Cassia fistula galactomannan stabilized copper nanocatalyst as an efficient, recyclable heterogeneous catalyst for the fast clickable [3+2] Huisgen cycloadditions in water

In this study, we have first time investigated the synthesis of copper nanocatalyst by using biopolymer galactomannan, naturally extracted from Cassia fistula pods. The methodology involved for the preparation of copper nanocatalyst is economical, efficient, environment friendly, and did not involve further processing for stabilization or reduction of copper nanoparticles. The morphology and structural characterization of the nanocatalyst was performed by using different techniques such as FT-IR, 1H NMR, SEM, EDX, HR-TEM, XRD, XPS, ICP-MS, BET, and TGA analysis. The prepared copper nanocatalyst is applied for the click [3+2] Huisgen cycloadditions of various azides and alkynes, employing water as environmentally benign solvent. In comparison to earlier reported methods, our method requires lowest catalyst loading, less reaction time, excellent yields and have wide substrate scope. Additionally, the catalyst was easily recovered by simple filtration and recycled at least ten consecutive times without any appreciable loss of efficiency and selectivity. The effect of mannose and galactose (Man/Gal) ratio of Cassia fistula galactomannan on the catalytic activity were also investigated.

Evaluation of inhibitory activity, purification and X-ray crystallography of Alpha-Amylase inhibitor from Phaseolus vulgaris cultivars of Uttarakhand, India

Abstract The present work is based on analysis of inhibitory activity of alpha-amylase inhibitor in selected cultivars of Phaseolus vulgaris of Uttarakhand. Fifteen samples were assessed for inhibitory activity of alpha-amylase inhibitor. Significant variations were found in different cultivars. Crude extract of alpha-amylase inhibitor from sample PUR (Purola) have shown maximum inhibitory activity (70.2 ± 0.84). Crude extract of all the cultivars have shown considerable variations in inhibitory activity in the temperature ranging from 20ºC to 100ºC. Based on inhibitory activity and heat stability profile, the alpha amylase inhibitor was purified from PUR cultivar. The purified inhibitor was found to be stable even at 90ºC with an inhibitory activity of 97.20 ±0.09. The molecular weight of purified inhibitor on Native PAGE (Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) was found to be 31kd, consisting of two subunits of 17kd and 14kd on SDS-PAGE.

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Outcomes of Reconstruction with Vascularised vs Non-Vascularised Bone Graft after Surgical Resection of Primary Malignant and Non-Malignant Bone Tumors

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

Vascularised bone grafting (VBG) and non-vascularised bone grafting (NVBG) are crucial biological reconstructive procedures extensively employed in the management of bone tumours. The principal aim of this study is to conduct a comparative analysis of the post-resection outcomes associated with the utilisation of vascularised and non-vascularised bone grafts.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A comprehensive and systematic literature review spanning the years 2013 to 2023 was meticulously executed, utilising prominent online databases including PubMed/Medline, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Library. Inclusion criteria were restricted to comparative articles that specifically addressed outcomes pertaining to defect restoration following bone tumour resection via vascularised and non-vascularised bone grafting techniques. The quality of research methodologies was assessed using the Oxford Quality Scoring System for randomised trials and the Newcastle Ottawa Scale for non-randomised comparative studies. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 24. Key outcome measures encompassed the Musculoskeletal Tumour Society Score (MSTS), bone union duration, and the incidence of post-operative complications.

RESULTS

This analysis incorporated four clinical publications, enrolling a total of 178 participants (comprising 92 males and 86 females), with 90 patients subjected to VBG and 88 to NVBG procedures. The primary endpoints of interest encompassed MSTS scores and bone union durations. Although no statistically significant distinction was observed in the complication rates between the two cohorts, it is noteworthy that VBG exhibited a markedly superior bone union rate (P<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Our systematic evaluation revealed that VBG facilitates expedited bone union, thereby contributing to accelerated patient recovery. Notably, complication rates and functional outcomes were comparable between the VBG and NVBG groups. Moreover, the correlation between bone union duration and functional scores following VBG and NVBG merits further investigation.

