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Exosomes are nanosized (size ~ 30–150 nm) natural vesicular structures released from cells by physiological processes or pathological circumstances. Exosomes are growing in popularity as a result of their many benefits over conventional nanovehicles, including their ability to escape homing in the liver or metabolic destruction and their lack of undesired accumulation before reaching their intended targets. Various therapeutic molecules, including nucleic acids, have been incorporated into exosomes by different techniques, many of which have shown satisfactory performance in various diseases. Surface-modified exosomes are a potentially effective strategy, and it increases the circulation time and produces the specific drug target vehicle. In this comprehensive review, we describe composition exosomes biogenesis and the role of exosomes in intercellular signaling and cell–cell communications, immune responses, cellular homeostasis, autophagy, and infectious diseases. In addition, we discuss the role of exosomes as diagnostic markers, and their therapeutic and clinical implications. Furthermore, we addressed the challenges and outstanding developments in exosome research and discuss future perspectives. In addition to the current status of exosomes as a therapeutic carrier, the lacuna in the clinical development lifecycles along with the possible strategies to fill the lacuna have been addressed.

In this article, an angle-independent wideband metamaterial microwave absorber (MMA) for C (4–8 GHz) and X (8–12 GHz) band frequency is presented. The unit cell of the proposed MMA consists of outer and inner structure associated with lumped resistors. The outer structure consists of rectangular split-ring resonator, whereas the inner structure consists of circular split-ring resonator. The structure is made up of three layers, in which top and bottom layers are made up of copper acting as a conducting material. The middle layer is made up of FR-4 acting as a dielectric substrate. The resonating structure at the top is designed in such a way that wideband absorption is achieved in the range from 6.11 to 13.52 GHz. The wideband absorption within the range approaches almost unity having a bandwidth of 7.41 GHz. Three different peaks are considered in the range of interest having maximum absorption of 0.94, 0.94, and 0.99 at frequencies of 6.76, 11.15, and 13.07 GHz, respectively. The structure is analyzed with respect to the effective parameters, i.e., effective permittivity (${\\varepsilon _{{\\textrm{eff}}}$) and effective permeability (${\\mu _{{\\textrm{eff}}}$), to prove that the structure acts as a metamaterial. Electric field and current distribution are plotted at three different peaks to prove the mechanism of wideband absorption. Normal and oblique incidence are plotted to determine that the structure is behaving as an angle independent. The simulated structure is fabricated on FR-4 substrate and measured inside an anechoic chamber. Finally, to prove the novelty of the work, the proposed structure is compared with the already reported MMA. The proposed MMA finds practical applications in radar cross section reduction, terrestrial communication, keyless entry system, space communication, radar, and baby monitor.

A compact wideband metamaterial absorber (MA) for Ku band applications is presented in this paper. Ku band is a part of a microwave frequency spectrum ranging from 12 to 18 GHz. The proposed MA absorbs incident wave from 11.39 to 20.15 GHz with a bandwidth of 8.76 GHz which fully covers the Ku band. The proposed structure is compact having an overall dimension of 10 mm × 10 mm. The structure is fabricated on the F R 4 substrate and the simulated result is carried using ANSYS HFSS 19.1. The absorption mechanism is illustrated by calculating effective electro magnetic (EM) parameters ( ϵ eff & μ eff ). Current distribution is also plotted in support of absorption mechanism. The structure is also examined at different angles ( 0 0 – 90 0 ) for the oblique and normal incident. The proposed MA is tested inside the Anechoic Chamber and it was found that simulated and measured result is close to each other with variation within the tolerance limit. At last comparison of the proposed MA is done with already reported MA. MA presented in this paper finds applications for satellite communication radar surveillance and other defense applications.

Background Personal identification using partial fingerprints poses a major challenge in forensic investigations. In light of such restrictions, sweat pore characteristics have shown to be a possible alternative. However, limited research has been done on these due to their minute size. The present study was undertaken with the objective of studying the differences in pore frequency, pore shapes (circular and non-circular), and pore positions (middle and periphery) with respect to sex, bimanual, and age in the population of Delhi-NCR (National Capital Region). As there is no universal approach for defining the evaluation area of pore analysis, we used fingerprint patterns to demarcate a 9mm 2 area of analysis. The rolled-inked fingerprints of 200 individuals (100 males and 100 females) belonging to 18-60 years of age were examined using microscopy. Results The obtained data for all prints was analysed and compared with respect to the different variables. The results showed statistically significant bimanual variations for both sexes. In females, all studied pore characteristics except the number of pores at the middle position were significantly higher in the right hand as compared to the left hand. In males, only the number of pores at the peripheral position was significantly higher in the right hand as compared to the left hand. However, no significant differences were observed in pore characteristics between the two sexes and among the different age groups. Moreover, several pore characteristics showed a significant correlation with age in males as compared to females where no significant correlations were observed. Conclusions Significant bimanual variations highlighted the potential application of pore characteristics for forensic practice; wherein a fingerprint examiner might determine the probable hand used for the commission of the crime, thereby strengthening the evidentiary value of partial fingerprints. These findings also suggest that the sex and age of an individual cannot be determined by pore characteristics.

