This study examined the changing cropping patterns on the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus approach and highlights the gaps in agricultural extension services in western Uttar Pradesh. Data were collected from 100 farmers and 11 other stakeholders through semi-structured interviews. Additionally, participatory rural appraisal (PRA), and focus group discussion (FGD) were used in data collection to strengthen the quality of primary data. Data were analysed and findings revealed that despite numerous government initiatives and a strong network of agricultural institutions, agricultural extension services remain largely ineffective in this region. One finding reflected that 60 per cent of the farmers received information from the Government Agriculture Department, but only 1 per cent adopted innovative irrigation methods related to the WEF nexus approach. Two out of 100 farmers tried to economise water usage in irrigation by efficient surface irrigation. None of the farmers had adopted climate-resilient agricultural practices. Other findings also revealed similar results. The study provided recommendations to strengthen agricultural extension services, focusing on framing policies that align with the WEF nexus approach, which can be implemented by the Governments (Central and State), village councils (Panchayats), and other stakeholders. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

Using Brownian dynamics simulations (BD), we study two-dimensional (2D) barrier crossing of a long passive self-avoiding polymer that becomes active upon reaching the trans side, mimicking biomolecular translocation into nonthermally active regions across membrane pores. We find an analytical time-dependent kink solution or soliton-like solution for a passive Rouse polymer with N monomers crossing a one-dimensional asymmetric barrier, where the average translocation time, ⟨tc⟩ ∼ N. This manifests a kink, a polymer conformation stretched over the barrier that moves along the chain backbone at constant speed, opposite to the translocation direction. The analytical result agrees with our simulation results for passive phantom and self-avoiding polymers crossing a 2D barrier within the l ≪ Rg ≪ L limit, where Rg is the radius of gyration in its free state, l is its Kuhn length, and L is the barrier width. Within the same limit, the partially active self-avoiding polymer with varying self-propulsion forces follows a similar time-dependent kink mechanism at higher trans side monomer activities, which facilitate translocation by pulling the cis side chain segments. Interestingly, for all geometrical limits, the kink mechanism is retained by the partially active polymer at high self-propulsion forces when unbiased. In contrast, the passive self-avoiding polymer translocation deviates from the kink motion as ⟨tc⟩ ∼ Nα, α ∼ 2-2.5, irrespective of the limit of L when unbiased and l ≈ L ≤ Rg in driven translocations. The mechanism provides insights into translocations relevant to living matter and nanotechnology. © 2025 Author(s).

Digital entrepreneurship (DE) merges digital technologies with entrepreneurial activities, fostering innovation, scalability, and competitive advantage. Despite its significance, the field remains fragmented with an inconsistent theoretical framework. Attempting to address this shortcoming, we conduct a bibliometric analysis of 1708 Scopus-indexed articles. We employed performance analysis and science mapping to identify key contributors and thematic trends. Broadly, the findings reveal eight major research clusters, including AI-driven decision-making, sustainability in digital business models, digital ecosystem resilience, and globalization strategies. Applying the resource-based view (RBV), we show that firms achieve sustained competitive advantage through digital resources. Through our findings, we contribute significantly to literature by integrating bibliometric methodologies with theoretical advancements and offering a structured roadmap to enable future research. Moreover, mapping the intellectual structure of DE provides a foundational reference for scholars, policymakers, and practitioners, advancing theory and practice in a rapidly evolving digital economy. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

The instability of hybrid organic–inorganic perovskites (HOIPs) in several electrolytes and the toxicity of heavy metals such as lead hinder their application in many electrochemical devices. Herein, an already existing Ruddlesden–Popper (R–P) structure of tungstic acid variants as a generic framework to achieve ultrastable HOIPs, serving as stable and safer alternatives to lead-based HOIPs in aqueous electrochemical devices, is introduced. An enormous improvement (of the tungsten-based framework) in electrochemical performance is achieved by converting electrochemically sluggish H2W2O7 to oxygen-deficient H2W2O7−δ to leverage a facile and reversible W6+→ W5+ transition along with local defect-mediated H+ insertion/extraction. This local structural modification results in a remarkable pseudocapacitive performance (specific capacitance of ≈622 F g−1 or specific capacity 155.5 mAh g−1 at 64 C) with no observable capacity fade (≈100% specific capacity retention after thousands of cycles) in 0.5 m H2SO4 aqueous solution. To extend the scope of utilization of this R–P phase in aqueous electrochemical energy storage devices, OA2W2O7−δ (OA = octylammonium), a HOIP, which similarly displays impressive EES performance is synthesized. Most importantly, when used as an electrode material, this HOIP exhibits remarkably high stability in aqueous acidic electrolyte. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

Neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's (PD) and Alzheimer's diseases (AD) are linked with the assembly and accumulation of proteins into structured scaffold called amyloids. These diseases pose significant challenges due to their complex and multifaceted nature. While the primary focus has been on endogenous amyloids, recent evidence suggests that bacterial amyloids may contribute to the development and exacerbation of such disorders. The gut-brain axis is emerging as a communication pathway between bacterial and human amyloids. This review delves into the novel role and potential mechanism of bacterial amyloids in modulating human amyloid formation and the progression of AD and PD.

In the MaxSAT with Cardinality Constraint problem (CC-MaxSAT), we are given a CNF-formula Φ, and a positive integer k, and the goal is to find an assignment β with at most k variables set to true (also called a weight k-assignment) such that the number of clauses satisfied by β is maximized. Maximum Coverage can be seen as a special case of CC-MaxSat, where the formula Φ is monotone, i.e., does not contain any negative literals. CC-MaxSat and Maximum Coverage are extremely well-studied problems in the approximation algorithms as well as the parameterized complexity literature. Our first conceptual contribution is that CC-MaxSat and Maximum Coverage are equivalent to each other in the context of FPT-Approximation parameterized by k (here, the approximation is in terms of the number of clauses satisfied/elements covered). In particular, we give a randomized reduction from CC-MaxSat to Maximum Coverage running in time O(1/ϵ)k · (m + n)O(1) that preserves the approximation guarantee up to a factor of (1 − ϵ). Furthermore, this reduction also works in the presence of “fairness” constraints on the satisfied clauses, as well as matroid constraints on the set of variables that are assigned true. Here, the “fairness” constraints are modeled by partitioning the clauses of the formula Φ into r different colors, and the goal is to find an assignment that satisfies at least tj clauses of each color 1 ≤ j ≤ r. Armed with this reduction, we focus on designing FPT-Approximation schemes (FPT-ASes) for Maximum Coverage and its generalizations. Our algorithms are based on a novel combination of a variety of ideas, including a carefully designed probability distribution that exploits sparse coverage functions. These algorithms substantially generalize the results in Jain et al. [SODA 2023] for CC-MaxSat and Maximum Coverage for Kd,d-free set systems (i.e., no d sets share d elements), as well as a recent FPT-AS for Matroid Constrained Maximum Coverage by Sellier [ESA 2023] for frequency-d set systems.

The technique of micro-exfoliation has gained prominence as a highly effective and adaptable method for exploiting two-dimensional (2D) materials, such as graphene Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), Borophene, Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), among others. This paper presents an analysis of optical images and the micro exfoliation technique, focusing on the application to MoS2 and graphene. Additionally, the study investigates the exfoliated sheet of graphene, MoS2, and their hybrid on a (111) crystal plane of silicon wafer. The micro-exfoliation technique employed for MoS2 involves a mechanical process that gently disentangles the layers of MoS2 from the larger crystal structure, resulting in the formation of ultrathin two-dimensional nanosheets. This paper comprehensively analyses the exfoliation processes' mechanisms, emphasizing the intricate relationship between van der Waals forces, interlayer bonding, and external forces. The micro-mechanical exfoliation, a fundamental technique, entails the utilization of adhesive scotch tape to remove monolayers from a large MoS2 crystal delicately. The integration of MoS2 into various applications such as electronics, optoelectronics, sensors, and energy storage devices has been driven by its exceptional properties, including its distinctive electronic, optical, and mechanical characteristics. Furthermore, the ability to adjust the bandgap of MoS2 has created novel opportunities for potential applications in the field of semiconductors. This paper provides a succinct summary of recent studies, that have concentrated on the optical characterization of MoS2 monolayers. Optical and Raman spectroscopy was employed to characterize the 2D sheets of MoS2 and its hybrid materials.