KEY WORDS

reconstruction techniques, vascularised bone grafting, non-vascularised bone grafting, bone tumor, resection.

Development and Evaluation of an Eco-Friendly Hand Sanitizer Formulation Valorized from Fruit Peels

Hand sanitizer usage has proven to be a common and practical method for reducing the spread of infectious diseases which can be caused by many harmful pathogens. There is a need for alcohol-free hand sanitizers because most hand sanitizers on the market are alcohol-based, and regular use of them can damage the skin and can be hazardous. India is the world's largest producer of fruits and one of the major problems after fruit consumption is their peels, causing waste management problems and contributing to the formation of greenhouse gases leading to air pollution and adding to the problem of climate change. Valorization of such wastes into other value-added products and their incorporation into formulations of eco-friendly alcohol-free hand sanitizers would solve these issues, save the environment, benefit the society, and help in achieving the sustainable development goals. Thus, this research focuses on formulating an effective natural alcohol-free hand sanitizer that harnesses the antimicrobial properties of the various types of bioactive components found in fruit peels of pomegranate, sweet lime, and lemon. The peel extracts and the formulated sanitizer proved considerable antimicrobial activity against the pathogenic Escherichia coli and hand microflora. Molecular docking was also applied to examine ligand-protein interaction patterns and predict binding conformers and affinity of the sanitizer phytocompounds towards target proteins in COVID-19, influenza, and pneumonia viruses. The binding affinities and the protein-ligand interactions virtual studies revealed that the sanitizer phytocompounds bind with the amino acids in the target proteins' active sites via hydrogen bonding interactions. As a result, it is possible to formulate a natural, alcohol-free hand sanitizer from fruit peels that is effective against pathogenic germs and viruses using the basic structure of these potential findings.

High prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies among unvaccinated children of Chandigarh, Northwest India, in a household-based paediatric serosurvey post-second wave of pandemic (June to July 2021)

OBJECTIVE

Current national severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccination policy covers children aged >12 years. Unvaccinated, uninfected children remain susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 and play a role in community transmission, as paediatric infection is mostly mild or asymptomatic. To estimate the proportion of susceptible children in a community for public health measures, there is a need to assess the extent of natural infection.

STUDY DESIGN

We performed a cross-sectional household serosurvey of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in unvaccinated children aged between 6 and 18 years after the second COVID-19 wave.

METHODS

Anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobin G (IgG) testing in serum was done using chemiluminescence immunoassay. We used a logistic regression model to investigate predicted factors of seropositivity.

RESULTS

We observed a high prevalence (weighted average: 68.3%) of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG in 2700 enrolled children. Logistic regression for predictors of IgG seropositivity showed lower odds in households with completely vaccinated adults (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 0.43, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.26-0.71, P = 0.0011) compared with households with unvaccinated adults. Other factors for low seropositivity included frontline workers as family members (adjusted OR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.52-0.91, P = 0.0091) and non-crowded households (adjusted OR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.61-0.89, P = 0.0019).

CONCLUSION

A high SARS-CoV-2 IgG prevalence in unvaccinated children was indicative of previous exposure to potentially infected contacts. This implies in-person academic activities for children can be continued during future community transmission. Comparatively lower seropositivity in children of completely vaccinated households or frontline workers suggests decreased transmission due to vaccination-induced immunity of family members. Vaccination will still be required in these children to maintain protective IgG levels, particularly in low seroprevalence groups.

