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Amphibole-rich cumulates provide crucial information pertaining to the petrogenetic history of suprasubduction zone ophiolites and are, therefore, helpful in constraining the evolution and closure of the Neo-Tethys during the late Cretaceous to the early Tertiary period. Following this, the present contribution examines the meta-hornblendite and meta-hornblende-gabbro lithologies in the Mayudia ophiolite complex (MdOC), NE Himalaya, based on their field and petrographic relations, constituent mineral compositions, whole rock major and trace element chemistry and bulk strontium (Sr)—neodymium (Nd) isotope systematics. MdOC cumulates potentially represent the fossilized record of an island arc root, where amphibole + titanite + magnetite was fractionally crystallized from a super hydrous magma (10.56–13.61 wt.% melt water content) prior to plagioclase in a stable physico-chemical condition (T: 865–940 °C, P: 0.8–1.4 GPa, logfO2: −8.59–−11.19 unit) at lower crustal depths (30–38 km). Such extreme hydrous nature in the parental magma was generated by the flux melting of the sub-arc mantle wedge with aqueous inputs from the dehydrating slab. A super hydrous magmatic reservoir was, therefore, extant at sub-arc mantle depths in the eastern Neo-Tethys, which has likely modulated the composition of the oceanic crust during intraoceanic subduction.

Hypertension is a significant public health concern globally and in India, contributing substantially to the burden of cardiovascular diseases. Early detection through appropriate screening practices is critical to mitigating its long-term impact. However, there is limited evidence on age-specific screening practices for hypertension in the Indian population. This study aims to assess hypertension screening practices across different age groups and identify associated socio-demographic, behavioral, and physiological factors to inform effective public health strategies. A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the fifth National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), which included 1,01,839 men and 7,24,115 women aged 15 years and above. Hypertension was defined based on systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥90 mmHg. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze associations between hypertension and various socio-demographic and behavioral factors. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis determined the optimal age for initiating hypertension screening. The prevalence of hypertension increased linearly with age, with a significant rise observed in the 35-39 years age group. Factors significantly associated with hypertension included marital status, religion, education, wealth index, alcohol consumption, and waist-hip ratio. ROC analysis identified 35 years as the optimal age for initiating routine hypertension screening in both men and women. Screening in this age group showed balanced sensitivity and specificity for early detection of hypertension. This study highlights the need to revise hypertension screening policies in India, recommending initiation at 35 years to improve early detection and management. Addressing socio-demographic and lifestyle determinants through targeted interventions is critical to achieving national hypertension control goals.

The existence of plate tectonics on the Earth is directly dependent on the internal viscosity contrast, mass of the planet, availability of liquid water and an internal heat source. However, the initial conditions of rotational velocity and revolutionary periodicity of the Earth around the Sun too must have been significant for the inception of plate tectonics. The initial orbital conditions of the Earth were significantly influenced by the diametrical processes of core segregation and Moon formation and that had probably led to the eventuality of initiation and persistence of plate tectonics. The change in the orbital conditions could have rendered the Earth to evolve in a near-linear trend so that the rotational periodicity of the planet (TP) could approach the time taken for the planet to travel one degree in its orbit around the Sun (T1degree), that is TP ~ T1degree. Such an optimal condition for the rotational and revolutionary periodicities could be essential for the development of plate tectonics on the Earth. This hypothesis has direct implications on the possibility of plate tectonics and life in extrasolar planets and potentially habitable solar planetary bodies such as Europa and Mars.

Mirex, a toxic chlorocarbon, entered the Lake Ontario ecosystem due to industrial activities along the Niagara and Oswego rivers, the two main tributaries of the lake. These rivers were the major sources of mirex to the lake. Trace or undetectable amounts of photomirex were seen in sediments taken from the Oswego and Niagara Rivers which contained high concentrations of mirex (0.33-87.0 ppb). The photomirex to mirex (P/M) ratios in the water and sediment samples taken from the lake and the St. Lawrence River were higher than the ratios seen in the mirex source sediments. Highest P/M ratios were seen in water samples taken from the lake and St. Lawrence River, followed by ratios in the St. Lawrence and Lake Ontario sediments in that order. Laboratory studies showed that mirex dissolved in distilled water and exposed to sunlight degraded to photomirex. Presence of humic acids increased the rate of degradation. The photochemical action spectra of mirex in distilled water, Lake Ontario water and water containing humic acids were determined by exposing mirex dissolved in these waters to specific wavelengths of incident light (250-700 nm) of known intensities. The photochemical action spectrum of mirex indicates that there are electronic interactions between mirex and dissolved organic matter. The laboratory studies of mirex photolysis were extrapolated to predict P/M ratios in Lake Ontario which showed that photolysis of mirex in the lake water column is the source of photomirex found in the lake waters.

