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Efficient toll processing is critical for mitigating traffic congestion and enhancing transportation network efficiency at toll stations. This study explores the Neelamangala Toll Plaza on India’s National Highway 48, employing artificial intelligence (AI) to optimize toll operations. The research integrates a Supervised Learning (SL) time series model for traffic prediction and a Reinforcement Learning (RL) framework based on a Markov Decision Process (MDP), coupled with a randomized algorithm for equitable task distribution. These AI-driven models dynamically adapt to real-time traffic conditions, preventing peak-hour system overload. Key performance metrics—Average Processing Time (APT), Queue Length Reduction (QLR), and Throughput (TP) were used to evaluate the system. Research also demonstrates the model’s superior performance in handling high traffic volumes and reducing congestion. The study underscores the potential of integrating AI and randomized algorithms in modern toll management, offering a scalable and adaptive solution for sustainable transportation infrastructure.

Hydatid disease (HD) is a parasitic disease, most frequently caused by Echinococcus granulosus or Echinococcus multilocularis and rarely by Echinococcus vogeli or Echinococcus oligarthus. Mostly, hydatid cyst is primarily in liver (75%) and lung (15%). Peritoneal HD (13%) is usually secondary. Dissemination of HD may occur following rupture of the hydatid cyst into the peritoneal cavity. Primary peritoneal hydatid cyst disease is a rare phenomenon. We present a case of primary disseminated abdominal HD presenting with the complaint of a pain in the epigastric region along with intermittent fever. Radiological evaluation and serological examination confirmed it as primary disseminated HD involving pancreas, a cyst anterior to the left lobe of the liver just below the peritoneum and the left kidney.

Hydatid disease (HD) is a parasitic disease, most frequently caused by Echinococcus granulosus or Echinococcus multilocularis and rarely by Echinococcus vogeli or Echinococcus oligarthus. Mostly, hydatid cyst is primarily in liver (75%) and lung (15%). Peritoneal HD (13%) is usually secondary. Dissemination of HD may occur following rupture of the hydatid cyst into the peritoneal cavity. Primary peritoneal hydatid cyst disease is a rare phenomenon. We present a case of primary disseminated abdominal HD presenting with the complaint of a pain in the epigastric region along with intermittent fever. Radiological evaluation and serological examination confirmed it as primary disseminated HD involving pancreas, a cyst anterior to the left lobe of the liver just below the peritoneum and the left kidney.

Beyond the most crucial roles of RNA molecules as a messenger, ribosomal, and transfer RNAs, the regulatory role of many non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) in plant biology has been recognized. ncRNAs act as riboregulators by recognizing specific nucleic acid targets through homologous sequence interactions to regulate plant growth, development, and stress responses. Regulatory ncRNAs, ranging from small to long ncRNAs (lncRNAs), exert their control over a vast array of biological processes. Based on the mode of biogenesis and their function, ncRNAs evolved into different forms that include microRNAs (miRNAs), small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), miRNA variants (isomiRs), lncRNAs, circular RNAs (circRNAs), and derived ncRNAs. This article explains the different classes of ncRNAs and their role in plant development and stress responses. Furthermore, the applications of regulatory ncRNAs in crop improvement, targeting agriculturally important traits, have been discussed.

Mounting evidence suggests that long-term aluminum exposure results in severe toxic effects, including neurobehavioral and neurochemical anomalies. The present study was performed to examine the neuroprotective potential of hesperidin and silibinin against aluminum chloride (AlCl₃)-induced neurotoxicity in mice. AlCl₃ (100 mg/kg/day) was injected daily through oral gavage for 42 days. Concomitantly, hesperidin (50 and 100 mg/kg/day, p.o.) and silibinin (100 and 200 mg/kg/day, p.o.) was administered for 42 days in different groups. The extent of cognitive impairment was assessed by Morris water maze and novel object recognition test on the 43rd day. Neurotoxicity was assessed by measuring oxido-nitrosative stress and proinflammatory cytokines in the hippocampus of mice. Six weeks treatment with AlCl₃ caused cognitive impairment as indicated by an increase in the retention latency time and reduction in the percentage of recognition index. AlCl₃-treated group showed oxido-nitrosative stress as indicated by increase in the level of lipid peroxidation, nitrite and depleted reduced glutathione, catalase activity in the hippocampus. Moreover, the chronic AlCl₃ administration raised the proinflammatory cytokines (interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α) level and increased acetylcholinesterase activity and reduced the BDNF content in the hippocampus of AlCl₃-treated animals. However, chronic treatment with hesperidin and silibinin at higher doses significantly ameliorated the AlCl₃-induced cognitive impairment and hippocampal biochemical anomalies. The present study clearly indicated that hesperidin and silibinin exert neuroprotective effects against AlCl₃-induced cognitive impairment and neurochemical changes. Amelioration of cognitive impairment may be attributed to the impediment of oxido-nitrosative stress and inflammation in the hippocampus.