Measurements of Groomed-Jet Substructure of Charm Jets Tagged by D^{0} Mesons in Proton-Proton Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV

Understanding the role of parton mass and Casimir color factors in the quantum chromodynamics parton shower represents an important step in characterizing the emission properties of heavy quarks. Recent experimental advances in jet substructure techniques have provided the opportunity to isolate and characterize gluon emissions from heavy quarks. In this Letter, the first direct experimental constraint on the charm-quark splitting function is presented, obtained via the measurement of the groomed shared momentum fraction of the first splitting in charm jets, tagged by a reconstructed D^{0} meson. The measurement is made in proton-proton collisions at sqrt[s]=13  TeV, in the low jet transverse-momentum interval of 15≤p_{T}^{jet ch}<30  GeV/c where the emission properties are sensitive to parton mass effects. In addition, the opening angle of the first perturbative emission of the charm quark, as well as the number of perturbative emissions it undergoes, is reported. Comparisons to measurements of an inclusive-jet sample show a steeper splitting function for charm quarks compared with gluons and light quarks. Charm quarks also undergo fewer perturbative emissions in the parton shower, with a reduced probability of large-angle emissions.

A comprehensive Monte Carlo simulation of the neutron response of multi-element microdosimetric detectors based on THick Gas Electron Multiplier

We present comprehensive Monte Carlo simulations for the neutron response of the multi-element microdosimetric detector based on THick Gas Electron Multiplier (THGEM). Simulations were carried out using the MCNP6.2 code to calculate the deposited energy spectrum in the gaseous sensitive volumes for three different configurations, 7 × 3, 19 × 5, 37 × 7 that occupy a cylindrical volume of 5-cm diameter by 5-cm length. The energy response was computed from 10 keV to 2 MeV. The response variation was investigated between sensitive volumes as well as between layers. The simulated energy response showed a good agreement against the evaluated fluence-to-kerma conversion coefficients in the energy region 10-100 keV, whereas discrepancies were observed in the region above 250 keV. The angular response simulations showed a variation of less than 10%.

Exaggerated response to pattern reversal visual evoked potential among migraineurs

OBJECTIVE

Visual evoked potential recording has reported ambiguous results among migraineurs, thus the present study explored the association of check-size and reversal rates on the latency and amplitude of pattern reversal VEP among migraineurs.

METHOD AND MATERIAL

Monocular VEP responses for both eyes were recorded in 133 migraineurs and 111 controls. Checkerboard pattern with phase reversal frequency of 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 Hz and check-size of 16 × 16, 32 × 32, 64 × 64 and 128 × 128, i.e. spatial frequency of 0.475, 1.029, 2.056 and 4.112 cycle per degree (cpd) were used to record 100 responses each. Three-minutes gap was given after change of reversal frequency to a higher rate for next cycle of 4 check-size records.

RESULT

A linear increase in latencies was observed with decreasing check-size in both groups, but migraineurs had significantly higher latencies at a given reversal rate. Amplitudes A1 and A2 were higher among migraineurs and amplitude A2 showed an inverted 'U' shaped trend with maximum amplitude at 32 × 32 check size (1.029 cpd) in both groups, with an exaggerated response among migraineurs. Check-size 32 × 32 i.e. spatial frequency of 1.029 behaves differently than other larger or smaller check-sizes.

CONCLUSION

Variable VEP response for different visual stimuli may be due to differential activation of respective retinocortical pathways and cortical areas. The highest amplitude at modest check-size suggests a contributory role of foveal-parafoveal fibres in migraineurs. Exaggerated physiological response to visual stimuli may be responsible for higher amplitudes and prolonged latencies among migraineurs.

Measurement of the Lifetime and Λ Separation Energy of _{Λ}^{3}H

The most precise measurements to date of the _{Λ}^{3}H lifetime τ and Λ separation energy B_{Λ} are obtained using the data sample of Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV collected by ALICE at the LHC. The _{Λ}^{3}H is reconstructed via its charged two-body mesonic decay channel (_{Λ}^{3}H→^{3}He+π^{-} and the charge-conjugate process). The measured values τ=[253±11(stat)±6(syst)]  ps and B_{Λ}=[102±63(stat)±67(syst)]  keV are compatible with predictions from effective field theories and confirm that the _{Λ}^{3}H structure is consistent with a weakly bound system.

