Aquatic pollution has become a major global issue as a result of the gradual increase in urbanization and industrialization. Anthropogenic factors including the release of industrial waste, dyes, oil spills, and other pollutants have affected the quality of water resources. This has resulted in a detrimental impact on the ecosystem and human life. Although some remediation technologies have been adopted for treatment of pollutants, however, they are time-consuming, nonecofriendly and expensive in nature. Hence, it is the need of the hour to introduce a new sustainable method as an alternative to the above techniques. Nanomaterials have recently become ideal for the treatment of wastewater due to their unique properties such as high surface area, chemical reactivity, energy requirements, lower costs and efficient regeneration for reuse. Therefore, the green synthesis of nanomaterials has emerged as a sustainable technology for mitigation of various kinds of environmental pollutions. As contrasting to other conventional technologies, this method is non-toxic, environmentally sound and cost effective. Bacteria, fungi, algae and plants have been exploited for producing a wide range of amides, aldehydes, proteins, antioxidants, flavonoids, alkaloids, and terpenoids, which act as capping and reducing agents for the synthesis of nanomaterials. In this chapter, we will take a glance at the biosynthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) from various natural extracts, as well as their potential applications in remediation of wastewater. Furthermore, the future implications of this technology in improving the quality of human life and the ecosystem by maintaining the quality of water, and constraints will be discussed as well.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia1 and is characterized by the deposition of amyloid plaques and tau neurofibrillary tangles in the brain, which are thought to initiate a cascade leading to progressive neurodegeneration and cognitive impairment. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved lecanemab after it was demonstrated to slow cognitive decline in early AD dementia.2 Because lecanemab and similar treatments work by clearing amyloid plaques and, therefore, are unlikely to help patients without elevated brain amyloid, biomarker confirmation of elevated brain amyloid is required to initiate treatment.3 Although in the past only a small proportion of patients underwent biomarker testing as part of a dementia evaluation,4 the advent of AD-specific treatments will greatly increase the need for biomarker testing because these results will now impact treatment decisions for some patients. Reimbursement of amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) is under consideration; however, it will remain relatively expensive and require highly specialized equipment and personnel, thereby limiting broad-based clinical use. There is great interest in blood tests for AD, which may enable much broader AD biomarker testing, and several tests are now available for clinical use.5 However, no AD blood tests are yet approved by the FDA and they may not be covered by insurance, which currently limits their use. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tests are currently the dominant modality for AD biomarker testing, largely because these tests are much less expensive than amyloid PET, are FDA approved, and are reimbursed by insurance.6 Although lumbar puncture (LP) is safe and generally well-tolerated,7 a small proportion of patients choose not to undergo LP because of perceptions of LP as uncomfortable and/or invasive. A more significant barrier to CSF testing is the need for skilled clinicians to perform LP. A relatively underappreciated issue that may limit the use of CSF testing is the low reimbursement rate for LP.8 Providers lose money on every LP they perform. Most individuals undergoing a dementia evaluation are enrolled in Medicare, and the 2023 national average Medicare reimbursement for an outpatient diagnostic LP (CPT 62270) is $134.87.9 The cost of performing LP largely depends on the salary of the clinician, but also includes supplies, staff salaries, and facility costs.10 The Washington University Memory Diagnostic Center currently holds a weekly LP clinic, with an estimated cost per LP of approximately $193.78 (range $150.03–237.53) (Table 1). One full-day LP clinic with eight LPs therefore loses approximately $471 daily; if the clinic were held every workday, losses could reach $113,000 annually. Notably, ≈10% of LPs are unsuccessful in obtaining CSF and some providers choose not to bill for unsuccessful procedures, which further increases losses. In addition, training new clinicians to perform LP (e.g., nurse practitioners) is costly and an expense that is never recouped. Therefore, increasing the number of LPs to provide sufficient AD biomarker testing is a major financial burden for memory clinics. Clinician (a physician or nurse practitioner) who obtains consent, performs the LP, completes documentation, and manages any complications estimated salary + fringe: $120,000–$300,000 per year Nurse who orders and organizes supplies, sets-up for the procedure, assists with the procedure, and follows-ups with the patient next day estimated salary + fringe: $84,000–$108,000 per year Medical assistant who assists with check in, monitors the patient after the procedure, checks out the patient, ensures samples are sent to the lab, and cleans the room estimated salary + fringe: $42,000–$54,000 per year Administrative assistant who schedules the patient and prepares paperwork estimated salary + fringe: $42,000–$54,000 per year The inadequate reimbursement for LP has likely not been widely recognized because a relatively low proportion of patients have undergone LP, and many of these patients may have undergone additional evaluations that were better remunerated. However, as financial losses accrue with increased numbers of LPs, clinics will be disincentivized to further increase CSF testing. Reduced availability of CSF testing would lead to delays in initiating treatment with amyloid-lowering drugs, which have demonstrated efficacy only in early AD, and could result in patients progressing such that they are no longer eligible for treatment. Some providers may take measures to mitigate the losses from inadequate LP reimbursements. The use of trainees (e.g., residents) to perform LP may be an appropriate training opportunity if the number of LPs performed is relatively low, but if the need for LPs increases this may interfere with other educational activities. Rather than lose money by performing LPs in their own clinic, some providers may unnecessarily refer patients for a more expensive fluoroscopic-guided LP. Some providers may attempt to increase reimbursement by adding unnecessary clinical visits at the time of LP. These approaches may increase out-of-pocket costs for patients, may not be consistent with billing best practices, and could lead to higher overall costs for the health care system. The solution is to reimburse LP at a rate that matches its actual cost. More reasonable reimbursements would encourage institutions to train clinicians to perform LP and set-up efficient LP clinics. It is notable that CSF tests are used in the diagnosis of many neurological conditions, and adequate reimbursement would help providers to make LP more available to any patient who needs CSF testing. The authors thank Dawn Ellington, Maria Carroll, and Deann Gavney for assistance in developing cost estimates. This work was supported by the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation (PI: SE Schindler). Dr Schindler served on a scientific advisory board for Eisai. Dr Bonomi and Dr Gupta report no disclosures. Author disclosures are available in the Supporting Information. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:The capacity of specialty memory clinics in the United States is very limited. If lower socioeconomic status or minoritized racial group is associated with reduced use of memory clinics, this could exacerbate health care disparities, especially if more effective treatments of Alzheimer disease become available. We aimed to understand how use of a memory clinic is associated with neighborhood-level measures of socioeconomic factors and the intersectionality of race. METHODS:We conducted an observational cross-sectional study using electronic health record data to compare the neighborhood advantage of patients seen at the Washington University Memory Diagnostic Center with the catchment area using a geographical information system. Furthermore, we compared the severity of dementia at the initial visit between patients who self-identified as Black or White. We used a multinomial logistic regression model to assess the Clinical Dementia Rating at the initial visit and t tests to compare neighborhood characteristics, including Area Deprivation Index, with those of the catchment area. RESULTS:A total of 4,824 patients seen at the memory clinic between 2008 and 2018 were included in this study (mean age 72.7 [SD 11.0] years, 2,712 [56%] female, 543 [11%] Black). Most of the memory clinic patients lived in more advantaged neighborhoods within the overall catchment area. The percentage of patients self-identifying as Black (11%) was lower than the average percentage of Black individuals by census tract in the catchment area (16%) (p < 0.001). Black patients lived in less advantaged neighborhoods, and Black patients were more likely than White patients to have moderate or severe dementia at their initial visit (odds ratio 1.59, 95% CI 1.11-2.25). DISCUSSION:This study demonstrates that patients living in less affluent neighborhoods were less likely to be seen in one large memory clinic. Black patients were under-represented in the clinic, and Black patients had more severe dementia at their initial visit. These findings suggest that patients with a lower socioeconomic status and who identify as Black are less likely to be seen in memory clinics, which are likely to be a major point of access for any new Alzheimer disease treatments that may become available.

