Doon University

The present work focused on the low latitude ionospheric perturbation during the 21 June 2020 annular solar eclipse. The study is performed by using Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) derived total electron content (TEC) data from GNSS sites located across the annularity path. The annularity path was divided into four major regions: Africa, Arab, India and Taiwan, corresponding to morning, afternoon and evening local time. The GNSS sites are lying nearly the same eclipse magnitude/obscuration chosen for TEC analysis with two PRNs 06 & 19. The most remarkable finding is the presence of pre-eclipse enhancement in the TEC over the Indian region. The average change in TEC varies as ∼3.0-0.5 TECu (Total Electron Content Unit) during the morning (at Africa & Arab sites), ∼2.8 TECu during the afternoon (at Indian sites), and ∼3.5 TECu during the evening (at Taiwan sites). TEC derived from the COSMIC-2 satellite and global ionospheric maps (GIM) showed a maximum decrease in the evening and morning, while it was a minimum during the afternoon. The O/N2 ratio from the GUVI payload onboard the TIMED satellite shows a significant increase of ∼12% on the eclipse day over the Indian region. Such thermosphere composition changes are suggested to be induced due to eclipse associated temperature change over the Tibetan plateau, which brought N2 down and increased O/N2 ratio, particularly over the Indian region. The enhanced O/N2 ratio, in turn, enhances ionospheric electron density, thus explaining the pre-eclipse effect and minimum electron density change over the Indian region.

The youngest group of travellers, known as Generation Z (Gen Z), exhibits unique travelling and behavioral intentions toward sustainable tourism. Solo traveling, once considered unconventional, has gained popularity among Gen Z, driven by their desire for independence, authentic experiences, and environmental consciousness. However, limited research has explored how destination imagery and social media influences shape their solo travel intentions and pro-sustainable tourism behavior. This study addresses this gap by investigating the drivers of Gen Z solo travel behavior within a sustainability framework. Gen Z is selected for this research due to their distinct characteristics: digital fluency, environmental awareness, and strong trust on social media peer influence. As an emerging dominant force in global tourism, their choices are expected to reshape sustainable tourism practices. Recognizing this, the study examines the effects of destination image and nature-based destination image on solo travelling intentions, and further explores the moderating roles of gender and social media influencer trust. A quantitative methodology utilizing structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed on data collected from 588 solo Gen Z travellers. The findings reveal a strong positive relationship between solo travelling intentions and pro-sustainable behavior. Nature-based destination image proved to have a more significant impact than general destination image in influencing sustainable travel attitudes. Furthermore, social media influencer trust was found to significantly moderate the relationship between travelling intention and pro-sustainable behavior, though it showed no moderating effect between destination image and travel intention. The study offers important theoretical and practical insights for tourism marketers and policymakers in crafting sustainable travel strategies for Gen Z.

The world’s most unique and only lithified parabolic dune field is best exposed in Una-Delvada-Diu region, along southern coastal Saurashtra. The individual dunes are composed of mechanically formed calcium carbonate sediments, formed due to the fragmentation of mollusk shells and coral reefs. Lithification of these well sorted and rounded paletoid sediments by dissolved calcium carbonate has provided very high chemical purity (98% CaCO3). These lithified rocks are part of widespread Quaternary deposits commonly described as Miliolite limestone. The origin of these deposits has been debated in the past. One group believes they are of marine origin, while the others advanced an aeolian origin. The present study considers that all the sediments formed in marine, very high-energy beach environment. However, their deposition took place by both aeolian as well as marine processes. Parabolic dunes and pile-ups on the western and south-western sides of hills were deposited by aeolian processes, during the arid conditions, corresponding with glacial periods. During these periods, sea levels went down and exposed the beach sediments to be transported to interior regions by strong winds. In contrast the intervening humid interglacial periods were marked by the rise in sea levels, flooding of the coastal plains and valley portions, where the inter-bedded sequence of coarse and fine fractions were deposited under rhythmic, agitated and calmer conditions, along with mega fossils of gastropods, lamellibranches and echinoderms. Dominant prevalence of southwesterly winds is deduced during the entire Quaternary Era. It has vibrant white and yellow color, uniform texture, very suitable for intricate carving, easy quarrying along laminations and sawed to desired dimensions. These represent relatively rare, attractive and unique geological features. As deduced from the multi dated satellite data it is seen that the outcrops of the parabolic dunes are vanishing very fast in recent years due to indiscriminate quarrying as well to reclaim agricultural fields. There is an urgent need to identify an area where they can be best preserved as a geoheritage site for future generations. Furthermore, this pelletoid unit is also an excellent heritage stone, being used for centuries in construction of buildings not only in Saurashtra but also in far off places such as Mumbai and Yangon. Scope for linking this site with other geo-heritage locations in its vicinity is also discussed.

