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Hydrous minerals transported by cold subducting slabs to the lowermost mantle are believed to significantly influence mantle properties and the heterogeneities in the core‐mantle boundary (CMB) region. FeOOH is one of the essential iron‐bearing hydrous minerals whose high‐pressure phases, ε‐FeOOH and Pyrite‐type FeOOH (Py‐FeOOH), can remain stable at the pressure‐temperature conditions pertaining to the deep lower mantle. Using the first‐principles density functional theory (DFT) based methods, we compute the thermoelastic properties of ε‐FeOOH and Py‐FeOOH and investigate the role of these two minerals in the deep Earth. Our calculations suggest that the phase transition of ε‐FeOOH to Py‐FeOOH will result in an increase of VP and VS by roughly 9% and 10%, respectively, which can contribute to the positive velocity anomalies in the high‐velocity zones (HVZs) found in the lower mantle regions below the eastern and western pacific. Our anisotropy studies for ε‐FeOOH depict a decreasing trend of anisotropy with temperature, which might indicate the presence of ε‐FeOOH in the upper regions of the LLSVPs. Due to its high density and thermoelastic properties, Py‐FeOOH might contribute to ULVZs, ORPs and other features at the core‐mantle boundary.

There persists a constant threat from multidrug resistance being acquired by all human pathogens that challenges the well-being of humans. This phenomenon is predominantly led by Pseudomonas aeruginosa which is already resistant to the current generations of antibiotic by altering its metabolic pathways to survive. Specifically for this microbe the phenomenon of quorum sensing (QS) plays a crucial role in acquiring virulence and pathogenicity. QS is simply the cross talk between the bacterial community driven by signals that bind to receptors, enabling the entire bacterial microcosm to function as a single unit which has led to control P. aeruginosa cumbersome even in presence of antibiotics. Inhibition of QS can, therefore, be of a significant importance to curb such virulent and pathogenic strains of P. aeruginosa . Natural compounds are well known for their antimicrobial properties, of which, information on their mode of action is scarce. There can be many antimicrobial phytochemicals that act by hindering QS-pathways. The rationale of the current study is to identify such natural compounds that can inhibit QS in P. aeruginosa driven by LasR, PhzR, and RhlR dependent pathways. To achieve this rationale, in silico studies were first performed to identify such natural compounds which were then validated by in vitro experiments. Gingerol and Curcumin were identified as QS-antagonists (QSA) which could further suppress the production of biofilm, EPS, pyocyanin, and rhamnolipid along with improving the susceptibility to antibiotics.

Subduction zones exhibit heterogeneities in composition due to different mineral assemblages transported into the mantle by the descending slabs, thus affecting the seismic properties of the region. These minerals are typically rich in alumina and silica and often contain hydrous phases. Nacrite, Al2Si2O5(OH)4, a mineral consisting of these components, forms in basaltic crust through hydrothermal alteration and is frequently overlooked due to its structural alikeness with its polytypes, making it hard to distinguish by traditional methods. Its occurrence in oceanic sediments and altered basaltic crust significantly impacts the subduction process by facilitating the transport of water into deeper mantle regions. In this study, we investigate the equation of state and elasticity of nacrite using first‐principles calculations based on density functional theory corrected for dispersive forces over its pressure stability range. Anomalous behavior of elastic coefficients are suggestive of a polytypic transformation, evidenced by anomalous softening in the shear modulus and a decrease of approximately 3% in shear wave velocity observed at low pressures (∼ ${\\sim} $ 2 GPa). Our studies indicate that nacrite exhibits a significantly lower shear wave velocity compared to the surrounding mantle, resulting in very high VP/VS ratios. These findings emphasize the role of nacrite in the subduction zones of Japan and Alaska, particularly in the formation of low‐velocity layers. We propose that nacrite's presence is a significant factor explaining these observations, alongside other hydrous minerals like lawsonite, glaucophane, etc., contributing to the low‐velocity layers in these regions. Plain Language Summary Subduction zones are highly varied because they contain a range of minerals with different chemical compositions and physical properties. Many minerals from the Earth's crust get recycled back into the mantle in these zones, creating diverse characteristics. The presence of water‐containing (hydrous) minerals can sometimes trigger large earthquakes or contribute to the formation of molten rock at various depths. Crustal minerals tend to be rich in aluminum and silica thus stabilizing hydrous minerals in their lithology. One such mineral, nacrite, contains about ∼26% ${\\sim} 26\\%$ water (as hydroxyl, or OH) and forms when basaltic crust undergoes hydrothermal alteration. Nacrite present in low‐velocity mineral assemblages may lead to the formation of low‐velocity layers in Japan and Alaskan subduction settings. Our findings further suggest that nacrite may undergo a structural transformation like its kaolin family members: kaolinite and dickite. This transformation is accompanied by a decrease in shear wave velocity. These findings enhance our understanding of the intricate connection between depth‐dependent velocity anomalies in the subduction process and the role of water‐binding minerals such as nacrite. Key Points Nacrite exhibits pressure‐induced structural transformations under low pressures, leading to a notable decrease in shear modulus and shear wave velocity The low shear wave velocities and notably high VP/VS ratios resemble low‐velocity layers of subducting slabs in Japan and Alaska Exhibiting exceptionally high shear wave velocity anisotropy, nacrite stands unparalleled among hydrous minerals found in subducting slabs

