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Recent advances of MoO3 based materials in energy catalysis: Applications in hydrogen evolution and oxygen evolution reactions
This work mainly focuses on the hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction of nanostructured molybdenum trioxide-based materials for energy catalysis. MoO3 is an n-type wide bandgap semiconductor and has the ability to replace noble metal catalysts. Here we summarize the crystal structure and properties of nanostructured MoO3. The work also highlights the recent advancement in electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction, photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction, photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction, electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction, and photoelectrochemical oxygen evolution reaction in MoO3 based materials. 2022 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC -
Family Factors Associated with Problematic Use of the Internet in Children: A Scoping Review
Background: Problematic use of the internet (PUI) is a growing concern, particularly in the young population. Family factors influence internet use among children in negative ways. This study examined the existing literature on familial or parental factors related to PUI in children. Methods: A scoping review was conducted in EBSCOhost, PubMed, ScienceDirect, JSTOR, Biomed Central, VHL Regional Portal, Cochrane Library, Emerald Insight, and Oxford Academic Journal databases. Studies reporting data on family factors associated with PUI in children, published in English in the 10 years to July 2020 were included. The following data were extracted from each paper by two independent reviewers: methodology and demographic, familial, psychiatric, and behavioral correlates of PUI in children. Results: Sixty-nine studies fulfilled the eligibility criteria. Three themes emerged: parenting, parental mental health, and intrafamilial demographic correlates of PUI in children. Parenting styles, parental mediation, and parentchild attachment were the major parenting correlates. Conclusion: Literature on significant familial and parental factors associated with PUI in children is scarce. More research is required to identify the interactions of familial and parental factors with PUI in children, to develop informed management strategies to address this issue. 2022 Indian Psychiatric Society - South Zonal Branch. -
Effectiveness of interventions to address obesity and health risk behaviours among people with severe mental illness in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs): A systematic review and meta analysis
Introduction People with severe mental illness (SMI) are more likely to have obesity and engage in health risk behaviours than the general population. The aims of this study are (1) evaluate the effectiveness of interventions that focus on body weight, smoking cessation, improving sleeping patterns, and alcohol and illicit substance abuse; (2) Compare the number of interventions addressing body weight and health risk behaviours in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) v. those reported in published systematic reviews focusing on high-income countries (HICs). Methods Intervention studies published up to December 2020 were identified through a structured search in the following database; OVID MEDLINE (1946-December 2020), EMBASE (1974-December 2020), CINAHL (1975-2020), APA PsychoINFO (1806-2020). Two authors independently selected studies, extracted study characteristics and data and assessed the risk of bias. and risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool V2. We conducted a narrative synthesis and, in the studies evaluating the effectiveness of interventions to address body weight, we conducted random-effects meta-analysis of mean differences in weight gain. We did a systematic search of systematic reviews looking at cardiometabolic and health risk behaviours in people with SMI. We compared the number of available studies of LMICs with those of HICs. Results We assessed 15 657 records, of which 9 met the study inclusion criteria. Six focused on healthy weight management, one on sleeping patterns and two tested a physical activity intervention to improve quality of life. Interventions to reduce weight in people with SMI are effective, with a pooled mean difference of -4.2 kg (95% CI -6.25 to -2.18, 9 studies, 459 participants, I2 = 37.8%). The quality and sample size of the studies was not optimal, most were small studies, with inadequate power to evaluate the primary outcome. Only two were assessed as high quality (i.e. scored 'low' in the overall risk of bias assessment). We found 5 reviews assessing the effectiveness of interventions to reduce weight, perform physical activity and address smoking in people with SMI. From the five systematic reviews, we identified 84 unique studies, of which only 6 were performed in LMICs. Conclusion Pharmacological and activity-based interventions are effective to maintain and reduce body weight in people with SMI. There was a very limited number of interventions addressing sleep and physical activity and no interventions addressing smoking, alcohol or harmful drug use. There is a need to test the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of context-appropriate interventions to address health risk behaviours that might help reduce the mortality gap in people with SMI in LMICs. The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press. -
Enabling Agricultural Sector through Blockchain Technology Farmers Perspective
