Schoenoplectiella erecta (Poir.) Lye ssp. raynalii (Schuyler) Beentje (Cyperaceae) – a new record to India from Ossudu Bird Sanctuary, Villupuram District, Tamil Nadu

International audienceSchoenoplectiella erecta subsp. raynalii (Cyperaceae) is recorded for the first time from India and Asia. This taxon was collected in Ossudu Bird Sanctuary, Villupuram district of Tamil Nadu, southern India. Detailed description including microscopic study of the glume and nutlets with digital images, morphological characters, habitat, and key characters between the two subspecies are provided

Bilateral renal cortical necrosis following acute pancreatitis - A rare complication of a common disease

Acute renal cortical necrosis is a rare cause of intrinsic acute kidney injury (AKI) which is commonly associated with obstetric complications such as placental abruption and some serious systemic disorders such as hemolytic-uremic syndrome, sepsis, severe burns, and snake bite. Acute pancreatitis is an extremely rare cause of renal cortical necrosis, and only less than 10 cases are reported in the literature. Here, we present a 24-year-old male presented with features of acute pancreatitis and oliguric AKI. His pancreatic enzymes were above 1000 IU/mL at admission. He was initiated on hemodialysis. Percutaneous renal biopsy done at 4th week of illness showed features of diffuse renal cortical necrosis. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography demonstrated hypoattenuation of cortex compared to medulla consistent with renal cortical necrosis. He developed complications such as acute necrotic collection, pleural effusion and retinal detachment in addition to renal cortical necrosis which was managed conservatively. Since there was no improvement in the renal function now, he is being evaluated for renal transplantation

Optimisation of HVOF Spray Process Parameters to Achieve Minimum Porosity and Maximum Hardness in WC-10Ni-5Cr Coatings

High-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) spray coating plays a major role in many surface treatment methods, which tend to improve erosion and corrosion resistance properties. HVOF is well known for its dense and high-quality coating ability. This is due to the less in-flight exposure time, which tends to have less oxide content because of its high-velocity properties. Among the number of process parameters, porosity and hardness are predominant factors while considering wear rate and corrosion behaviour analysis. The current study aims to optimise HVOF process parameters to obtain low levels of porosity and high hardness values in the WC-10Ni-5Cr coating sprayed on 35 Mo Cr steel. The flow rates of oxygen, LPG, coating powder feed rate and spray distance are selected in this study as these have a superior influence on the final condition of the coating. Statistical tools such as the design of experiments (DoE), analysis of variants and response surface methodology (RSM) were used to achieve the desired results. As per the result analysis, the oxygen flow rate has a higher effect on the porosity value and microhardness value of the coating

Enhancing the Corrosion Resistance of Low Pressure Cold Sprayed Metal Matrix Composite Coatings on AZ31B Mg Alloy through Friction Stir Processing

To improve the corrosion resistance of Mg alloy, Al alloy/alumina metal matrix composite (MMC) coatings were formed by low pressure cold spraying (LPCS) technology followed by post friction stir processing. The phase structure, microstructure, and corrosion properties of the cold-sprayed metal matrix composite coatings before and after friction stir processing were investigated. The effect of the friction stir process (FSP) on the corrosion characteristics of MMC coatings at 3.5 weight percent of NaCl solution was explored using a Tafel polarisation plot. Microstructural studies were examined to investigate the electrochemical behaviour of the cold spray (CS) and FSPed MMC coatings. The results demonstrated that an enhancement in corrosion protection of the MMC deposits occurred at the 1st and 2nd runs of FSP, with superior corrosion performance observed at the 2nd run of FSP. The enhanced surface state is the primary enhancement mechanism of the electrochemical properties of the FSPed MMC coatings. For the higher run of FSP (3rd run), the electrochemical performance of the specimens was lower owing to the amalgamate action of the enhanced surface state with the aggravated interface of interior deposits

Two Open Access datasets from the digitization of 50,493 herbarium sheets from Pondicherry and Baroda collections with a focus on the Western Ghats

Human activities have led to a substantial loss of biodiversity, with terrestrial ecosystems experiencing over a 20% average reduction. Conservation priorities are crucial, but data on species, threats, and protection are limited, especially in tropical countries like India. Open biodiversity data, facilitated by platforms like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), are a powerful tool for addressing these challenges. This paper describes two datasets (for a total of more than 50,000 plant occurrences), primarily from the Western Ghats, a UNESCO World Heritage site and biodiversity hotspot. The two datasets could play a pivotal role in supporting conservation policies, since they provide valuable insights into the unique biodiversity of the Western Ghats

Nucleolin-aptamer therapy in retinoblastoma: molecular changes and mass spectrometry–based imaging

Retinoblastoma (RB) is an intraocular childhood tumor which, if left untreated, leads to blindness and mortality. Nucleolin (NCL) protein which is differentially expressed on the tumor cell surface, binds ligands and regulates carcinogenesis and angiogenesis. We found that NCL is over expressed in RB tumor tissues and cell lines compared to normal retina. We studied the effect of nucleolin-aptamer (NCL-APT) to reduce proliferation in RB tumor cells. Aptamer treatment on the RB cell lines (Y79 and WERI-Rb1) led to significant inhibition of cell proliferation. Locked nucleic acid (LNA) modified NCL-APT administered subcutaneously (s.c.) near tumor or intraperitoneally (i.p.) in Y79 xenografted nude mice resulted in 26 and 65% of tumor growth inhibition, respectively. Downregulation of inhibitor of apoptosis proteins, tumor miRNA-18a, altered serum cytokines, and serum miRNA-18a levels were observed upon NCL-APT treatment. Desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI MS)-based imaging of cell lines and tumor tissues revealed changes in phosphatidylcholines levels upon treatment. Thus, our study provides proof of concept illustrating NCL-APT-based targeted therapeutic strategy and use of DESI MS-based lipid imaging in monitoring therapeutic responses in RB