Physical volcanic features associated with lava tube, channels, tunnels and effusive centers have been utilized by the ancient artisans for creating some of the magnificent geoheritage sites in the Deccan region of Western India. This region is covered by thick, black, dull luster basalt units with inherent presence of cooling cracks, iron and ferromagnesian minerals. It shatters during chiseling and accelerated weathering gives permanent brownish stains. Thermal baking and induration in zones close to lava tubes, channels, tunnels and effusive centers, has hardened the rocks, sealed the cracks, amalgamated iron and ferromagnesian minerals and attained vibrant shades of red to become suitable for excavations and sculpturing. Remnants of lava tubes and channels, composed of thermally baked, indurated and reddened basalt were recognized as an excellent rock for carving the statues and idols as well as exceptional dimension stone. Degree of baking and induration gets reduced with increasing distance and is also utilized in deciding sculpturing pattern. Hollow cylindrical tubes emptied by draining out of lava in high gradient areas, were found suitable for innumerable cave temples. Saptashrungi temple, at the portal of lava tube; Sita Mata cave, Nasik; Bhartahari Cave, Ujjain; Pataleshwar and Baneshwar temples, Pune; are examples of lava tunnels. Innumerable generations with different religious beliefs, such as Buddhists and Hindus, have worked in tandems for centuries to create Ajanta, Ellora, Elephanta, Kanehri, Karla, Bhaja cave complexes; in favorable regions. Frequent attacks by invaders were resisted; however, large-scale destruction in several cave complexes were repaired by the matching baked and indurated rocks.

Microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) have gained attention as pervasive environmental pollutants that pose a risk to human health. This review provides comprehensive and updated scientific information on how MNPs enter the human body through multiple routes such as inhalation, ingestion, and dermal contact, and circulate through the bloodstream to get deposited in various organs. Its focus revolves around the toxicological effects caused by MNPs on human health, specifically on vital organ systems such as the respiratory, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, nervous, immune, reproductive, endocrine, and urinary systems. Important findings indicate that MNP exposure may result in oxidative stress (OS), inflammation, impaired biochemical and energy metabolism, altered morphology and proliferation, diminished cellular metabolic activity, immune dysfunction, cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, disrupted microbial metabolic pathways, developmental abnormalities, and carcinogenicity. The toxicological effects of MNPs depend upon many factors such as their size, type, concentration, and charge. The review has also highlighted the knowledge gaps in current research. Despite evidence from cellular and animal studies, human studies on the toxic effects of MNPs are limited. Most research has been conducted on specific types of MNPs, however, limited scientific information is available on many commonly used environmental MNPs. Future research should investigate the MNP exposure by considering realistic doses, concentration-dependent toxicological effects, and quantification of its harmful outcomes. This necessitates larger sample sizes and robust analytical techniques to completely comprehend the true toxicological consequences of MNPs on human health.

This work presents the synthesis of CQD decorated TiO2 nanotubes (CQDs/TNTs) from CQD-decorated TiO2 (CQDs/TiO2) using the hydrothermal method. UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-DRS) reveals that TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) have a band gap of 3.02 eV, while CQDs/TNTs exhibit a band gap of 2.89 eV. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis shows that the CQDs/TNTs composite exhibits an increased surface area, average pore diameter, and a greater number of active sites, thus enhancing its photocatalytic efficiency. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results are consistent with the X-ray spectroscopy (XPS), and the Raman studies confirm that the CQDs are decorated on TiO2 TNTs, significantly improving the crystallinity. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results suggest that the decoration of CQDs onto TiO2 TNTs significantly hinders crystalline growth. The composites show excellent photocatalytic activity against methylene blue (MB) and tetracycline (TC) as model pollutants. Kinetic analysis indicates that the photodegradation follows pseudo-second-order kinetics.