Outbreak investigation of Dengue like fever in rural area of Rajasthan

During October 2020, suddenly many cases were reported with Dengue like Illness in Sahawa village, Rajasthan. Blood samples collected from 68 patients were tested for Dengue NS1 antigen and IgM antibodies for Dengue, Chikungunya, Scrub typhus, Leptospira and Brucella by ELISA, Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika viral RNA by multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), 41.17% samples were positive for Dengue; 25% were positive by Dengue PCR, 17.64% for NS1 Ag,14.70% for IgM ELISA, 20.58% were positive for antibodies either for Scrub typhus (4.41%), Leptospira (7.35%) or Brucella (10.29%). Dengue was seen in 41.17% cases and other etiological agents in 20.58% cases.

Spectral reflectance and fluorescence is a rapid, non-destructive tool for drought tolerance monitoring in Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal

Withania somnifera plants were exposed to drought stress for 23 days. Relative water content (RWC), gaseous exchange, fluorescence parameters, and spectral reflectance changes were monitored under drought stress. Assimilation rate and RWC decreased by 81% and 65%, respectively, during drought exposure of 23 days. Photosynthetic reflectance index (PRI) and water index (WI) showed a decreasing pattern under drought stress and correlated with Amax and RWC. Anthocyanin reflectance index and anthocyanin content increased with drought stress. Similarly, rational among R727, R696, R770, and R731 reflects chlorophyll content and Chl a/b ratio and copes with actual chlorophyll content. Fluorescence changes showed the opening and closing of PSII reaction centers, while absorbance change at 830/875 nm showed activity and energy balance of PSI. Non-photochemical quenching increased under drought, which showed depoxydation of xanthine cycle pigment. Energy balance at the acceptor and donor side of PSI adjusted under drought stress by increasing electron carrying limitation at donor side. Energy balance between PSI and PSII is maintained by increasing cyclic electron flux under mild drought stress. Both protective mechanism depoxydation of xanthine cycle pigment and enhancement of cyclic electron flux reduced or diminished under severe drought stress. Decrease in leaf area and stomatal closure may cause a reduction in transpiration that results into loss of RWC and altered physiological processes. Since fluorescence, absorbance change and spectral reflectance are non-invasive measurements that may be used as indicators for assessing drought tolerance in medicinal plants.

Unpacking the CNS Manifestations of Epstein-Barr Virus: An Imaging Perspective

Epstein-Barr virus is a ubiquitous herpesvirus that may cause both infective (encephalitis, meningitis, and so forth) and postinfection inflammatory (such as Guillain-Barré syndrome, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis) manifestations in the CNS. Diagnosis of Epstein-Barr virus-related CNS pathologies is often complicated due to a nonspecific clinical presentation and overlap with other infectious and noninfectious causes, both clinically and on imaging. The Epstein-Barr virus is also implicated in several lymphoproliferative disorders in both immunocompromised and immunocompetent hosts. MR imaging is preferred for evaluating the extent of involvement and monitoring therapy response, given its high sensitivity and specificity, though imaging findings may be nonspecific. Herein, we review the imaging spectrum of Epstein-Barr virus-associated CNS disorders.

Assessment of Cardiac Autonomic Function in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Through Ewing's Battery, Heart Rate Variability Analysis, and Composite Autonomic Symptom Score-31 Scale

Introduction Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a frequently occurring endocrine condition prevalent in women of reproductive age characterized by chronic anovulation, hyperandrogenism, insulin resistance, and a low-grade inflammatory state. Patients with PCOS are more vulnerable to developing cardiac and metabolic co-morbidities. Sympathetic overactivity is also reported in PCOS patients. Objective This study aimed to assess cardiac autonomic function in PCOS by Heart Rate Variability Analysis, Ewing's Test, and Composite Autonomic Symptom Scale-31 (COMPASS-31). Methods Thirty female PCOS patients and 30 age-matched control females were enrolled in the study. Both cases and controls were subdivided into sub-groups based on body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). The cardiac autonomic functions were assessed by the COMPASS-31 questionnaire, Ewing's battery tests, and short-term heart rate variability analysis. Results There was no significant difference in age, BMI, and WHR of both groups. Additionally, cases had a significantly higher low frequency to high frequency (LF/HF) ratio and COMPASS-31 score and also reported more derangement in Ewing's battery test, indicating cardiac autonomic dysfunction in PCOS patients. Conclusion Patients with PCOS are more prone to developing cardiac and metabolic co-morbidities. Early assessment of cardiac autonomic function can prevent future complications with timely interventions. Altered autonomic function in PCOS patients can be due to hyperandrogenism and insulin resistance.