The transient receptor potential (TRP) superfamily of ion channels in humans comprises voltage-gated, non-selective cation channels expressed both in excitable as well as non-excitable cells. Four TRP channel subunits associate to create functional homo- or heterotetramers that allow the influx of calcium, sodium, and/or potassium. These channels are highly abundant in the brain and kidney and are important mediators of diverse biological functions including thermosensation, vascular tone, flow sensing in the kidney and irritant stimuli sensing. Inherited or acquired dysfunction of TRP channels influences cellular functions and signaling pathways resulting in multifaceted disorders affecting skeletal, renal, cardiovascular, and nervous systems. Studies have demonstrated the involvement of these channels in the generation and transduction of pain. Based on the multifaceted role orchestrated by these TRP channels, modulation of the activity of these channels presents an important strategy to influence cellular function by regulating intracellular calcium levels as well as membrane excitability. Therefore, there has been a remarkable pharmaceutical inclination toward TRP channels as therapeutic interventions. Several candidate drugs influencing the activity of these channels are already in the clinical trials pipeline. The present review encompasses the current understanding of TRP channels and TRP modulators in pain and pain management.

Chronic activation of stress hormones such as glucocorticoids leads to skeletal muscle wasting in mammals. However, the molecular events that mediate glucocorticoid-induced muscle wasting are not well understood. Here, we show that SIRT6, a chromatin-associated deacetylase indirectly regulates glucocorticoid-induced muscle wasting by modulating IGF/PI3K/AKT signaling. Our results show that SIRT6 levels are increased during glucocorticoid-induced reduction of myotube size and during skeletal muscle atrophy in mice. Notably, overexpression of SIRT6 spontaneously decreases the size of primary myotubes in a cell-autonomous manner. On the other hand, SIRT6 depletion increases the diameter of myotubes and protects them against glucocorticoid-induced reduction in myotube size, which is associated with enhanced protein synthesis and repression of atrogenes. In line with this, we find that muscle-specific SIRT6 deficient mice are resistant to glucocorticoid-induced muscle wasting. Mechanistically, we find that SIRT6 deficiency hyperactivates IGF/PI3K/AKT signaling through c-Jun transcription factor-mediated increase in IGF2 expression. The increased activation, in turn, leads to nuclear exclusion and transcriptional repression of the FoxO transcription factor, a key activator of muscle atrophy. Further, we find that pharmacological inhibition of SIRT6 protects against glucocorticoid-induced muscle wasting in mice by regulating IGF/PI3K/AKT signaling implicating the role of SIRT6 in glucocorticoid-induced muscle atrophy. Chronic stress induces skeletal muscle atrophy via upregulation of glucocorticoid levels. Here, the authors show that SIRT6 transcriptionally regulates glucocorticoid-induced muscle atrophy by modulating IGF/PI3K/AKT signalling.

Purpose: Pterygium is a fibrovascular disease that originates in the conjunctiva and commonly spreads to the corneal surface, thereby posing a threat to eyesight. Despite intensive research, the pathophysiology of this disease remains unclear. Recent research suggests that oncogenic viruses, such as human papillomavirus (HPV), cytomegalovirus, and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), may play a role in pterygia development. Although there are questions concerning the function of oncogenic viruses in pterygium pathogenesis, existing research shows a lack of consensus on the subject, demonstrating the heterogeneity of pterygium pathophysiology. Therefore, we aimed to simultaneously detect the three common viral pathogens that have been reported in pterygium tissue obtained after excision. Methods: Thirty-five tissue specimens of pterygium from patients undergoing pterygium surgery (as cases) were analyzed for evidence of viral infection with multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and virus-specific real-time quantitative PCR was used for the samples that were detected positive by multiplex PCR. Results: Of the 35 patients, one sample was positive for EBV and two samples were positive for HPV. Further PCR-based DNA sequencing of the HPV PCR-positive product showed identity with HPV-16. Real-time quantitative PCR on samples that showed EBV or HPV positivity did not yield any detectable copy number. Conclusion: Our study results confirmed that PCR positivity could be due to transient flora, but it was not quantitatively significant to conclude as the causative factor of pterygium pathogenesis. However, additional studies with larger sample populations are warranted to fully determine the role of the virus in pterygium.