For the first time, palladium telluride nanoparticles have been explored for Oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Pd9Te4 nanospheres have been synthesized by using a simple, hassle‐free, and one‐pot method, that is single source precursor route. Palladium(II) complex of a bidentate Schiff base having (Te,N) donor sites was thermolyzed at 220 °C under inert atmosphere to obtain Pd9Te4 which showed excellent potential for OER. It needs an overpotential of only 310 mV to drive the anodic current density of 10 mAcm⁻² and it has shown stability for more than 17 h.

Fossil rodent teeth are well known from the Neogene Siwalik Group of sediments and can provide insights into the evolution, taxonomy, diets and adaptations to various ecological niches. However, data on the microstructure of rodent incisors from the Indian Neogene Siwalik sediments is sparse compared to that on molars. We herein provide an analysis of enamel microstructures (in both transverse and longitudinal sections) of a selected few rodent incisors from the late Miocene (~10–11 Ma) Siwalik sediments at Dunera, Punjab State, north India. Based on the microstructure analysis, the rodent incisors are identified as cf. Progonomys (murids), cf. Democricetodon (cricetids), cf. Sayimys (ctenodactylids) and cf. Tamias (sciurids). The identified cf. Progonomys, cf. Democricetodon and cf. Tamias are represented by uniserial Hunter‐Schreger Bands, whereas cf. Sayimys shows multiserial Hunter‐Schreger Bands. Besides taxonomy, the functional and ecological significance of these rodents have been studied using enamel crystallite patterns because the microstructural change(s) in incisor enamel are generally linked to the variety of diets consumed by these mammals. In our analysis, the absence of modified radial enamel in the incisors of cf. Progonomys, cf. Democricetodon, and cf. Sayimys suggests that these rodents plausibly consumed a soft diet comprising of leaves, flowers, seeds, fleshy roots and insects, while the presence of specialised three‐layered Schmelzmuster in the incisors of cf. Tamias suggests that the rodents may have preferred a diet composed of relatively harder parts such as acorns, walnuts, and hazelnuts.

p>Recognizing Indian Sign Language (ISL) gestures effectively is crucial for improving communication accessibility for deaf community. This study introduces an innovative approach that integrates a Sequential Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) model with MediaPipe Holistic for accurate and real-time gesture recognition. This work outlines a straightforward approach to recognizing Indian Sign Language (ISL) gestures effectively. The process is divided into three steps: Extracting features from data, Cleaning, Labelling and identifying gestures using MediaPipe Holistic. The system tracks landmarks on the face, hands, and body across video frames, capturing essential details such as temporal and spatial features for interpreting gestures. First, the data is cleaned and labeled by removing unclear fuzzy images and null entries. Then after, the processed data is passed into a Sequential LSTM model, which has two LSTM layers and a dense output layer. In the proposed approach, model’s performance is improved by integrating techniques such as early stopping and categorical cross-entropy. The model is trained and tested using a customized ISL dataset that included 11 distinct gestures, and it achieved a high accuracy rate of 96.97%. The framework emphasizes the model's robustness across diverse lighting conditions and real-world scenarios, ensuring its applicability in sectors such as healthcare, education, and public service. By enhancing communication for ISL users, it effectively addresses existing gaps and improves accessibility in these domains.</p

