Evaluation of Air Pollution Tolerance Index (APTI) as a tool to monitor pollution and green belt development: A review

Air pollution is a global phenomenon arising out of the unsustainable, unplanned and rapid develop-ment. The quality of air is deteriorating day by day because of rising concentrations of various gases in the atmos-phere. Presently, no such system has been developed ever that completely eliminates air pollutants, but nature has created many systems to deal with the harmful results of different anthropogenic activities up to a certain limit. Some plants can survive well with higher pollutant concentrations and act as pollution scavenger. Green plants act as a sink and filter to minimize air pollution by absorption, adsorption, detoxification, accumulation and/or metabolization without sustaining serious decline in growth, thus improving air quality by providing oxygen to the atmosphere. The plants which can withstand higher pollutant concentrations can serve as tolerant species and may be suggested to act as pollution scavengers. In the present study the air pollution tolerance index of some plants has been reviewed which are widely distributed throughout India and may prove helpful for the abatement of elevated air pollution levels such as Mangifera indica, Azardirachta indica, Saraca indica, Ficus religiosa, Ficus benghalensis, Shorea robusta and Bougainvillea spp. The wild indigenous species are superior performers in air pollution reduction as compared to the cultivated non indigenous species. The screening out of tolerant plant species from the sensitive ones can provide a database which may help landscapers to design green belts around industries and National Highways

Machine Unlearning for Recommendation Systems: An Insight

This review explores machine unlearning (MUL) in recommendation systems, addressing adaptability, personalization, privacy, and bias challenges. Unlike traditional models, MUL dynamically adjusts system knowledge based on shifts in user preferences and ethical considerations. The paper critically examines MUL's basics, real-world applications, and challenges like algorithmic transparency. It sifts through literature, offering insights into how MUL could transform recommendations, discussing user trust, and suggesting paths for future research in responsible and user-focused artificial intelligence (AI). The document guides researchers through challenges involving the trade-off between personalization and privacy, encouraging contributions to meet practical demands for targeted data removal. Emphasizing MUL's role in secure and adaptive machine learning, the paper proposes ways to push its boundaries. The novelty of this paper lies in its exploration of the limitations of the methods, which highlights exciting prospects for advancing the field.Comment: In Proceedings of 7th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON INNOVATIVE COMPUTING AND COMMUNICATION 2024 (https://icicc-conf.com/

Enhancing Upper Limb Recovery and Reducing Stress and Anxiety Through Non-Immersive Virtual Reality in Subacute and Chronic Stroke Survivors: An Experimental Study

Introduction: Stroke is the third-leading cause of major long-term disability and the second-leading cause of mortality worldwide. Paralysis, paresis (muscle weakness), spasticity, difficulty walking, difficulty controlling motions, and limb discomfort are frequent limb impairments. Nearly 80% of stroke survivors are affected. Stroke survivors suffer with physical disabilities in addition to a reduced quality of life in terms of their health, a higher degree of worry, and a loss of independence. With a prevalence of 55% to 75%, hand motor deficits are the most prevalent post-stroke.1 The most common impairment is motor dysfunction, which affects 90% of stroke survivors with some kind of upper limb motor disability. Motor dysfunction is a strong indicator of poor functional recovery. The most typical post-stroke symptom is hemiparesis.1 Objectives: The study's objective was to use a virtual reality system to enhance upper limb strength and function in hemiparesis. The study's secondary goal was to lessen tension and anxiety in stroke Survivors. Methods: This research was experimental. A patient was chosen from UEM Hospital in Jaipur, Rajasthan, based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Upper Extremity Functional Index (UEFI) and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) were employed as outcome measures to evaluate the patients. Result: The outcome of the post-intervention data revealed that the Upper Extremity Functional Index (UEFI) had significant values of P.311. P .002 was used to determine the importance of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21). That indicates that following the intervention, all outcome indicators showed a considerable improvement. Conclusion: The post-intervention values of the depression anxiety stress scale (DASS 21) and the upper extremity functional index (UEFI) both indicated a substantial improvement. In order to improve strength and upper limb functions following hemiparesis and to lessen tension and anxiety as a result of the handicap, a low-cost VR system might be employed

Monitoring of Vitiligo Patches Over 6 Months to Validate Dermoscopic Findings of Lesional Stability

