Kannur University

Multidrug-resistant Gram-negative pathogens, including Escherichia coli (E.coli) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (K.pneumoniae) represent major clinical concerns due to their potent biofilm-forming ability and associated virulence traits that contribute to persistent infections and antibiotic failure.In response to the growing limitations of conventional antibiotics against biofilm-associated infections, the present study evaluated the antibiofilm potential of the ethanolic leaf extract of Ruellia tuberosa L. (R. tuberosa L.) using in vitro assays and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-guided molecular docking analysis.The extract demonstrated antibacterial activity at the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) level and effectively inhibited biofilm formation at sub-MIC concentrations, achieving 55% inhibition in E. coli at 10 mg/ml and 67.81% inhibition in K. pneumoniae at 20 mg/ml, without significantly affecting planktonic growth.Phytochemical profiling revealed a diverse compound composition, with diethyl phthalate identified as the major constituent.Molecular docking demonstrated stable interactions of this compound with key biofilm-and virulence-associated targets in both pathogens, suggesting interference with bacterial adhesion, biofilm development, and persistence.Overall, these findings highlight R. tuberosa L. as a promising natural source of antibiofilm agents capable of attenuating biofilm formation in multidrug-resistan Gram-negative pathogens.These plant-derived compound may serve as adjunct strategies for managing biofilm-associated infections caused by E. coli and K. pneumoniae, warranting further in vivo and molecular validation.

Aphantasia is defined as the absence or marked reduction of conscious, wakeful imagery. Most of the people with aphantasia live normal lives with intact attention, memory, and intelligence. We are presenting a case of acquired aphantasia presenting as Cotard’s syndrome. A 55-year-old woman presented with a long-standing complaint that she had lost her mind. Formal testing showed absence of visual and sensory imagery and poor theory of mind skills. MRI brain showed subcortical and deep cerebral white matter lesions in the bilateral frontal and parietal lobes. This patient raises the question of how a person subjectively knows that he or she has a mind. And how the clinician can understand whether a person is having a subjective experience of mind-the philosophical problem of other minds.

ABSTRACT This investigation explores the efficacy of Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework‐67 (ZIF‐67), a cobalt‐centric metal‐organic framework, in photoelectrocatalytic hydrogen generation. A comprehensive analysis of ZIF‐67's structural, morphological, and photoelectrochemical attributes is conducted using techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x‐ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer‐Emmett‐Teller (BET) surface area analysis, and ultraviolet‐visible (UV–vis) absorption spectroscopy. The photoelectrochemical performance of ZIF‐67 is evaluated on various substrates, including UV‐ozone treated fluorine‐doped tin oxide (FTO) substrates and carbon paper. This study demonstrates enhanced photoelectrocatalytic performance from ZIF‐67 through strategic substrate engineering. UV‐ozone treated FTO/ZIF‐67 achieves ‐138 µA/cm 2 (five times improvement vs untreated FTO), while ZIF‐67/carbon black delivers ‐390 µA/cm 2 (4 times higher than literature ZIF‐67/BiVO 4 composites). Comprehensive analysis (SEM, XRD, BET: 1416 m 2 /g, UV–vis: 2.03 eV bandgap) reveals how surface hydrophilicity and conductive additives enhance charge transfer, validated by EIS, and chronoamperometry. These findings establish substrate optimization as a powerful strategy for advancing MOF‐based photoelectrocatalytic hydrogen production.

Correction for ‘Label-free electrochemical sensing of Hg 2+ using a Bi 2 WO 6 –DNA nanocomposite interface’ by Sankarkanna Gurusamy et al. , New J. Chem. , 2026, https://doi.org/10.1039/d5nj03874j.

Mapping habitat utilization at fine spatio-temporal scales is essential for understanding various aspects of animal ecology, and for the conservation and management of animal species. A unified approach incorporating habitat structure, composition, and animal activities is necessary for such fine-scale assessments. Here, we introduce a unified activity-based habitat utilization model based on simulations of habitat structure and composition, and map the fine-scale spatio-temporal habitat utilization of an endangered canopy dwelling primate inhabiting the Western Ghats, the lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus). From our simulations, we found that habitat utilization predictions will be enhanced when tree distribution and abundance are combined with height utilization data, compared to when they were assessed independently. This simulation study indicates that for all activities, primary forests provide more suitable habitats for lion-tailed macaques than plantations. Seasonal variation was observed in habitat suitability due to seasonality in the fruiting of trees, as plantations provided more suitable habitats during monsoon, while primary forests provided more suitable habitats in post monsoon and summer. We observed no locomotion routes with contiguous canopy connectivity in plantations, whereas such routes were common in forests. Our simulation-based model has implications for understanding many aspects of arboreal ecology, as it incorporates habitat structure and composition. Overall, our simulations reveal that incorporating habitat structure and composition is important for understanding fine-scale spatio-temporal habitat utilization of arboreal species, and it can be utilized for the conservation of primates inhabiting tropical habitats, where the collection of field data on trees for large areas can be demanding.