PurposeThe authors provide a general framework of behavior under asymmetric information and develop indices of diligence, objectivity and quality by an analyst and analyst firm about a studied firm, and relate them to the accuracy of its forecasts. The authors test the associations of these indices with time.Design/methodology/approachThe test of Public Information versus Non-Public Information Models provides the index of diligence, which equals one minus the p-value of the Hausman Specification Test of Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) versus Two Stage Least Squares (2SLS). The test of Objectivity versus Non-Objectivity Models provides the index of objectivity, which equals the p-value of the Wald Test of zero coefficients versus non-zero coefficients in 2SLS regression of the earnings forecast residual. The exponent of the negative of the standard deviation of the residuals of the analyst forecast regression equation provides the index of analytical quality. Each index asymptotically equals the Bayesian ex post probability, by the analyst and analyst firm about the studied firm, of the relevant behavior.FindingsThe authors find that ex post accuracy is a statistically and economically significant increasing function of the product of the indices of diligence, objectivity and quality by the analyst and analyst firm about the studied firm, which asymptotically equals the Bayesian ex post joint probability of diligence, objectivity and quality. The authors find that diligence, objectivity, quality and accuracy did not improve with time.Originality/valueThere has been no previous work done on the systematic and objective characterization and joint analysis of diligence, objectivity and quality of analyst forecasts by an analyst and analyst firm for a studied firm, and their relation with accuracy. This paper puts together the frontiers of various disciplines.