Identification of plastic rice in adulterated raw and cooked rice

In the present study, attempts have been made to identify the presence of plastic rice in adulterated raw and cooked rice by comparing the compositional and morphological properties of fake rice and real rice using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) techniques. Various rice samples from the national capital region of India were studied for their compositional and morphological properties. The surface morphology of real rice and plastic rice was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy. Results suggest that plastic rice used as an adulterant in raw or cooked rice is made up of polystyrene, which is a well-known toxic chemical entity. The studies suggest that these techniques can be used as a scientific tool to detect and identify the presence of plastic rice in adulterated raw and cooked rice.

Translation of Parkinson's Disease Sleep Scale-2 (PDSS-2) in Hindi (H-PDSS-2) and its Validation for Assessment of Sleep Disturbances among Indian Parkinson's Disease Patients

Background and Objective

Parkinson's disease sleep scale-2 (PDSS-2) is a reliable sleep assessment tool which has been validated in several languages. As sleep problems have a great impact on the quality of life of Parkinson's disease patients, we aimed to translate and validate PDSS-2 in Hindi for its wider use among Hindi-speaking Indian patients. Our study objective was to translate PDSS-2 in Hindi (H-PDSS-2) and to assess the psychometric properties of H-PDSS-2 questionnaire for its use in Hindi-speaking Indian PD patients. Secondly, we aimed to compare the results with those of the other language PDSS-2 validation studies.

Material and Methods

This study was done in two phases, enrolling 16 patients and 16 controls in the first/translation phase for assessment of internal consistency and discriminative power of PDSS-2. The test-retest reliability was determined in the second phase on 35 Parkinson's disease patients who were followed-up at an interval of 7-10 days.

Results

No difficulties were faced by the patients and controls in the first phase, and internal consistency of the scale was good (Cronbach's alpha = 0.804). There was no significant difference in total H-PDSS-2 score at baseline 16.86 ± 10.59 and on retest 16.40 ± 9.54, suggesting good reliability. Intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.710 to 0.901, and precision was 2.82 over the period of 7-10 days. Subdomains of H-PDSS-2 had moderate/high internal validity, and they showed significant correlation with Unified PD Rating Scale (UPDRS) and HY disease scale.

Conclusion

H-PDSS-2 is equivalent to the original PDSS-2 for tested psychometric attributes. Its use among Indian Parkinson's disease patients will help in the comprehensive assessment of sleep problems among PD patients.

Mammalian olfactory cortex neurons retain molecular signatures of ancestral cell types

The cerebral cortex diversified extensively during vertebrate evolution. Intriguingly, the three-layered mammalian olfactory cortex resembles the cortical cytoarchitecture of non-mammals yet evolved alongside the six-layered neocortex, enabling unique comparisons for investigating cortical neuron diversification. We performed single-nucleus multiome sequencing across mouse three- to six-layered cortices and compared neuron types across mice, reptiles and salamander. We identified neurons that are olfactory cortex-specific or conserved across mouse cortical areas. However, transcriptomically similar neurons exhibited area-specific epigenetic states. Additionally, the olfactory cortex showed transcriptomic divergence between lab and wild-derived mice, suggesting enhanced circuit plasticity through adult immature neurons. Finally, olfactory cortex neurons displayed marked transcriptomic similarities to reptile and salamander neurons. Together, these data indicate that the mammalian olfactory cortex retains molecular signatures representative of ancestral cortical traits.