Transportation of fluid is a very important aspect of process industries, especially for oil and gas industries. Pipelines have been considered as the most effective and safest way of transporting fluids. Transportation of gas through a pipeline is an energy-intensive process; hence, energy optimization in gas transportation networks is an important issue to be considered while framing the environmental policies. In this paper, a novel graphical methodology based on pinch analysis approach for simultaneous minimization of capital investment and compression energy requirement in gas allocation network with the aid of thermodynamic relations is developed. The results of the proposed methodology are expressed as a Pareto optimal front. The ε-constraint method is used to generate Pareto optimal front for the two objectives. Identifying the relationship between capital investment and energy requirement gives the opportunity to the decision-maker for choosing the suitable optimal operating point based on the operating and economic conditions of the process. This result allows the planner to calculate the effects via increasing or decreasing energy requirement or capital investment. The applicability of the proposed methodology is demonstrated through two illustrative examples.Graphic abstract

One of the biggest challenges to be addressed in world agriculture is low nitrogen (N) use efficiency (<40%). To address this issue, researchers have repeatedly underlined the need for greater emphasis on the development and promotion of energy efficient, and environmentally sound novel fertilizers, in addition to improved agronomic management to augment nutrient use efficiency for restoring soil fertility and increasing farm profit. Hence, a fixed plot field experiment was conducted to assess the economic and environmental competency of conventional fertilizers with and without nano-urea (novel fertilizer) in two predominant cropping systems viz ., maize-wheat and pearl millet-mustard under semi-arid regions of India. Result indicates that the supply of 75% recommended N with conventional fertilizer along with nano-urea spray (N 75 PK+nano-urea) reduced the energy requirement by ~8–11% and increased energy use efficiency by ~6–9% over 100% nitrogen through prilled urea fertilizer (business as usual). Furthermore, the application of N 75 PK+ nano-urea exhibited ~14% higher economic yields in all the crops compared with N 50 PK+ nano-urea. Application of N 75 PK+nano-urea registered comparable soil N and dehydrogenase activities (35.8 μg TPF g -1 24 hrs -1 across all crops) over the conventional fertilization (N 100 PK). This indicates that application of foliar spray of nano-urea with 75% N is a soil supportive production approach. More interestingly, two foliar sprays of nano-urea curtailed nitrogen load by 25% without any yield penalty, besides reducing the greenhouse gases (GHG) emission from 164.2 to 416.5 kg CO 2 -eq ha -1 under different crops. Therefore, the application of nano-urea along with 75% N through prilled urea is an energy efficient, environmentally robust and economically feasible nutrient management approach for sustainable crop production.