Helicoverpa are important polyphagous agricultural insect pests and they have a worldwide distribution. In this study, we report the bacterial community structure in the midgut of fifth instar larvae of Helicoverpa armigera, a species prevalent in the India, China, South Asia, South East Asia, Southern & Eastern Africa and Australia. Using culturable techniques, we isolated and identified members of Bacillus firmus, Bacillus niabense, Paenibacillus jamilae, Cellulomonas variformis, Acinetobacter schindleri, Micrococcus yunnanesis, Enterobacter sp., and Enterococcus cassiliflavus in insect samples collected from host plants grown in different parts of India. Besides these the presence of Sphingomonas, Ralstonia, Delftia, Paracoccus and Bacteriodetes was determined by culture independent molecular analysis. We found that Enterobacter and Enterococcus were universally present in all our Helicoverpa samples collected from different crops and in different parts of India. The bacterial diversity varied greatly among insects that were from different host plants than those from the same host plant of different locations. This result suggested that the type of host plant greatly influences the midgut bacterial diversity of H. armigera, more than the location of the host plant. On further analyzing the leaf from which the larva was collected, it was found that the H. armigera midgut bacterial community was similar to that of the leaf phyllosphere. This finding indicates that the bacterial flora of the larval midgut is influenced by the leaf surface bacterial community of the crop on which it feeds. Additionally, we found that laboratory made media or the artificial diet is a poor bacterial source for these insects compared to a natural diet of crop plant.

Robust and accurate building energy load forecasting is important for helping building managers and utilities to plan, budget, and strategize energy resources in advance. With recent prevalent adoption of smart-meters in buildings, a significant amount of building energy consumption data became available. Many studies have developed physics-based white box models and data-driven black box models to predict building energy consumption; however, they require extensive prior knowledge about building system, need a large set of training data, or lack robustness to different forecasting scenarios. In this paper, we introduce a new building energy forecasting method based on Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) that incorporates physical insights about load data characteristics to improve accuracy while reducing training requirements. The GPR is a non-parametric regression method that models the data as a joint Gaussian distribution with mean and covariance functions and forecast using the Bayesian updating. We model the covariance function of the GPR to reflect the data patterns in different forecasting horizon scenarios, as prior knowledge. Our method takes advantage of the modeling flexibility and computational efficiency of the GPR while benefiting from the physical insights to further improve the training efficiency and accuracy. We evaluate our method with three field datasets from two university campuses (Carnegie Mellon University and Stanford University) for both short- and long-term load forecasting. The results show that our method performs more accurately, especially when the training dataset is small, compared to other state-of-the-art forecasting models (up to 2.95 times smaller prediction error).

Healthcare is one of the emerging application fields in the Internet of Things (IoT). Stress is a heightened psycho-physiological condition of the human that occurs in response to major objects or events. Stress factors are environmental elements that lead to stress. A person’s emotional well-being can be negatively impacted by long-term exposure to several stresses affecting at the same time, which can cause chronic health issues. To avoid strain problems, it is vital to recognize them in their early stages, which can only be done through regular stress monitoring. Wearable gadgets offer constant and real information collecting, which aids in experiencing an increase. An investigation of stress discovery using detecting devices and deep learning-based is implemented in this work. This proposed work investigates stress detection techniques that are utilized with detecting hardware, for example, electroencephalography (EEG), photoplethysmography (PPG), and the Galvanic skin reaction (GSR) as well as in various conditions including traveling and learning. A genetic algorithm is utilized to separate the features, and the ECNN-LSTM is utilized to classify the given information by utilizing the DEAP dataset. Before that, preprocessing strategies are proposed for eliminating artifacts in the signal. Then, the stress that is beyond the threshold value is reached the emergency/alert state; in that case, an expert who predicts the mental stress sends the report to the patient/doctor through the Internet. Finally, the performance is evaluated and compared with the traditional approaches in terms of accuracy, f1-score, precision, and recall.