The agricultural sectors in India and abroad have been affected extensively due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It is necessary to provide solutions for the availability of resources, controlling the cost, quality in production, transparent food supply, fulfilling demand, and removing intermediaries. The structural reforms in the agricultural sector by adopting emerging technologies, especially blockchain technology (BCT) and the robotics automation process, are inevitable during the pandemic and future development. To study the impact of blockchain on the Agriculture sector, the farmer's level of awareness of the blockchain technology, its methodological influence, the inclination of farmers to adopt the technology in their farming, and agri-related activity are vital. This paper aims to explore the opportunities of BCT in expanding the agriculture sector, ascertain the awareness and intensity of farmers' knowledge of the effect of BCT, and develop the mean difference in the opinion of the farmers towards the utilization of BCT in the relevant field of agriculture. A structured interview schedule was administered with 360 sample farmers from the Delta regions of three states located in the southern part of India, such as Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamilnadu, using a purposive sampling technique intending. Irrespective of the age, gender, land capacity, possession, education level, learned procedures, and abundant experience helped the farmers demand a new technology interface to improve their income level and register their sustainability. 2022 by authors, all rights reserved. -
Reversing Cell Aging - Understanding the Causes and Potential Remedies, a Current Perspective
To retain vigor, vitality and youthfulness has always been cherished as the dream of mankind from time immemorial. Scientists have been on the quest to find out the reasons for aging so that remedial measures can be thought of. With the current pace of developments in this domain, the possibility of extending one's expiry date is not so far off in the future. Through reverse cell aging, the concept of everlasting youth might no longer be a fantasy. Aging is the net result of reduction in the efficiency of physiological activities in our body essentially due to wear and tear. At the molecular level, the reasons for this include telomere shortening, oxidative stress, glycation, protein aggregation, mutation etc. Progressive damage due to these underlying causes result in pathological manifestation resulting in cell aging. The current review focuses on the causes of cellular aging, both genetic and epigenetic and discusses various approaches like telomere reactivation, epigenetic age reversal and hyperbaric oxygen treatment to reverse that condition. 2022 World Research Association. All rights reserved. -
Multifarious pigment producing fungi of Western Ghats and their potential
Concerns about the negative impacts of synthetic colorants on both con-sumers and the environment have sparked a surge of interest in natural col-orants. This has boosted the global demand for natural colorants in the food, cosmetics and textile industries. Pigments and colorants derived from plants and microorganisms are currently the principal sources used by mod-ern industry. When compared to the hazardous effects of synthetic dyes on human health, natural colors are quickly degradable and have no negative consequences. In fact, fungal pigments have multidimensional bioactivity spectra too. Western Ghats, a biodiversity hotspot has a lot of unique eco-logical niches known to harbor potential endophytic pigment-producing fungi having enumerable industrial and medical applications. Most of the fungi have coevolved with the plants in a geographical niche and hence the endophytic associations can be thought to bring about many mutually ben-eficial traits. The current review aims to highlight the potential of fungal pigments found in the Western ghats of India depicting various methods of isolation and screening, pigment extraction and uses. There is an urgent need for bioprospecting for the identification and characterization of ex-tremophilic endophytic fungi to meet industry demands and attain sustain-ability and balance in nature, especially from geographic hotspots like the Western Ghats. 2022 Horizon e-Publishing Group. All rights reserved. -
Process of identity development and psychological functioning: A critical narrative review for the Indian context
Background: Identity is a crucial milestone achievement for adolescents to become contributing adult members in society. This narrative research focused on exploring the link between identity development and psychological functioning and understanding the process of Indian adolescents' and adults' identity development and psychological functioning. Often, the Indian identity researchers use the theories of identity development conceptualized by Erikson, James Marcia and Michael Berzonsky which have been primarily conceptualized to understand the process of individual's identity development in the western individualistic cultural context. These theorists based their theories on certain essential contextual conditions, for the individuals' identity development. This review article critically explored the availability and applicability of those contextual conditions for Indian adolescents' and adults' identity development. Methods: The articles for the review were mainly collected from the online databases such as PROQUEST Research Library, Taylor and Francis, the archives of the Indian Journal of Social Psychiatry, the archives of the Indian Journal of Psychiatry, EBSCO, and Google. A narrative review method was used to examine various elements of the process of identity development conceptualized by the mainstream identity development theorists Erikson, James Marcia, and Michael Berzonsky and their applicability to the process of Indian adolescents' and adults' identity development. Results: The review found that the processes of mainstream identity development theories have some serious limitations in their applicability to the Indian context. Conclusions: This article identified alternative identity development processes and interventions that could be used to enhance Indian adolescents' and adults' identity development. 2022 The Author(s). -