Brain extraction, or skull-stripping, is an essential pre-processing step in neuro-imaging that has a direct impact on the quality of all subsequent processing and analyses steps. It is also a key requirement in multi-institutional collaborations to comply with privacy-preserving regulations. Existing automated methods, including Deep Learning (DL) based methods that have obtained state-of-the-art results in recent years, have primarily targeted brain extraction without considering pathologically-affected brains. Accordingly, they perform sub-optimally when applied on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans with apparent pathologies such as brain tumors. Furthermore, existing methods focus on using only T1-weighted MRI scans, even though multi-parametric MRI (mpMRI) scans are routinely acquired for patients with suspected brain tumors. In this study, we present a comprehensive performance evaluation of recent deep learning architectures for brain extraction, training models on mpMRI scans of pathologically-affected brains, with a particular focus on seeking a practically-applicable, low computational footprint approach, generalizable across multiple institutions, further facilitating collaborations. We identified a large retrospective multi-institutional dataset of n=3340 mpMRI brain tumor scans, with manually-inspected and approved gold-standard segmentations, acquired during standard clinical practice under varying acquisition protocols, both from private institutional data and public (TCIA) collections. To facilitate optimal utilization of rich mpMRI data, we further introduce and evaluate a novel ‘‘modality-agnostic training’’ technique that can be applied using any available modality, without need for model retraining. Our results indicate that the modality-agnostic approach11Publicly available source code: https://github.com/CBICA/BrainMaGe obtains accurate results, providing a generic and practical tool for brain extraction on scans with brain tumors. •Accurate brain extraction on MRI scans in presence of diffuse gliomas is critical.•Comprehensive evaluation of prominent deep learning architectures, BET & FreeSurfer.•Multi-institutional data to test generalizability and to facilitate collaborations.•A novel “modality-agnostic” strategy to promote widespread application.

Purpose To evaluate sequential changes in the inner retinal surface using en face spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) following internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling for idiopathic full thickness macular holes. Methods Retrospective, interventional study on 45 eyes of 42 patients with type 1 macular hole closure after a single procedure and a minimum post-operative follow up of 6 months. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), fundus photographs, B scan and en face SD-OCT scans were analysed pre-operatively, at 2, 6, 12 months post-operatively and then yearly. The presence or absence of concentric macular dark spots (CMDS) on the ILM slab of en face SD-OCT, their distribution pattern and course in terms of number and size of the dark spots was qualitatively assessed at each follow up. Results CMDS was identified in a total of 26 eyes (57.78%). Of these, it was detected in 21 eyes at 2 months and the remaining by 6 months. At the time of first detection, the distribution was classified as type 1 in 9 eyes (35%), type 2 in 7 eyes (27%) and type 3 in 10 eyes (38%). There was apparent increase in the number and size of the CMDS in 16 eyes (62%) no later than 12 months follow up, while 10 eyes (38%) remained stable. There was no decrease or resolution noted in any patient. The mean post-operative follow up was 19.4 months (range 6–69 months). Conclusion Inner retinal defects in the form of CMDS can be picked up on en face SD-OCT between 2–6 months post-operatively. They remain stable or become more prominent upto 12 months follow up, but do not regress once present. En face SD-OCT is recommended in all cases where ILM is peeled to assess CMDS.