Wildlife and natural resources constitute an integral part of the ecosystem, whereas human interventions dismantled the living conditions of the wildlife. This is testified in the Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary (DWS) where the habitats of Asian elephants have changed due to human intervention and deforestation over the decades. The present study aimed to assess the elephant habitat suitability in the DWS of Jharkhand state (India) using the geospatial parameters such as forest density, degree of slope, proximity to water bodies, land use land cover, proximity to agricultural land, built-up density, and road density. The analytical hierarchical process technique was utilized to determine habitat preference and selection of relevant factors to categorize criteria. The study revealed that about 6.7% (26.74 km 2 ) of the area is very highly suitable for elephant habitat, while 52.26% (208.49 km 2 ) of the forest area was found highly suitable. The most suitable habitat was identified in the core parts of the forest, while the least suitable areas were found in the southern part, where the presence of roads, built-up, and agricultural land was prominent. It was also observed that most human–elephant conflicts were exhibited in the low and very low suitable areas, while 90% of the elephant movement was witnessed in the high and very high suitable areas. Among the four identified corridors, three are inactive, and their location corresponds with low to very low suitable habitats. The study identified the migratory corridor routes inside the sanctuary where effective management is required for the conservation of elephant habitats and minimizing conflicts.

Summary Increasing grain yield is the primary goal of crop improvement, which is globally affected by the low availability of soil phosphate (Pi). Overexpressing Pi transporters to enhance Pi uptake often results in Pi toxicity and growth retardation. Despite advances in genetic engineering, targeting the cis‐regulatory motifs of Pi transporters remains underexplored for understanding plant mechanisms and improving Pi status. Here, we demonstrate that the excision of the transcription inhibitor motif from the promoter of the Pi transporter OsPHO1;2 enhances its expression and increases root‐to‐shoot Pi transport, leading to improved grain yield. Through in silico and DNA‐protein interaction studies, we show the role of the OsWRKY6 transcription factor in negatively regulating OsPHO1;2 expression by binding to the cis‐regulatory element (W‐box) present in its promoter. The oswrky6 knockout lines exhibit higher OsPHO1;2 expression and improved shoot Pi levels. Furthermore, we engineered the OsPHO1;2 promoter to precisely remove the W‐box and enhance OsPHO1;2 expression. Phenotypic and physiological evaluations at the vegetative stage indicate that OsPHO1;2 promoter‐edited (OsPHO1;2:PE) lines have increased shoot length, plant biomass and greater root‐to‐shoot Pi export under both low and normal P conditions. Notably, the 33P uptake assay reveals that OsPHO1;2:PE lines display enhanced root Pi uptake, supported by higher expression of root‐associated Pi transporters (OsPHTs). An extensive agronomic assessment shows that OsPHO1;2:PE lines achieve increased seed and panicle numbers, thereby raising yield without affecting seed quality. Our findings provide valuable insights into the potential of promoter editing to improve Pi use and enhance crop yield.

Powders of (1 − x) Pb(Fe1/2Nb1/2)O3-xPbTiO3 (PFN-PT) with x = 0.00, 0.10, 0.13, 0.15, 0.20, and 0.25 were prepared by the conventional solid-state route. Structure of PFN-PT was tetragonal for x [H33356] 0.10, which indicates that the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) may be between 0 < x < 0.10. The nature of phase transition in PFN-PT changed from diffuse ferroelectric to relaxor ferroelectric to normal ferroelectric on increasing the PT content. The effect of the PT content and sintering temperature on barrier layer formation in the PFN-PT system was studied using complex impedance spectroscopy. With increasing PT content, the possibility of the barrier layer formation decreased while with increasing sintering temperature, the barrier layer formation was promoted.

Powders of (1 − x ) Pb(Fe 1/2 Nb 1/2 )O 3 - x PbTiO 3 (PFN-PT) with x = 0.00, 0.10, 0.13, 0.15, 0.20, and 0.25 were prepared by the conventional solid-state route. Structure of PFN-PT was tetragonal for x [H33356] 0.10, which indicates that the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) may be between 0 < x < 0.10. The nature of phase transition in PFN-PT changed from diffuse ferroelectric to relaxor ferroelectric to normal ferroelectric on increasing the PT content. The effect of the PT content and sintering temperature on barrier layer formation in the PFN-PT system was studied using complex impedance spectroscopy. With increasing PT content, the possibility of the barrier layer formation decreased while with increasing sintering temperature, the barrier layer formation was promoted.

Increasing grain yield is the main aim of crop improvement, which is globally impacted by the low availability of soil phosphate (Pi). Overexpressing Pi transporters for increasing Pi uptake often result in Pi toxicity and growth retardation. Despite advancements in genetic engineering, targeting cis-regulatory motifs of Pi transporters remains underexplored for understanding plant mechanisms and improving Pi status. Here, we demonstrated that the excision of the transcription inhibitor motif from the promoter of Pi transporter, OsPHO1;2, enhanced its expression and increased root-to-shoot Pi transport, leading to improved grain yield. Using, in-silico and DNA-protein interaction studies, we show the role of OsWRKY6 transcription factor in the negative regulation of OsPHO1;2 expression by binding to the cis-regulatory element (W-box) present in its promoter. oswrky6 knockout lines displayed a higher OsPHO1;2 expressions, and improved shoot Pi levels. Further, we engineered the OsPHO1;2 promoter for precisely removing the W-box and enhancing OsPHO1;2 expression. The phenotypic and physiological evaluation at the vegetative stage shows that OsPHO1;2 promoter edited (OsPHO1;2:PE) lines have increased shoot length, plant biomass and more root-shoot Pi export under low and normal P conditions. Notably, the 33Pi uptake assay reveals that OsPHO1;2:PE lines exhibited enhanced root Pi uptake, supported by higher root-associated Pi transporters (OsPHTs) expression. An extensive agronomical assessment revealed that OsPHO1;2:PE lines acquire increased seed and panicle numbers, thereby increasing yield without affecting seed quality. Our findings offer valuable insight into the potential of promoter editing to raise plants with better Pi use and improved crop yield.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.