Synthetic approaches toward butenolide-containing natural products
The butenolide scaffold is ubiquitous in many natural products and pharmaceutical active ingredients. These candidates appeal to organic chemists for the synthesis of products with various biological activities. This review delineates the efforts made in the total synthesis of natural products based on the butenolide core unit such as umbelactones, akolactones, ansepcinolide, lissoclinolide, fugomycin, and muricadienin. Many of the reported syntheses involve chiral pool, enzyme resolution, and chiral auxiliary, or enantioselective approaches as a key step. Overall, this review highlights the synthetic methods involved in the preparation of butenolide-containing molecules and aims to increase the profile of such scaffolds to the synthetic community. 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC. -
Ochratoxin A as an alarming health threat for livestock and human: A review on molecular interactions, mechanism of toxicity, detection, detoxification, and dietary prophylaxis
Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a toxic metabolite produced by Aspergillus and Penicillium fungi commonly found in raw plant sources and other feeds. This review comprises an extensive evaluation of the origin and proprieties of OTA, toxicokinetics, biotransformation, and toxicodynamics of ochratoxins. In in vitro and in vivo studies, the compatibility of OTA with oxidative stress is observed through the production of free radicals, resulting in genotoxicity and carcinogenicity. The OTA leads to nephrotoxicity as the chief target organ is the kidney. Other OTA excretion and absorption rates are observed, and the routes of elimination include faeces, urine, and breast milk. The alternations in the Phe moiety of OTA are the precursor for the amino acid alternation, bringing about Phe-hydroxylase and Phe-tRNA synthase, resulting in the complete dysfunction of cellular metabolism. Biodetoxification using specific microorganisms decreased the DNA damage, lipid peroxidation, and cytotoxicity. This review addressed the ability of antioxidants and the dietary components as prophylactic measures to encounter toxicity and demonstrated their capability to counteract the chronic exposure through supplementation as feed additives. 2022 Elsevier Ltd -
Recent advances in functionalization of carbon nanosurface structures for electrochemical sensing applications: tuning and turning
Carbon nanomaterial has garnered interest in the research fraternity owing to the multiple advantages which includes its earth abundance, good electronic conductivity, excellent tolerance to acidic/alkaline media, and very good biocompatibility. Because of the above-mentioned advantages, they have found their way through applications in catalysis, sensing environmental remediation, and biological application. Heteroatom doping and organo-functionalization of carbon materials greatly extends the arsenal of these materials and their potential for a spectrum of application particularly in the field of electrochemical sensing. This review focusses on the creation and development in the design of electrochemical sensors based on the usage of doped and organo-functionalized carbon materials. Emphasis is given on the distinct properties and synergistic effects resulting from functionalization and doping. We hope that this review would throw light into the minds of researchers who would like to tune and turn their work, such that it promotes further activities in this particular field of research. 2021, Islamic Azad University. -
Advancement and Challenges of Biosensing Using Field Effect Transistors
Field-effect transistors (FETs) have become eminent electronic devices for biosensing applications owing to their high sensitivity, faster response and availability of advanced fabrication techniques for their production. The device physics of this sensor is now well understood due to the emergence of several numerical modelling and simulation papers over the years. The pace of advancement along with the knowhow of theoretical concepts proved to be highly effective in detecting deadly pathogens, especially the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein of the coronavirus with the onset of the (coronavirus disease of 2019) COVID-19 pandemic. However, the advancement in the sensing system is also accompanied by various hurdles that degrade the performance. In this review, we have explored all these challenges and how these are tackled with innovative approaches, techniques and device modifications that have also raised the detection sensitivity and specificity. The functional materials of the device are also structurally modified towards improving the surface area and minimizing power dissipation for developing miniaturized microarrays applicable in ultra large scale integration (ULSI) technology. Several theoretical models and simulations have also been carried out in this domain which have given a deeper insight on the electron transport mechanism in these devices and provided the direction for optimizing performance. 2022 by the authors. -
