Simvastatin (SV) is a poorly soluble drug; its oral administration is associated with a significant problem: Myopathy. The present study aims to formulate SV microsponges that have the potential to minimize the myotoxicity accompanying the oral administration of the drug. SV microsponges were prepared by exploiting the emulsion solvent evaporation technique. The % entrapment efficiency (%EE) of the drug approached 82.54 ± 1.27%, the mean particle size of SV microsponges ranged from 53.80 ± 6.35 to 86.03 ± 4.79 µm in diameter, and the % cumulative drug release (%CDR) of SV from microsponges was significantly higher than that from free drug dispersion much more, the specific surface area of the optimized microsponges formulation was found to be 16.6 m²/g revealed the porosity of prepared microsponges. Histological and glycogen histochemical studies in the skeletal muscles of male albino rats revealed that microsponges were safer than free SV in minimizing myotoxicity. These findings were proven by Gene expression of Mitochondrial fusion and fission (Mfn1) & (Fis1) and (Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma co-activator 1α) PGC-1α. Finally, our study ascertained that SV microsponges significantly decreased the myotoxicity of SV.

Sex pheromones play a crucial role in species recognition and reproductive isolation. Despite being largely species-specific in drosophilids, the mechanisms underlying pheromone detection, production, and their influence on mating behavior remain poorly understood. Here, we compare the chemical profiles of Drosophila bipectinata and D. melanogaster, the mating behaviors in both species, as well as the tuning properties of Or67d receptors, which are expressed by neurons in antennal trichoid sensilla at1. Through single sensillum recordings, we demonstrate that the D. bipectinata Or67d-ortholog exhibits similar sensitivity to cis-vaccenyl acetate (cVA) as compared to D. melanogaster but in addition also responds uniquely to (Z)-11-eicosen-1-yl-acetate (Z11-20:Ac), a compound exclusively produced by D. bipectinata males. Through courtship behavior assays we found that, surprisingly, perfuming the flies with Z11-20:Ac did not reveal any aphrodisiacal or anti-aphrodisiacal effects in mating assays. The behavioral relevance of at1 neuron channels in D. bipectinata compared to D. melanogaster seems to be restricted to its formerly shown function as an aggregation pheromone. Moreover, the non-specific compound cVA affected copulation negatively in D. bipectinata and could potentially act as a premating isolation barrier. As both ligands of Or67d seem to govern different behaviors in D. bipectinata, additional neurons detecting at least one of those compounds might be involved. These results underscore the complexity of chemical signaling in species recognition and raise intriguing questions about the evolutionary implications of pheromone detection pathways in Drosophila species.

A starchy food waste containing mainly cooked wasted rice (WR) was exploited for bioethanol production using
novel yeast strains was investigated. Different pretreatment schemes of the waste at solids loading 10%–30% TS
WR (w/v) i.e. enzymatic, thermochemical and combined thermochemical/enzymatic pretreatment, were evaluated
aiming to the maximum liberation of fermentable carbohydrates and their subsequent bioconversion to
ethanol. Fermentation tests of the whole pretreated slurries were initially performed with the yeasts strains that
were identified as Kluyveromyces marxianus isolate V3-19, Pichia kudriavzevii strain YF1702 and K. marxianus
strain TTG-428, and their fermentation efficiencies (FE) were comparatively assessed. It was shown that the
combined pretreatment led to the maximum saccharification, whereas FEs were higher for K. marxianus, V3-19,
exceeding 90% of the theoretical maximum. In the case of the highest organic loading of WR, though, up to 25%
of soluble carbohydrates remained unexploitable after 72 h of fermentation, indicating that kinetic restrictions
occurred in the process. Further experiments with the hydrolysates that were recovered after combined pretreatment,
revealed that the removal of solids enhances the consumption of sugars and leads to complete uptake
for the loading 20% TS WR (w/v).

Appropriate tillage (T) and potassium (K) fertilizer from a suitable source can play a vital role in optimization of wheat (Triticum aestivum) production. Therefore, we evaluated the effect of potassium levels (of 30, 60, 90, and 120 kg K2O ha-1), sources [sulphate of potash (SOP 50% K2O) and muriate of potash (MOP 60% K2O)], and various tillage implement (moldboard plough, chisel plough and rotavator) on growth and yield of wheat in a field experiment during winter 2012-13. Three factorial randomized complete block design (RCBD) with split-split plot arrangement having three replications was adopted where tillage implement was assigned to main plot, sources to sub plot and K levels to sub-sub plot. Plots tilled through rotavator or moldboard and treated with 60 kg K2O ha-1 as SOP produced significantly higher spikes per m2, kernels per spike, thousand grains weight, kernel and biological yield compared to plots tilled through chisel plough and control or plots fertilized with other K levels. Crop growth rate (CGR) was at par for different tillage implements and K sources. We can conclude that rotavator and mould board plough with application of 60 kg K2O ha-1 from SOP source have improved yield and yield components of wheat, and optimized wheat production.

This study investigates the intricate mechanisms that govern irradiation damage in high-entropy ceramic materials. Specifically, we synthesized (Hf_0.2Zr_0.2Ta_0.2Nb_0.2Ti_0.2)C high-entropy carbide ceramics (HECC) with a single-phase rock-salt structure using spark plasma sintering. These ceramics were then subjected to irradiation with 1.08 MeV C ions, resulting in a dose of 7.2 dpa (dpa: displacements per atom) at both room temperature (RT) and 500 °C. To understand the resulting damage structure, we analyzed bulk irradiated HECC samples using Grazing Incidence X-ray Diffraction (GIXRD) and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) at both irradiation temperatures. GIXRD analysis revealed an average tensile strain out-of-plane of 0.16% for RT irradiation and 0.14% for irradiation at 500 °C. In addition, TEM analysis identified a buried damaged band, approximately 970 nm thick, under both irradiation temperatures. By employing the bright field TEM imaging technique under kinematic two-beam conditions, dislocation loops of both a/3 〈111〉{111} and a/2 〈110〉{110} types within the damaged band were observed. Furthermore, our analysis indicated an increase in the average size of the total dislocation loops within the band from 1.2 nm to 1.4 nm as the density decreased. Importantly, no amorphization, precipitates, or voids were detected in the damaged band under both irradiation temperatures. Density functional theory (DFT) simulations indicated that carbon predominantly resides in 〈110〉 split interstitial sites causing lattice expansion, while vacancies, particularly Nb, induced compression along the c-axis. Carbon atoms tend to bond when collectively present in the <110> split interstitial sites, contributing to the formation of interstitial loops.