Background: Previously laid down criteria for lesional stability of vitiligo are inconsistent. Longitudinal data on correlation between dermoscopic features of vitiligo and disease activity is limited. Objective: To sequentially determine the dermoscopic features of vitiligo and to assess their association with the dynamic nature of the vitiligo patch. Methods: Sixty patients with 200 vitiligo patches fulfilling the inclusion criteria on medical therapy were subjected to sequential clinical and dermoscopic examination for 6 months. Baseline lesional photographs, dermoscopy and tracing of the patch was made and repeated at 6 months. The follow up tracing was superimposed onto the baseline tracing. Based on the increase or decrease in size, their outcomes were grouped as responsive, progressive and quiescent. Paired analysis of dermoscopic features was done between baseline, and their follow up after 6 months. Results: Well defined border was associated with static nature of the vitiligo patch and ill-defined borders and trichrome pattern depicted its dynamic nature. Statistically significant increase in leukotrichia and satellite lesions amongst progressive patches and a decrease amongst responsive patches was observed. Pigment network changes were statistically significant for both responsive and progressive patches. Satellite lesions and micro-Koebner’s phenomena was suggestive of progressive disease, while perifollicular pigmentation and perilesional hyperpigmentation was suggestive of repigmenting disease and proved to be an early marker for response to therapy. Conclusions: Repeated dermoscopic evaluation of lesions in a serial manner to assess disease activity helps understand their evolving nature and is a valuable tool in planning appropriate further treatment

The PTTG1-binding factor (PBF/PTTG1IP) regulates p53 activity in thyroid cells

The PTTG1-Binding Factor (PBF/PTTG1IP) has an emerging repertoire of roles, especially in thyroid biology, and functions as a proto-oncogene. High PBF expression is independently associated with poor prognosis and lower disease-specific survival in human thyroid cancer. However, the precise role of PBF in thyroid tumorigenesis is unclear. Here, we present extensive evidence demonstrating that PBF is a novel regulator of p53, a tumor suppressor protein with a key role in maintaining genetic stability, which is infrequently mutated in differentiated thyroid cancer. By coimmunoprecipitation and proximity ligation assays, we show that PBF binds specifically to p53 in thyroid cells, and significantly represses transactivation of responsive promoters. Further, we identify that PBF decreases p53 stability by enhancing ubiquitination, which appears dependent on the E3 ligase activity of Mdm2. Impaired p53 function was evident in a transgenic mouse model with thyroid-specific PBF over-expression (PBF-Tg), which had significantly increased genetic instability as indicated by FISSR-PCR analysis. Consistent with this, ~40% of all DNA repair genes examined were repressed in PBF-Tg primary cultures, including genes with critical roles in maintaining genomic integrity such as Mgmt, Rad51 and Xrcc3. Our data also revealed that PBF induction resulted in upregulation of the E2 enzyme Rad6 in murine thyrocytes, and was associated with Rad6 expression in human thyroid tumors. Overall, this work provides novel insights into the role of the proto-oncogene PBF as a negative regulator of p53 function in thyroid tumorigenesis, where PBF is generally over-expressed and p53 mutations are rare compared to other tumor types

Bioenergy Technologies for a Net Zero Transition:Outcomes of UK-India Bioenergy Research Scoping

The report is part of scoping exercise led by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and commissioned to Supergen Bioenergy Hub. The report is for UKRI, funded by UKRI India. UKRI launched in April 2018. UKRI is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). Our organisation brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England, which is responsible for supporting research and knowledge exchange at higher education institutions in England, and the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK. Our nine councils work together in innovative ways to deliver an ambitious agenda, drawing on our great depth and breadth of expertise and the enormous diversity of our portfolio. http://www.ukri.org UKRI India plays a key role in enhancing the research and innovation collaboration between the UK and India. Since 2008, the UK and Indian governments, and third parties, have together invested over £330 million in co-funded research and innovation programmes. This investment has brought about more than 258 individual projects. The projects were funded by over 15 funding agencies, bringing together more than 220 lead institutions from the UK and India. These research projects have generated more than £450 million in further funding, mainly from public bodies but also from non-profit organisations and commercial entities, attesting the relevance of these projects. www.ukri.org/india This work was commissioned to inform UKRI/UKRI India priorities and pathways for innovation development in bioenergy with UK-India partnerships