We investigate the impact of FINRA 2241 on market quality. We find that FINRA 2241's impact on each of ten systematic and objective market quality metrics - the analyst behavior indices of diligence, objectivity, quality, and accuracy, based on Bhattacharya and Gupta (2023), and six measures of market efficiency based on Bhattacharya (2023) - was economically insignificant.

Phytoremediation is a technique used for cleaning up contaminated soil and wastewater using mature plants. It is the breakdown and transformation of hazardous chemical compounds using plants and microbial communities. It is a commercial method that has been authorized for the management of a wide variety of toxins and the restoration of chemically contaminated sites and it is governed by microbial enzymes. It is made up of two parts, i.e. the root-colonizing microorganisms and the plant species that convert the harmful chemicals into nontoxic metabolites. The pollutants that are possibly remediated by plants include diverse organic compounds such as polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs and Me-PAHs), heavy metals (e.g. Cu, Pb, Zn, Hg, Cr, Cd, etc.), pesticides, and xenobiotics are all classified as constant organic pollutants (POPs). The ability of algae, hairy roots, and plant cell cultures to digest pollutants has been also investigated. Numerous enzymatic processes that contribute to xenobiotic degradation (i.e. dehalogenation and denitrification) result in the breakdown of intricate molecules into simple and nonhazardous products. Certain heavy metals can be accumulated in algae and plants through phytochelatins and metallothioneins binds to complexes with heavy metals later, transport them into vacuoles. Glycosyl, glutathione transferases, oxidases, nitroreductases, dehalogenases, phosphatases, nitrilases, cytochrome P450, peroxidases, carboxylesterases, and O-malonyltransferases are only a few of the enzymes secreted from plants and microorganisms that are implicated in phytoremediation of harmful organic contaminants. Enzymes such as nitroreductases and glycosyltransferases are also involved in the conjugation and transformation of explosives, dehalogenases, and organophosphates. Enzymes peroxidases and laccases found in plants and microbes have a role in plant defense systems, lignifications, and explosives metabolism. The efficiency of phytoremediation is thought to be determined by these enzymes. Furthermore, phytoremediation could be a viable option for decomposing petroleum hydrocarbons, contaminated soils, and sediments by utilizing enzymes found in plants and bacteria. Therefore, this chapter focuses on the advantages of this technology for reducing various pollutants as well as reviews the most essential enzymes involved in phytoremediation, additionally insights into their mechanism.

The immunogenicity and protective ability of recombinant PA (rPA) with two innate immune system modulators, i.e., monophosphoryl lipid A (MPLA), a TLR4 agonist, and recombinant flagellin C (FliC), a TLR5 agonist, were studied in the mouse model. BALB/c mice were inoculated with three doses of rPA + alum (Alum group), rPA + FliC + alum (FliC group), rPA + MPLA + alum (MPLA group), or only alum adjuvant (Alum alone group). Significant increases in anti-PA IgG titers were observed in the Alum, FliC and MPLA groups when compared to control Alum alone group. Similarly, a significant enhancement of proinflammatory (TNF-α, IL-1β), Th1 (IFN-γ, IL-12(p70), IL-2) and Th2 (IL-10, IL-4) cytokines were also noticed in Alum, FliC and MPLA groups compared to Alum alone group. The rPA-specific IgG and cytokine responses in MPLA and FliC groups were significantly higher than the Alum group, suggesting enhancement of immune response by these TLR agonists. MPLA was also found to skew the IgG1:IgG2a ratio towards IgG2a. At a challenge dose of 25 LD50, complete protection was observed in mice of MPLA group whereas lesser protection was observed in FliC (87%) and Alum (50%) groups. Therefore, we suggest the use of MPLA in further development of rPA based anthrax vaccines.