Conventional pre-genomics breeding methodologies have significantly improved crop yields since the mid-twentieth century. Genomics provides breeders with advanced tools for whole-genome study, enabling a direct genotype–phenotype analysis. This shift has led to precise and efficient crop development through genomics-based approaches, including molecular markers, genomic selection, and genome editing. Molecular markers, such as SNPs, are crucial for identifying genomic regions linked to important traits, enhancing breeding accuracy and efficiency. Genomic resources viz. genetic markers, reference genomes, sequence and protein databases, transcriptomes, and gene expression profiles, are vital in plant breeding and aid in the identification of key traits, understanding genetic diversity, assist in genomic mapping, support marker-assisted selection and speeding up breeding programs. Advanced techniques like CRISPR/Cas9 allow precise gene modification, accelerating breeding processes. Key techniques like Genome-Wide Association study (GWAS), Marker-Assisted Selection (MAS), and Genomic Selection (GS) enable precise trait selection and prediction of breeding outcomes, improving crop yield, disease resistance, and stress tolerance. These tools are handy for complex traits influenced by multiple genes and environmental factors. This paper explores new genomic technologies like molecular markers, genomic selection, and genome editing for plant breeding showcasing their impact on developing new plant varieties.

This paper proposes a new meta-heuristic called Jumping Spider Optimization Algorithm (JSOA), inspired by Arachnida Salticidae hunting habits. The proposed algorithm mimics the behavior of spiders in nature and mathematically models its hunting strategies: search, persecution, and jumping skills to get the prey. These strategies provide a fine balance between exploitation and exploration over the solution search space and solve global optimization problems. JSOA is tested with 20 well-known testbench mathematical problems taken from the literature. Further studies include the tuning of a Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller, the Selective harmonic elimination problem, and a few real-world single objective bound-constrained numerical optimization problems taken from CEC 2020. Additionally, the JSOA’s performance is tested against several well-known bio-inspired algorithms taken from the literature. The statistical results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms recent literature algorithms and is capable to solve challenging real-world problems with unknown search space.

Focused assessment with sonography for trauma (FAST) is a valuable tool in managing adult trauma patients but has poor utility in children due to its poor sensitivity. Multiple studies have explored the addition of liver enzymes to improve the diagnostic accuracy of FAST in pediatric blunt abdominal trauma (BAT) patients. A retrospective study at our institute used FAST findings with liver enzymes (F-AST score) to rule out Intra-Abdominal Injury (IAI) in pediatric BAT patients, concluding that normal liver enzymes and a negative FAST scan can effectively rule out IAI. This study aimed to validate the F-AST score (FAST + Aspartate Transaminase) as a screening tool for identifying IAI in pediatric BAT and compared it with the FAST examination. A prospective diagnostic accuracy study was conducted at a single center from August 2020 to April 2022. It included patients under 14 years old with blunt abdominal trauma (BAT) within 8 h of injury who had a positive FAST scan, a dangerous injury mechanism, or clinical signs of intra-abdominal injury (IAI) or peritonitis. Patients in cardiac arrest, needing damage control surgery, or with chronic liver or kidney diseases were excluded. Participants underwent liver enzyme tests (AST) and FAST examinations, followed by a computed tomography (CT) scan. The diagnostic accuracy of the F-AST score was then compared to the CT findings, which served as the gold standard. A total of 125 patients were recruited for the study. FAST was positive in 12.8 % (n = 16) of the patients. FAST alone had a sensitivity of 52.9 % in detecting BAT. Whereas, the F-AST score was found to be 94 % sensitive and 63 % specific in identifying IAI in contrast enhanced CT (CECT) abdomen. The negative predictive value (NPV) increased to 98.6 % and the negative likelihood ratio (NLR) decreased to 0.093 using the F-AST score. The receivers operating characteristics curve (ROC) curve analysis for the F-AST score was found to be excellently accurate (95 % CI:0.754–0.943, p < 0.001). The most common injured organ was found to be the liver (n = 11). The F-AST score, incorporating both FAST findings and AST levels, improves sensitivity and negative predictive value over FAST alone in identifying intra-abdominal injuries. Patients with a F-AST score of zero may be safely observed in the emergency department, potentially avoiding unnecessary CT scans. However, further prospective trials are warranted for validation.