Naturally occurring radionuclides in soil, rocks, and vegetables can be identified and quantified using gamma-ray spectroscopy, one of the most extensively employed techniques. This investigation has been planned and carried out to assess the natural radioactivity due to 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K in soil samples (N = 46) from Kumaun Himalaya, India using NaI:Tl gamma-ray spectrometry. The average values of activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K were found to be 48 Bq kg−1, 42 Bq kg−1, and 2009 Bq kg−1, with standard deviations of 11 Bq kg−1, 11 Bq kg−1, and 156 Bq kg−1, respectively. With an average value of 264 Bq kg−1 and a standard deviation of 30 Bq kg−1, the radium equivalent activity (Raeq) was significantly below the safe limit of 370 Bq kg−1. However, a few samples were observed to have Raeq values exceeding the safe limit. The spatial distributions and the inter-correlations of the measured and estimated radiological quantities are presented in the paper. The contributions of 226Ra and 232Th to radiation dose quantities were observed to be approximately equal, whereas that of 40K was observed to contribute most in this study. The anticipated doses from radionuclides were found to be up to three times higher than the global average values. The outcomes of this study offer noteworthy baseline data for future studies. More detailed monitoring and mitigation measures are recommended to minimize the risk of gamma-ray exposure.

This study aims to improve the lives of visually impaired individuals by developing a wearable device using ultrasonic technology. The system consists of an STM32 ultrasonic sensor and a buzzer that detects obstacles in real-time. The device is securely mounted in the user’s glasses, and the buzzer sounds when an obstacle is detected. This state-of-the-art assistive technology addresses the immediate demands of improved safety and navigation for the blind. This study aims to overcome barriers to daily life caused by scene damage, reducing mobility and freedom. The wearable solution enables the visually impaired to confidently explore their surroundings. The device blends with error-free regular glasses, allowing the user to respond quickly to obstacles. The buzzer notifies the user when an obstacle occurs, providing them with the opportunity to respond quickly. This state-ofthe-art assistive technology can completely change the lives of those with visual flaws, providing additional independence in their daily activities. Innovation plays a crucial role in expanding projects on assistive technology for the visually impaired, providing complete information on wearing solutions. This work aims to create a future of technology that bridges to a freer and fulfilling life for everyone.

In recent years, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming healthcare systems globally and improved the efficiency of its delivery. Countries like Saudi Arabia are facing unique adoption challenges in their public healthcare, these challenges are specific to AI literacy, understanding and effective usage of AI technologies. In addition, cultural, regulatory and operational barriers increase the complication of integrating AI literacy into public healthcare operations. In spite of its critical contribution in enabling sustainable healthcare development, limited studies have addressed these adoption challenges. Our study explores the AI literacy adoption barriers in context to Saudi Arabian public healthcare sector, focusing on its relevance for advancing healthcare operations and achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The research aims to identifying and addressing the adoption challenges of Artificial Intelligence literacy within the public healthcare in Saudi Arabia. The research aims to enhance the understanding of AI literacy, its necessity for enhancing healthcare operations, and the specific hurdles that impede its successful AI adoption in Saudi Arabia’s public healthcare ecosystem. The research employs a qualitative analysis using the T-O-E framework to explore the adoption challenges of AI literacy. Additionally, the Best-Worse Method (BWM) is applied to evaluate the adoption challenges to AI literacy adoption across various operational levels within Saudi Arabia’s public healthcare supply chain. The study uncovers substantial adoption challenges at operational, tactical, and strategic level, including institutional readiness, data privacy, and compliance with regulatory frameworks. These challenges complicate the adoption of AI literacy in the Saudi public healthcare supply chains. The research offers critical insights into the various issues affecting the promotion of AI literacy in Saudi Arabia’s public healthcare sector. This evidence-based study provides essential commendations for healthcare professionals and policymakers to effectively address the identified challenges, nurturing an environment beneficial to the integration of AI literacy and advancing the goals of sustainable healthcare development.

Introduction In recent years, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming healthcare systems globally and improved the operational efficiency in healthcare organizations. The authors examined how an artificial intelligence (AI)–driven operational management system (OMS) affected operational efficiency in health care units in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). They also investigated the mediating role of staff attitudes in the relationship between OMSs and operational efficiency. This research contributes to the field by applying the theory of planned behavior to examine health care professionals’ perceptions of AI-based OMSs and their impact on operational efficiency. Methods To achieve study objectives, a quantitative research design, with cross-sectional survey methodology, was used to gather data from 287 health care professionals across various hospitals in the KSA. The authors used a partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach to hypothesis testing. Results The findings indicated that an AI-based OMS significantly improved operational efficiency and positively affected staff attitudes. Furthermore, staff attitudes mediated the relationship between an AI-based OMS and operational efficiency. Discussion The study finding highlights the dual benefits of AI-based OMSs in enhancing both operational performance and employee satisfaction. The results suggest that health care organizations in the KSA should invest in AI technologies to optimize operational efficiency and improve staff attitudes. The findings also emphasize the need to address employee perceptions to fully capitalize on the benefits of AI implementations. They also introduce staff attitudes as a mediating factor, offering new insights into the interaction between technology and employee engagement.