Naphthalene is a simple polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) regarded as a common environmental pollutant. A total number of 16 bacterial isolates obtained from various petroleum contaminated sites of Gwalior (MP), India were screened for their naphthalene degradation potential. Enrichment method was used for the isolation of bacteria by amending the medium with 100 mg l(-1) naphthalene dissolved in acetone. Out of 16 bacterial isolates, only two isolates designated as RS2(3) and GS2 have shown a good naphthalene degradation potential based on maximum tolerance level at 1000 mg l(-1) and growth of the isolates as 0.536 and 0.133, respectively measured in terms of optical density (OD) at 600 nm. The degradation was determined by GC analysis, GS2 showed 73% and 48% degradation, while RS2(3) showed 52% and 29% at 100 and 200 mg l(-1) naphthalene concentration, respectively. The isolates were also characterized for their heavy metal tolerance against four selected heavy metals (Cadmium, Chromium, Copper and Zinc) at different concentrations (0.1%, 0.5% and 1.0%). Out of total 16 bacterial isolates only twelve were found resistant to one percent concentration of any one of the four heavy metals. Moreover, the antibiotic sensitivity of the isolates was also determined against four different antibiotics. These isolates were characterized morphologically, biochemically and identified as strain Bacillus licheniformis JUG GS2 (MK106145) and Bacillus sonorensis JUG (RS2(3)) (MK156710) by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The study infers that Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus sonorensis strains can be helpful to remediate contaminations attributed to naphthalene and heavy metals as well.

Pollution due to the industrialization has increased enormously, especially in the developing countries. Different reliable approaches are being used in the remediation of organic and inorganic contaminants. Microbe-mediated phytoremediation is considered as apotential approach for the treatment of mixed pollutants. Studies have reported that microbes, including bacteria and fungi, exhibit beneficial role in growth promotion, stress alleviation, and degradation. Further, microbes help plant species to survive under higher concentrations of pollutants in the soil. Microbes induce various innate plant growth promoting traits, including phytohormone production, siderophores, and chelating substances, thereby indirectly play a role in the bioremediation and microbe-mediated removal of various pollutants. These microbes mobilize the pollutants in the rhizosphere region of plants, which are then taken up by plants. They also help plants to resist against various environmental stresses. Plants, in turn, release the exudates and enzymes that stimulate biochemical and microbial activities in the adjoining soil, thus supporting the bioremediation. The challenge in future for the expansion of the microbe-based phytoremediation is to develop efficient tools for their credibility in predicting their effectiveness in restoration of contaminated sites. The current chapter highlights the specific role of microbes in assisting phytoremediation and challenges associated with plant-microbe interactions.

INTRODUCTION:Screening potential participants in Alzheimer's disease (AD) clinical trials with amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) is often time consuming and expensive.METHODS:A web-based application was developed to model the time and financial cost of screening for AD clinical trials. Four screening approaches were compared; three approaches included an AD blood test at different stages of the screening process.RESULTS:The traditional screening approach using only amyloid PET was the most time consuming and expensive. Incorporating an AD blood test at any point in the screening process decreased both the time and financial cost of trial enrollment. Improvements in AD blood test accuracy over currently available tests only marginally increased savings. Use of a high specificity cut-off may improve the feasibility of screening with only an AD blood test.DISCUSSION:Incorporating AD blood tests into screening for AD clinical trials may reduce the time and financial cost of enrollment.HIGHLIGHTS:The time and cost of enrolling participants in Alzheimer's disease (AD) clinical trials were modeled. A web-based application was developed to enable evaluation of key parameters. AD blood tests may decrease the time and financial cost of clinical trial enrollment. Improvements in AD blood test accuracy only marginally increased savings. Use of a high specificity cut-off may enable screening with only an AD blood test.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine plastic and virtual purchasing card use by US Government agencies, with particular focus on how successful implementation might inform governmental entities of potential improvements in the cost, quality and time associated with the digitization of their procure-to-pay processes. Specifically, the paper will: analyze the evolution of card-based payments by US Government agencies, compare the value stream of plastic and virtual cards to governmental entities, analyze the value of card use as a significant and sustainable contributor to greater governmental efficiency and examine the opportunity in the portability of successful card technology implementation strategy. Design/methodology/approach The authors examined data published by the US federal government relating to agency budgets and commercial card use and combining it with industry performance metrics, projected potential savings and efficiencies for the government and its agencies. Findings The US Government acknowledges significant administrative cost savings and cash rebates based on its spending on commercial cards. An analysis of US Government spending indicates that changing patterns of card spending are primarily driven by activities of one agency – the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Through the incorporation of advances in card technology, escalation of transaction amounts and leveraging card spending data transparency, the VA has continued to increase its use of and benefit from card technology, while other agencies have languished. By replication of VA strategy, the US Government at large has the potential for billions in card-related savings. Research limitations/implications The study implies that a large swathe of governmental agencies, after having adopted new technology (e.g. purchasing cards), are hesitant to use the new technology, a problem that afflicts most implementation efforts. Countermeasures to offset agency resistance to change should be considered and deployed. Practical implications Taxpayers demand much of government. The burden of governmental failure to exploit the benefits of innovation (such as card technology) falls on the shoulders of taxpayers. When the government cannot exploit technologies that are commonly used in the private sector, the failure lowers citizen respect for the capability of government employees and the ability of government writ large to solve problems. Social implications Governmental failure to exploit the benefits of technology dispirits the citizenry, yielding a desire for change that may be disproportionate to the problem at hand. Originality/value The study combines General Services Administration, US Treasury and market data points to make a unique assessment of the benefits derived through 20 years of governmental commercial card use.

