited a clear pH-dependent irreversible conversion from αβ conformation to β-sheet oligomers. The β-oligomers of both mutants were stable at physiological temperature and pH. Electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering studies showed that β-oligomers of H572R were larger compared to R555W. The β-oligomers of both mutants were cytotoxic to primary human corneal stromal fibroblast (pHCSF) cells. The β-oligomers of both mutants exhibit variations in their morphologies, sizes, thermal and chemical stabilities, aggregation patterns and cytotoxicities.