Monitoring of drinking water quality: a preliminary approach by an electronic tongue based on functionalized polymer membrane electrodes.

Functionalized polymer membrane electrodes based multichannel sensor is used as an electronic tongue to monitor the drinking water (DW) quality simply by measuring the surface electric potential with respect to Ag/AgCl reference electrode in 1 mM aqueous KCl. Changes of minute concentration of dissolved minerals greatly affected the surface potential of the sensor. The three-channel sensor device (electronic tongue) is made by using three different functionalized polymer membrane electrodes, namely, phosphorylated hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride modified polyvinyl alcohol-polyacrylic acid membrane; phosphorylated and crosslinked polyvinyl--ethylene membrane; phosphorylated and crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol membrane, as working electrodes and a Ag/AgCl reference electrode.

Gall bladder duplication: A rare biliary malformation.

Gallbladder duplication is a rare anatomical variation with an incidence of approximately 1 in 3800 to 4000 live births, resulting from aberrant biliary organogenesis. This case report discusses a 35-year-old female who presented with intermittent lower abdominal pain, with initial imaging revealing a complex left adnexal cyst. Follow-up CT and ultrasound examinations revealed 2 distinct gallbladder-like structures in the gallbladder fossa, each with a cystic duct draining into the common bile duct.

Atmosphere-controlled high-voltage electrospray for improving conductivity, flexibility, and antibacterial properties of chitosan films.

Atmosphere-controlled high-voltage electrospray (AHES) was utilised to modify the structure of chitosan (CS) films. The applied voltage in the AHES process ranged from 60 to 100 kV, with variations in the O content of the propellant gas from 0 to 100 %. The number density of cations in the charging environment reached 600 × 10 cations/cm.

Acceptability of improved cook stoves-a scoping review of the literature.

Improved cooking stoves (ICS) are intended to reduce indoor air pollution and the inefficient use of fuel yet there is often reticence to shift permanently to ICS. Drawing on a scoping review, this article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of factors affecting the acceptability of ICS. A scoping review was carried out using a systematic search strategy of literature.

Development and Discovery of a Selective Degrader of Casein Kinases 1 δ/ε.

Members of the casein kinase 1 (CK1) family have emerged as key regulators of cellular signaling and as potential drug targets. Functional annotation of the 7 human isoforms would benefit from isoform-selective inhibitors, allowing studies on the role of these enzymes in normal physiology and disease pathogenesis. However, due to significant sequence homology within the catalytic domain, isoform selectivity is difficult to achieve with conventional small molecules.

Malaria elimination challenges in countries approaching the last mile: a discussion among regional stakeholders.

Background: The national malaria control programmes in Cambodia, Nepal, and Bhutan aim to achieve malaria elimination by 2025-2030. While the vivax malaria burden remains challenging, the consistent decline in falciparum malaria in these countries over the last five years suggests that the goal is achievable. However, unexpected cases in previously falciparum malaria-free districts continue to occur.

Exploring the Granularity of the Illnesses-Related Changes in Regional Homogeneity in Major Depressive Disorder using the UKBB Data.

Illness related brain effects of neuropsychiatric disorders are not regionally uniform, with some regions showing large pathological effects while others are relatively spared. Presently, Big Data meta-analytic studies tabulate these effects using structural and/or functional brain atlases that are based on the anatomical boundaries, landmarks and connectivity patterns in healthy brains. These patterns are then translated to individual level predictors using approaches such as Regional Vulnerability Index (RVI), which quantifies the agreement between individual brain patterns and the canonical pattern found in the illness.

Correction: Expanding the role of village malaria workers in Cambodia: Implementation and evaluation of four health education packages.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Networks extracted from nonlinear fMRI connectivity exhibit unique spatial variation and enhanced sensitivity to differences between individuals with schizophrenia and controls.

Schizophrenia is a chronic brain disorder associated with widespread alterations in functional brain connectivity. Although data-driven approaches such as independent component analysis are often used to study how schizophrenia impacts linearly connected networks, alterations within the underlying nonlinear functional connectivity structure remain largely unknown. Here we report the analysis of networks from explicitly nonlinear functional magnetic resonance imaging connectivity in a case-control dataset.

Identification of suitable target/E3 ligase pairs for PROTAC development using a rapamycin-induced proximity assay (RiPA).

The development of proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs), which induce the degradation of target proteins by bringing them into proximity with cellular E3 ubiquitin ligases, has revolutionized drug development. While the human genome encodes more than 600 different E3 ligases, current PROTACs use only a handful of them, drastically limiting their full potential. Furthermore, many PROTAC development campaigns fail because the selected E3 ligase candidates are unable to induce degradation of the particular target of interest.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and a supertyphoon: A quantitative study in Cebu, Philippines.

Pandemics and natural disasters are recognized to cause major disruptions. The main objective of this study was to explore the impacts of COVID-19 and supertyphoon Odette in Cebu, Philippines. A total of 2630 participants were interviewed exploring the impacts of COVID-19 and supertyphoon Odette.