Salinity stress adversely affects plant growth and causes considerable losses in cereal crops. Salinity stress tolerance is a complex phenomenon, imparted by the interaction of compounds involved in various biochemical and physiological processes. Conventional breeding for salt stress tolerance has had limited success. However, the availability of molecular marker-based high-density linkage maps in the last two decades boosted genomics-based quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping and QTL-seq approaches for fine mapping important major QTL for salinity stress tolerance in rice, wheat, and maize. For example, in rice, ‘Saltol’ QTL was successfully introgressed for tolerance to salt stress, particularly at the seedling stage. Transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics also offer opportunities to decipher and understand the molecular basis of stress tolerance. The use of proteomics and metabolomics-based metabolite markers can serve as an efficient selection tool as a substitute for phenotype-based selection. This review covers the molecular mechanisms for salinity stress tolerance, recent progress in mapping and introgressing major gene/QTL (genomics), transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics in major cereals, viz., rice, wheat and maize.

Waste, often overlooked, stands out as a prime source of valuable products, meeting the demand for natural resources. In the face of environmental challenges, this study explores the crucial role of waste‐derived catalysts in sustainable practices, emphasizing the transformative potential of solid waste materials. Carbon‐based catalysts sourced from agricultural, municipal, and industrial waste streams can be transformed into activated carbon, biochar, and hydrochar which are extensively used adsorbents. Furthermore, the paper also highlights the potential of transition metal‐based catalysts derived from spent batteries, electronic waste, and industrial byproducts, showcasing their efficacy in environmental remediation processes. Calcium‐based catalysts originating from food waste, including seashells, eggshells, bones, as well as industrial and construction waste also find an extensive application in biodiesel production, providing a comprehensive overview of their promising role in sustainable and eco‐friendly practices. From mitigating pollutants to recovering valuable resources, waste‐derived catalysts exhibit a versatile role in addressing waste management challenges and promoting resource sustainability. By transforming waste into valuable catalysts, this study champions a paradigm shift towards a more sustainable and resource‐efficient future. Often overlooked, waste is a vital source for valuable products, meeting the demand for resources. This study explores the transformative role of waste‐derived catalysts, emphasizing their sustainability impact. Categories include carbon‐based, calcium‐based, and transition metal‐based waste, serving as reservoirs for diverse catalysts. These catalysts address waste management challenges and promote resource sustainability, signaling a shift towards a more efficient future.

Quantitative trait loci (QTL) for rice grain weight identified using bi-parental populations in various environments were found inconsistent and have a modest role in marker assisted breeding and map-based cloning programs. Thus, the identification of a consistent consensus QTL region across populations is critical to deploy in marker aided breeding programs. Using the QTL meta-analysis technique, we collated rice grain weight QTL information from numerous studies done across populations and in diverse environments to find constitutive QTL for grain weight. Using information from 114 original QTL in meta-analysis, we discovered three significant Meta-QTL (MQTL) for grain weight on chromosome 3. According to gene ontology, these three MQTL have 179 genes, 25 of which have roles in developmental functions. Amino acid sequence BLAST of these genes indicated their orthologue conservation among core cereals with similar functions. MQTL3.1 includes the OsAPX1 , PDIL , SAUR , and OsASN1 genes, which are involved in grain development and have been discovered to play a key role in asparagine biosynthesis and metabolism, which is crucial for source-sink regulation. Five potential candidate genes were identified and their expression analysis indicated a significant role in early grain development. The gene sequence information retrieved from the 3 K rice genome project revealed the deletion of six bases coding for serine and alanine in the last exon of OsASN1 led to an interruption in the synthesis of α-helix of the protein, which negatively affected the asparagine biosynthesis pathway in the low grain weight genotypes. Further, the MQTL3.1 was validated using linked marker RM7197 on a set of genotypes with extreme phenotypes. MQTL that have been identified and validated in our study have significant scope in MAS breeding and map-based cloning programs for improving rice grain weight.