Multifunctional biosensor activities in food technology, microbes and toxins A systematic mini review
Biosensors have its significant applications in various fields, its use in food processing, food safety and food technology has helped to enhance the overall health of the society as it can successfully determine the presence and concentration of different microorganisms including Escheichia coli, Vibrio cholera, Clostridium spp. etc., and also determination of various toxins present in food like acrylamides, benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, xylene, nitrosamines, Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) which are carcinogenic. The preface of biosensors has assisted food industries for monitoring and verification of raw materials, food processing, and composition of the food and assessment of product freshness. Symbolic biosensors have been developed in recent years and yet there is much immediate need for the development of more reliable, cost-effective, sensitive and novel biosensors for rapid detection and identification of food borne pathogens and toxins. Extensive review recapitulates overall food-pathogen testing research market trends, as well as commercialization of biosensors for the food safety industry as legislation creates novel standards for microbial monitoring. Furthermore, the world's concern about the food safety and human's healthcare, the one and only biosensor's exclusive demand is nothing but an alternative in real time diagnosis of diseases causing pathogens. 2022 Elsevier Ltd -
The Puzzle of Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia: From Epidemiology to Treatment
Inherited neurodegenerative pathology characterized by lower muscle tone and increasing spasticity in the lower limbs is termed hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP). HSP is associated with changes in about 80 genes and their products involved in various biochemical pathways, such as lipid droplet formation, endoplasmic reticulum shaping, axon transport, endosome trafficking, and mitochondrial function. With the inheritance patterns of autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, X-linked recessive, and mitochondrial inheritance, HSP is prevalent around the globe at a rate of 15 cases in every 100,000 individuals. Recent technology and medical interventions somewhat aid in recognizing and managing the malaise. However, HSP still lacks an appropriate and adequate therapeutic approach. Current therapies are based on the clinical manifestations observed in the patients, for example, smoothing the relaxant spastic muscle and physiotherapies. The limited clinical trial studies contribute to the absence of specific pharmaceuticals for HSPs. Our current work briefly explains the causative genes, epidemiology, underlying mechanism, and the management approach undertaken to date. We have also mentioned the latest approved drugs to summarise the available knowledge on therapeutic strategies for HSP. 2022 by the authors. -
Carbon Dots from Natural Sources for Biomedical Applications
Carbon dots (CD), a class of 0D nanomaterials, have gained much research attention over the years due to their uniqueness in properties such as tunable photoluminescence, biocompatibility, low toxicity, water-solubility, and chemical stability. Converting inexpensive biomass to valuable materials highlights the synthesis and applications of biomass-derived CDs. This review summarizes the research and development related to the synthesis, properties, and applications of biomass-derived CDs, furnishing a comprehensive list of biomass-derived CDs with their properties and potential applications. This review's discussions and references span the properties that equip CDs for their diverse biomedical applications, such as bioimaging, sensing, drug delivery, phototherapy, and nanomedicine. 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH. -
Nitrogen-doped carbonized polymer dots (CPDs) and their optical and antibacterial characteristics: A short review
Substantial advancements in the field of Carbon Dots (CDs) and their derivatives in recent years can be accredited to their tunable properties. Recently Carbonized Polymer Dots (CPDs) are the emerging form in the CDs family, which possesses a typical polymer/Carbon hybrid structure and properties due to its incomplete carbonization. Alteration of various parameters during the synthesis process suggested that the properties of CPDs depend on temperature and pH. It was found that doping of CPDs using nitrogen enhanced its optical properties, thereby being used as biomarkers. CPDs generally hold a strong green and blue emission, while intense red luminescence was observed doping with nitrogen. Photoluminescence Quantum Yield (PLQY) was also found to increase with the increase in doping and temperature. Doped CPDs find several applications, including bio-imaging, LEDs, etc. In this review, we focus on analyzing the increase in efficiency of CPDs with the process of doping considering optical and antibacterial applications. 2021 by the authors. -
A road map on nanostructured surface tuning strategies of carbon fiber paper electrode: Enhanced electrocatalytic applications