Effects of ethanol addition on the quality and stability of Pickering emulsions: Developing Baijiu-infused ice cream.

The application of Pickering emulsions in real food systems has attracted increasing research interest. Similarly, the tendency of incorporation of Chinese Baijiu into food products is also increasing. This study aimed to investigate the effects of ethanol addition (3 %-15 %, v/v) on the physicochemical, rheological properties and microstructure of Pickering emulsions.

Accelerating Heritability, Genetic Correlation, and Genome-Wide Association Imaging Genetic Analyses in Complex Pedigrees.

National and international biobanking efforts led to the collection of large and inclusive imaging genetics datasets that enable examination of the contribution of genetic and environmental factors to human brains in illness and health. High-resolution neuroimaging (~10 voxels) and genetic (10 single nucleotide polymorphic [SNP] variants) data are available in statistically powerful (N = 10) epidemiological and disorder-focused samples. Performing imaging genetics analyses at full resolution afforded in these datasets is a formidable computational task even under the assumption of unrelatedness among the subjects.

Triage processes in primary, secondary, and tertiary health care facilities in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal: a mixed-methods study.

Background: In healthcare facilities, an efficient triage system is critical to optimize patient care. The main objective of this study was to explore the triage processes and practices in three different tiers of healthcare facilities in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal.

Methods: A mixed-methods approach in this study comprised observations and interviews in ten healthcare settings across primary care centers (PHC; n = 6), secondary care centers (SHC; n = 3), and tertiary care hospital (n = 1).

Drug-related problems among type 2 diabetic patients in Sunwal Municipality of Western Nepal.

Background: Several diseases co-exist with diabetes such as hypertension, and dyslipidemia, leading to cases of non-adherence, several drug interactions, and an increased risk of adverse drug reactions among patients, which are often termed as drug-related problems (DRPs). The role of pharmacists in high-income countries is well-defined in identifying DRPs among type 2 diabetes patients. However, these roles still need to be explored within low- and middle-income countries.

Cost of Snakebite and Its Impact on Household Economy in Southern Nepal.

We aimed to estimate the cost of snakebite and its impact on the economy of snakebite-affected households in southern Nepal. We conducted cross-sectional and prospective studies of confirmed snakebite cases at two hospitals in south central and southwestern Nepal during May to October 2020. We estimated the economic impact of snakebite on affected households by evaluating direct and indirect costs for treatments and opportunity costs of patients and attendants (household members or relatives).

Development of 2-Aminoadenine-Based Proteolysis-Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs) as Novel Potent Degraders of Monopolar Spindle 1 and Aurora Kinases.

Monopolar spindle 1 (Mps1, also known as TTK) and Aurora kinase (AURK) A and B are critical regulators of mitosis and have been linked to the progression of various cancers. Here, we report the design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of a series of PROTACs (proteolysis-targeting chimeras) targeting TTK and AURKs. We synthesized various degrader molecules based on four different 2-aminoadenine-based ligands, recruiting either cereblon or VHL as the E3-ligase.

Association of gestational weight gain rate with infant birth weight and cesarean delivery: A prospective cohort study in Nepal.

Gestational weight gain (GWG) is linked to pregnancy outcomes, such as birth weight and delivery mode, though research in low-income countries like Nepal is limited. We examined the association of GWG rate with infant birth weight and cesarean delivery in a prospective cohort of 191 pregnant women in Nepal, using data collected from August 2018 to August 2019 at a peri-urban hospital in Dhulikhel. Participants included women with singleton, full-term live births, with GWG rate calculated from weight gain between the second and late pregnancy stages, divided by the weeks in between.

A Review of Cutting-Edge Sensor Technologies for Improved Flood Monitoring and Damage Assessment.

Floods are the most destructive, widespread, and frequent natural hazards. The extent of flood events is accelerating in the context of climate change, where flood management and disaster mitigation remain important long-term issues. Different studies have been utilizing data and images from various types of sensors for mapping, assessment, forecasting, early warning, rescue, and other disaster prevention and mitigation activities before, during, and after floods, including flash floods, coastal floods, and urban floods.

Use of fibrin sealant in vein anastomosis in renal transplantation and its effect in preventing blood loss and postoperative peri-graft collection.

Purpose: This study is to assess efficacy of fibrin sealant in vein anastomosis in renal transplantation in preventing blood loss and postoperative peri-graft collection.

Methods: This is a retrospective analytical case-control study of renal transplantations done in a tertiary care center in India in a 1-year period. Fibrin sealant was randomly used in vein anastomosis during the period.

Predicting the potential habitat of bears under a changing climate in Nepal.

In Nepal, the distributions of three bear species vary: sloth bears (Melursus ursinus) in the lowlands, Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) in the mid-hills, and brown bears (Ursus arctos) in the high Himalayas. We utilized 179 occurrence points for sloth bears, 199 for Asiatic black bears, and 41 points for brown bears to construct a habitat model incorporating climate and topographic variables. Employing various species distribution modeling algorithms in BIOMOD2, the model predicts suitable habitats spanning 10,971.