Glioblastoma is the most common aggressive adult brain tumor. Numerous studies have reported results from either private institutional data or publicly available datasets. However, current public datasets are limited in terms of: a) number of subjects, b) lack of consistent acquisition protocol, c) data quality, or d) accompanying clinical, demographic, and molecular information. Toward alleviating these limitations, we contribute the “University of Pennsylvania Glioblastoma Imaging, Genomics, and Radiomics” (UPenn-GBM) dataset, which describes the currently largest publicly available comprehensive collection of 630 patients diagnosed with de novo glioblastoma. The UPenn-GBM dataset includes (a) advanced multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging scans acquired during routine clinical practice, at the University of Pennsylvania Health System, (b) accompanying clinical, demographic, and molecular information, (d) perfusion and diffusion derivative volumes, (e) computationally-derived and manually-revised expert annotations of tumor sub-regions, as well as (f) quantitative imaging (also known as radiomic) features corresponding to each of these regions. This collection describes our contribution towards repeatable, reproducible, and comparative quantitative studies leading to new predictive, prognostic, and diagnostic assessments.Measurement(s)Magnetic Resonance ImagingTechnology Type(s)Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain with and without ContrastSample Characteristic - OrganismHomo sapiensSample Characteristic - EnvironmentbrainSample Characteristic - LocationUnited States of America

The growing popularity of nano-fertilization around the world for enhancing yield and nutrient use efficiency has been realized, however its influence on soil microbial structure is not fully understood. The purpose of carrying out this study was to assess the combined effect of nano and conventional fertilizers on the soil biological indicators and crop yield in a wheat–maize system. The results indicate that the at par grain yield of wheat and maize was obtained with application of 75% of recommended nitrogen (N) with full dose of phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) through conventional fertilizers along with nano-N (nano-urea) or nano-N plus nano-Zn sprays and N 100 PK i.e. business as usual (recommended dose of fertilizer). Important soil microbial property like microbial biomass carbon was found statistically similar with nano fertilizer-based management (N 75 PK + nano-N, and N 75 PK + nano-N + nano-Zn) and conventional management (N 100 PK), during both wheat and maize seasons. The experimental data indicated that the application of foliar spray of nano-fertilizers along with 75% N as basal is a sustainable nutrient management approach with respect to growth, yield and rhizosphere biological activity. Furthermore, two foliar sprays of nano-N or nano-N + nano-Zn curtailed N requirement by 25%, furthermore enhanced soil microbial diversity and the microbial community structure. The specific microbial groups, including Actinobacteria , Bacteroidia , and Proteobacteria , were present in abundance and were positively correlated with wheat and maize yield and soil microbial biomass carbon. Thus, one of the best nutrient management approaches for sustaining productivity and maintaining sound microbial diversity in wheat–maize rotation is the combined use of nano-fertilizers and conventional fertilizers.

The standard of care after resection of a single brain metastasis is to treat the cavity with stereotactic radiation therapy (SRT) to minimize the risk of recurrence. However, a prospective randomized trial of SRT demonstrated higher than expected rates of local recurrence, possibly due to geographic miss. Conformal partial brain (CPB) irradiation using conventional fractionation is an alternate technique that allows a larger margin of healthy tissue to be safely irradiated, potentially decreasing the risk of tumor recurrence. We performed a retrospective chart review to compare the results between CPB and SRT treatments. Patients receiving postoperative cranial radiotherapy within two months of a brain metastasis resection from 2015 to 2022 were eligible for this retrospective single-institution analysis. Fifty-seven patients met the eligibility criteria (SRT: n=32; CPB: n=25). SRT patients were treated using a robotic linear accelerator with a median dose of 24 Gy in 3 fractions. The median prescribed dose for the CPB group was 33 Gy in 11 fractions. The mean follow-up was 19.9 months. The crude rate of local recurrence rate was 21.9% (SRT) versus 0% (CPB) (p<0.013). The crude rate of radiation necrosis (RN) was 21.9% (SRT) versus 0% (CPB) (p<0.013). The mean cavity volume was 13 cc (SRT) versus 73 cc (CPB) (p<0.001). Most cases of RN were asymptomatic, although one patient suffered grade 4 status epilepticus. In this single-institution cohort, CPB radiation therapy was statistically associated with a lower risk of both local failure and radiation necrosis as compared to SRT. Despite the cavity being much larger, none of the CPB patients suffered either local failure or radiation necrosis. Postoperative CPB irradiation may be beneficial for large cavity sizes or when it is difficult to delineate the tumor bed.