Impressive characteristics of carbon fiber paper (CFP) electrodes propound greater demand in electrochemical applications. CFP has a network structure composed of interwoven carbon fibers (CFs). The macroporous structure, chemical inertness, high conductivity, low cost, corrosion resistance, good electrical properties, mechanical strength, and self-standing capabilities have led to the large-scale acceptance of CFP. This review appraises the current progress of CFP based electrodes for electrocatalytic applications in the field of electrochemical sensors, electrochemical capacitors, batteries, electro Fenton oxidation, electrooxidation of alcohols, water splitting, hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) together with the different fabrication strategies on the CFP substrate in an organized manner. The different modifiers used for surface tuning of CFP addressed in this review are the conducting polymers, carbon-based nanomaterials, transition metal dichalcogenides/phosphides/carbides, and nanostructured metal oxides. 2022 Vietnam National University, Hanoi -
Fungal Mushrooms: A Natural Compound With Therapeutic Applications
Fungi are extremely diverse in terms of morphology, ecology, metabolism, and phylogeny. Approximately, 130 medicinal activities like antitumor, immunomodulation, antioxidant, radical scavenging, cardioprotective and antiviral actions are assumed to be produced by the various varieties of medicinal mushrooms. The polysaccharides, present in mushrooms like ?-glucans, micronutrients, antioxidants like glycoproteins, triterpenoids, flavonoids, and ergosterols can help establish natural resistance against infections and toxins. Clinical trials have been performed on mushrooms like Agaricus blazei Murrill Kyowa for their anticancer effect, A. blazei Murrill for its antihypertensive and cardioprotective effects, and some other mushrooms had also been evaluated for their neurological effects. The human evaluation dose studies had been also performed and the toxicity dose was evaluated from the literature for number of mushrooms. All the mushrooms were found to be safe at a dose of 2000mg/kg but some with mild side effects. The safety and therapeutic effectiveness of the fungal mushrooms had shifted the interest of biotechnologists toward fungal nanobiotechnology as the drug delivery system due to the vast advantages of nanotechnology systems. In complement to the vital nutritional significance of medicinal mushrooms, numerous species have been identified as sources of bioactive chemicals. Moreover, there are unanswered queries regarding its safety, efficacy, critical issues that affect the future mushroom medicine development, that could jeopardize its usage in the twenty-first century. Copyright 2022 Chugh, Mittal, MP, Arora, Bhattacharya, Chopra, Cavalu and Gautam. -
Synthetic Approaches to Diospongins: A Two Decade Journey
Tetrahydropyran units having multiple stereogenic centers serve as excellent building blocks for various active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). In particular, the presence of the unique molecular architecture of the trisubstituted tetrahydropyran (THP) unit in diospongins enhances their biological activity due to multiple stereogenic centers and has attracted attention from the synthetic community over the last two decades. In this review, we discuss synthetic approaches to chiral and racemic forms of diospongins during the period 2006 2020 in chronological order. 2022 by the authors. -
Medicinal potential of the Cape-pondweed family (Aponogetonaceae): A review
Aponogeton (Aponogetonaceae) is an aquatic genus comprising 60 species distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of the Old World. The species of the genus are traditionally used to treat a wide variety of diseases including cuts and wounds, stomach disorders and reviving digestive system, fungal infections, cough, tuberculosis, acne, cancer, diarrhea, dysentery, jaundice, snake bite, etc. A total of 50 compounds have been isolated from Aponogeton species. Essential oils, fatty acids and waxes, ester, quinones, steroids, terpenes and terpenoids, phenols and phenolics are the important compounds present in this genus. In this review, we provide an overview of the taxonomy, molecular phylogeny, biogeography, traditional medicinal uses, phytochemistry, pharmacological activities and tissue culture of Aponogeton. Other aspects such as the use of some species as model plant for studying programmed cell death (PCD) are also discussed. This review on the medicinal potential of the genus aims at attracting the attention of biologists to this phytochemically less explored plant group. The knowledge gaps in different areas of research and future perspectives are also discussed. 2022 SAAB -
Carbon-Based Nanomaterials for Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis: A Review
Early detection and treatment is a successful method to fight against cancer. The use of conventional methods often limits the early-stage detection of the same. Nanotechnology, especially nanomedicine, has become an evolving field in research today. Nanoparticles, with their diverse application in medicine, have grown tremendously. Despite their physicochemical properties, the toxicity of nanoparticles in living organisms has helped the scientific community develop these nanoparticles for cancer treatment. In this review, we highlight the two different types of synthesis of nanoparticles: Top-down and Bottom-up approaches, many instances of various techniques and other inorganic nanoparticles that are good platforms for bioimaging and biosensing applications, drug delivery nanocarriers for specific tumor targeting, thereby reducing the toxicity to healthy tissues and Photodynamic therapy (PDT) and Photo Thermal Therapy (PTT), their mechanism and nanoparticles and examples of their surface functionalization used in cancer treatment. 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.