Effectiveness of rehabilitation strategies in primary fibromyalgia syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objectives

The aim of this review was to (1) summarize evidence on the effectiveness of rehabilitation strategies in fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and (2) determine the most effective rehabilitation strategy for reducing pain and depression in people with FMS.

Data Sources

PubMed, Ovid (Sp), and Cochrane search engines were used for identifying relevant studies done up to 1st of July 2022.

Study Selection

Randomized control trials (RCTs) that have a passive control group and an active control group were included in this review for primary and secondary aim, respectively. The primary outcome measures were pain and depression. Secondary outcome was one from the sleep or fatigue or healthy related quality of life (HRQOL).

Data Extraction

Two researchers independently selected the studies and extracted the key information.

Data Synthesis

A total of 25 RCTs were included. Studies with passive control group showed moderate to large positive effects on pain (standard mean difference -0.65, 95% confidence interval -0.93 to -0.38; I2 = 72%) and HRQOL (MD -5.40, 95% CI -10.17 to -0.62; I2 = 74%) but were not statistically significant for sleep, fatigue, and depression. Furthermore, on subgroup analysis studies with a short term protocol showed significant effects on pain only, whereas studies with long term protocols showed positive effects on pain and HRQOL only, but no statistical significance at the time of post-trial follow-up. Studies with active control groups gave non-significant results except where there was mixed exercises, which showed a positive effect (mean difference -4.78, 95% CI -7.98 to -1.57; I2 = 0%) for HRQOL.

Conclusion

All rehabilitation strategies were effective for pain and HRQOL, and had a marginal effect on depression, sleep, and fatigue but efficacy was not maintained at the time of post-trial follow-up. However, in this review, we could not differentiate any rehabilitation strategies for the best among those used in the included studies.

Measurement of the J/ψ Polarization with Respect to the Event Plane in Pb-Pb Collisions at the LHC

We study the polarization of inclusive J/ψ produced in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV at the LHC in the dimuon channel, via the measurement of the angular distribution of its decay products. We perform the study in the rapidity region 2.5 Collapse

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First Measurement of Antideuteron Number Fluctuations at Energies Available at the Large Hadron Collider

The first measurement of event-by-event antideuteron number fluctuations in high energy heavy-ion collisions is presented. The measurements are carried out at midrapidity (|η|<0.8) as a function of collision centrality in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV using the ALICE detector. A significant negative correlation between the produced antiprotons and antideuterons is observed in all collision centralities. The results are compared with a state-of-the-art coalescence calculation. While it describes the ratio of higher order cumulants of the antideuteron multiplicity distribution, it fails to describe quantitatively the magnitude of the correlation between antiproton and antideuteron production. On the other hand, thermal-statistical model calculations describe all the measured observables within uncertainties only for correlation volumes that are different with respect to those describing proton yields and a similar measurement of net-proton number fluctuations.

Enhanced Deuteron Coalescence Probability in Jets

The transverse-momentum (p_{T}) spectra and coalescence parameters B_{2} of (anti)deuterons are measured in p-p collisions at sqrt[s]=13  TeV for the first time in and out of jets. In this measurement, the direction of the leading particle with the highest p_{T} in the event (p_{T}^{lead}>5  GeV/c) is used as an approximation for the jet axis. The event is consequently divided into three azimuthal regions, and the jet signal is obtained as the difference between the toward region, that contains jet fragmentation products in addition to the underlying event (UE), and the transverse region, which is dominated by the UE. The coalescence parameter in the jet is found to be approximately a factor of 10 larger than that in the underlying event. This experimental observation is consistent with the coalescence picture and can be attributed to the smaller average phase-space distance between nucleons in the jet cone as compared with the underlying event. The results presented in this Letter are compared to predictions from a simple nucleon coalescence model, where the phase-space distributions of nucleons are generated using pythia8 with the Monash 2013 tuning, and to predictions from a deuteron production model based on ordinary nuclear reactions with parametrized energy-dependent cross sections tuned on data. The latter model is implemented in pythia8.3. Both models reproduce the observed large difference between in-jet and out-of-jet coalescence parameters, although the almost flat trend of the B_{2}^{Jet} is not reproduced by the models, which instead give a decreasing trend.