Traditional multi-secret sharing (MSS) schemes generate random shares to secure secrets, but their noisy appearance can raise suspicion. To address this, we present an advanced $(n+1, n+1)$ MSS scheme that generates meaningful, high-quality visual shares, reducing the risk of detection by attackers. Our scheme combines arithmetic Modulo, discrete wavelet transform (DWT), and particle swarm optimization (PSO), balancing security and visual appeal. The scheme operates through two main processes: the first involves the generation of randomized shares and the embedding of watermarks in the meaningful share generation process, while the second focuses on the extraction of randomized shares or watermark images from meaningful shares and the reconstruction of the secret during the secret reconstruction process. PSO optimizes embedding factors, achieving an ideal balance between imperceptibility and visual quality, often exceeding that of the meaningful cover images. Quantitative assessments with metrics like correlation, mean squared error (MSE), peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), and structural similarity index (SSIM) show marked improvements in both robustness and visual quality of the shared images. This solution addresses the limitations of traditional schemes, providing a secure and visually appealing approach to multi-secret image sharing.

This review explores the development of one dimensional TiO 2 nanostructures, which have garnered significant attention due to their exceptional structural and functional properties. Additionally, it provides valuable insights into the synthesis of one dimensional TiO 2 nanostructures with controlled size, morphology, composition, and properties, as well as their photocatalytic applications for pollution control, compared to zero dimensional and two dimensional structures. Furthermore, the review places particular emphasis on their role in environmental remediation, especially in the photocatalytic degradation of both air and aqueous pollutants. It highlights the transformative potential of these nanomaterials in addressing pressing environmental challenges and advancing future technologies.

In this study, we have examined the oscillatory magnetohydrodynamic Poiseuille flow of viscous blood in a permeable capillary, considering temperature‐dependent viscosity and oscillating pressure gradient. In this updated study, the Brinkman and energy equations were used and solved by Galerkin's finite element method to investigate the effects of some parameters, such as the suction/injection parameter, the Darcy number, the Prandtl number, and time. The outcomes suggest that more suction increases the blood speed, while injection decreases it. In this case, the blood temperature and velocity are decreased with a higher Prandtl number. The volumetric flow rate is proportional to the Prandtl number but inversely proportional to suction/injection. In addition, the Nusselt number has an opposite relationship over time ‐suction/injection and contrast of the Prandtl number. These insights provide an advanced understanding of blood flow behavior in biodynamic applications, including modeling, hyperthermia, and hemodynamic regulation.

Understanding ambient water quality characteristics is critical for identifying the key issues related to water quality and for deriving potential solutions for protecting public and environmental health. Water quality monitoring is used to characterize physical and chemical characteristics, and data driven approaches are often employed for evaluating water quality. However, observation-based data driven approaches pose challenges in decision making because of temporal and spatial variability of water quality, which lead to challenges in decision-making. Combining the monitoring approach with multivariate statistical analysis may provide an improved understanding of water quality of ambient water bodies. In this study, we used rapid and portable sensors to determine water quality of samples collected from four different locations in Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Then, we used a multivariate statistical technique to evaluate spatial water quality characteristics. Four sampling sites with seven water quality parameters produced clusters reflecting different pollution levels. Factor analysis extracted two varifactors explaining a majority of the total variance and representing the dominant water quality parameters. In this study, we used handheld sensors, which are relatively in-expensive, and easy to use with accuracy varying between 5 and 10%, which is comparable to conventional sensors. These traditional sensors are relatively expensive and challenging to use compare to portable the rapid test sensors. The results showed that the average pH of delta water was within permissible limit for drinking water (6.5–8.5 pH). However, the average turbidity value was often greater than the permissible limit for drinking water, which is set to less than 1 NTU. The range of turbidity varied depending on the sampling locations (0.1–7.5). The permissible conductivity value for drinking water is set to 1000 μS/cm, and the delta water conductivity was found to vary between 305 and 6,600 μS/cm. The study presented here conducted a water quality sampling to evaluate the water quality, and demonstrates the capacity and application of multivariable statistical analysis for water quality assessment and identifying pollution factors in ambient waterbodies.

Single sample face and ear recognition (SSFER) is a difficult problem in the area of biometric recognition, as only a single face/ear training image is available. It becomes more challenging when the test images are captured with varying lighting, occlusions, expressions, etc. Virtual sample generation is popular for extending the training set and improving the feature extraction. This paper proposes a novel method for generating virtual samples in SSFER based on HyperBoxes to generate any number of quality virtual samples along with improving classification accuracy. We conducted extensive tests on images from five databases (ORL, YALE, and AR (illumination) face databases) and (AMI and IITD ear databases) for classification accuracy, image quality of virtual samples, and average testing time. During the evaluation, training is done with one of the variations and its virtual samples, and testing is done for the remaining variations in the database. Principal component analysis is used for feature extraction, and a K-nearest neighbour classifier is used for classifying test images. Results show that the proposed method improves the classification accuracy and virtual sample image quality when compared with several state-of-the-art methods for all the databases. The average testing time results are also found to be comparable.

Sophorolipids (SLs) are considered effective biosurfactant for cancer treatment, which can efficiently inhibit the viability of various cancer types including breast, lung, liver, cervical and colon cancers. Their mechanism of action targets apoptosis and operates at the level of caspase enzymes, upregulation and downregulation of the B-cell lymphoma (Bcl)-family proteins, and changes in mitochondrial membrane permeability. The binding of SLs to the cancer cell receptors modulates the expression of Bax, APAF1, Bcl-2 and Bcl-x, and triggers the release of cytochrome c into the cytosol which further activates caspase-3/9 pathways leading to apoptosis. SLs also increase intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level in cancer cells that activates pro-apoptotic JNK and p38 MAPK signaling pathways and induce apoptosis through the activation of caspase (3, 6 and 7) pathways. Recently, the integration of anticancer drugs like doxorubicin hydrochloride into SL based nanoparticles (SLNPs) enhanced stability, biocompatibility, bioavailability, pharmacokinetics and therapeutic efficacy. Besides, doxorubicin and resveratrol conjugated NPs induced apoptosis in resistant breast cancer cells by down-regulating the expression of Bcl-2, NF-kB and efflux transporters. However, several challenges exist regarding the stability of SLs under physiological conditions, targeting specific cancer cells, and their clinical applications. This study provides updated concepts on the formulations and properties of different types of SLs, their mechanism of anticancer action and applications in nanotechnology for targeted drug delivery system.

Marine oil spills have an enormous impact on both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems by contaminating water bodies, disrupting local wildlife, and damaging habitats. The effects can be long-lasting, harming biodiversity and disrupting the food chain. To mitigate this issue, we propose a straightforward yet effective method for cleaning up oil spills. Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework (ZIF) are a class of metal organic framework (MOF) with enormous pore sizes that make it easy for oil molecules to reside within them. This work aims to increase the absorption capacity of loofah (luffa aegyptiaca) sponge by applying a polymer coating of MOF (ZIF-67). Additionally, using loofah sponge as a substrate in composite is a more cost-effective and environmentally conscious option. Using a scanning electron microscope, the surface morphology of the composite was examined, demonstrating the surface roughness following MOF coating was determined. Wettability of the composite was determined by contact angle analysis, which revealed that the composite has a water contact angle of 105.3°, implying formation of hydrophobic composite material. Moreover, incorporation of polyethyleneimine (PEI) was done to regulate the surface energy of MOF which was inspected using surface energy modelling i.e., Zisman and Neumann model. The entire benefits of ZIF-67 may be utilised to create interfacial adhesion for enhanced interfacial strength through the synergistic modification of PEI. Furthermore, the absorption capacities (40.7 g/g − 71.3 g/g), recyclability and regenerability of the composite was determined in this work.