First Dark Matter Search with Nuclear Recoils from the XENONnT Experiment

We report on the first search for nuclear recoils from dark matter in the form of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) with the XENONnT experiment, which is based on a two-phase time projection chamber with a sensitive liquid xenon mass of 5.9 ton. During the (1.09±0.03)  ton yr exposure used for this search, the intrinsic ^{85}Kr and ^{222}Rn concentrations in the liquid target are reduced to unprecedentedly low levels, giving an electronic recoil background rate of (15.8±1.3)  events/ton yr keV in the region of interest. A blind analysis of nuclear recoil events with energies between 3.3 and 60.5 keV finds no significant excess. This leads to a minimum upper limit on the spin-independent WIMP-nucleon cross section of 2.58×10^{-47}  cm^{2} for a WIMP mass of 28  GeV/c^{2} at 90% confidence level. Limits for spin-dependent interactions are also provided. Both the limit and the sensitivity for the full range of WIMP masses analyzed here improve on previous results obtained with the XENON1T experiment for the same exposure.

Antibacterial and Antibiofilm Properties of the Alexidine Dihydrochloride (MMV396785) against Acinetobacter baumannii

Antibiotic-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infections among patients in hospital settings are rising at an alarming rate. The World Health Organization has designated carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii as a priority pathogen for drug discovery. Based on the open drug discovery approach, we screened 400 compounds provided as a Pandemic Response Box by MMV and DNDi to identify compounds with antibacterial and antibiofilm activity against two A. baumannii reference strains using a highly robust resazurin assay. In vitro screening identified thirty compounds with MIC ≤ 50μM having growth inhibitory properties against the planktonic state. Five compounds, with MMV IDs MMV396785, MMV1578568, MMV1578574, MMV1578564, and MMV1579850, were able to reduce metabolically active cells in the biofilm state. Of these five compounds, MMV396785 showed potential antibacterial and antibiofilm activity with MIC, MBIC, and MBEC of 3.125 μM, 12.5, and 25-100 µM against tested A. baumannii strains, respectively, showing biofilm formation inhibition by 93% and eradication of pre-formed biofilms by 60-77.4%. In addition, MMV396785 showed a drastic reduction in the surface area and thickness of biofilms. Further investigations at the molecular level by qRT-PCR revealed the downregulation of biofilm-associated genes when exposed to 50 µM MMV396785 in all tested strains. This study identified the novel compound MMV396785 as showing potential in vitro antibacterial and antibiofilm efficacy against A. baumannii.

Searching for Heavy Dark Matter near the Planck Mass with XENON1T

Multiple viable theoretical models predict heavy dark matter particles with a mass close to the Planck mass, a range relatively unexplored by current experimental measurements. We use 219.4 days of data collected with the XENON1T experiment to conduct a blind search for signals from multiply interacting massive particles (MIMPs). Their unique track signature allows a targeted analysis with only 0.05 expected background events from muons. Following unblinding, we observe no signal candidate events. This Letter places strong constraints on spin-independent interactions of dark matter particles with a mass between 1×10^{12} and 2×10^{17}  GeV/c^{2}. In addition, we present the first exclusion limits on spin-dependent MIMP-neutron and MIMP-proton cross sections for dark matter particles with masses close to the Planck scale.

Analysis of the Indian Government's position on the use of asbestos and its health effects

Based on WHO guidance, all forms of asbestos are a health risk. In India, the mining of asbestos has been stopped, but chrysotile (a type of asbestos) is still imported and processed in large quantities. Chrysotile is mainly used for asbestos-cement roofing, and the manufacturers claim its use to be safe. We sought to understand the Indian Government's position on the use of asbestos. To do so, we have analysed the replies of the executive wing of the Indian Government to questions on asbestos in the Indian Parliament. This revealed that, despite a mining ban, the government has defended the import, processing and continued use of asbestos.