Unprecedented industrial and anthropogenic activities have led to release of enormous pollutants such as pesticides, heavy metals, hydrocarbons, etc., into the environment. The pesticides include a group of chemicals such as herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, etc., used worldwide to control pests, weeds, and crop diseases. The toxic effect of a pesticide varies with time, dosage, organism characteristics, pesticide type, and environmental conditions. The persistence of a pesticide in the environment leads to a life risk; the more persistent a pesticide is, the worse is its impact on ecosystem and mankind. Pesticides in agriculture were generally considered advantageous and no concern regarding the risks associated with these chemicals to environment and mankind existed until the publication—Silent Spring came in which the problems attributed to pesticides were addressed that could arise as a result of indiscriminate use of pesticides. The present chapter also highlights the impact of pesticides on environment and mankind with their possible remediation measures. For the effective management of pesticides other remediation measures such as bioremediation need to be paid more attention for broad-spectrum applications.

Different abiotic stresses, such as drought, salinity, heavy metals etc., are considered as serious threat for agricultural productivity, which have been addressed all over the world. The food crops encounter wide range of abiotic stresses due to the persistence of adverse climatic conditions such as prolonged droughts, excess rains and floods, temperature and heat, excess salinity levels, metal toxicity, and frost damages. The adverse external pressure exerted by a variety of abiotic environmental stresses and different edaphic conditions limit the crop productivity, affect quality of food, growth and development of crop, and it also majorly hinders the global food security. The crop plants need to withstand these limiting factors through their intrinsic biological processes. Therefore, under the continuous rise in climatic alterations, it is important to define and interpret the concept of plant-microbe interaction in terms of protection against different abiotic stresses. In this case, microbes may serve as boon for the alleviation of these abiotic stresses in crop plants. Exploiting the potential of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) is a promising approach to improve stress tolerance in plants. Rhizospheric soil microbes play a pivotal role in mitigating abiotic stresses, beside these are also known as the natural occupants of diverse ecosystem exhibiting enormous metabolic capabilities. The plant-microbe interaction is considered as a cost-effective technique for the management and tolerance of abiotic stresses. Furthermore, PGPRs produce different enzymes, exopolysaccharides, and biofilm layers which are very effective against the abiotic stresses. Moreover, PGPR reduce the impact of drought and salinity in plants through a process called induced systemic tolerance. This includes bacterial production of cytokinins, antioxidants and the degradation of the ethylene precursor ACC by bacterial ACC deaminase. Microbes like symbiotic fungi, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and other endophytic rhizospheric bacteria also have great tendency to mitigate the environmental abiotic stresses. Various kinds of microorganisms are involved in providing tolerance to abiotic stresses directly or indirectly and maintaining the quality of agricultural production. Meanwhile, the current chapter highlights the mechanisms underlying plant-microbe interactions. It addresses widespread concerns about the solutions against different environmental stress factors and mitigation of these stress factors for the sustainable management of food crops.

We provide a general model of due diligence and strategic behavior under asymmetric information and apply this model to an analyst's forecasts about a studied firm. Due diligence requires that the analyst acquire and analyze studied firm-specific information, even possibly information that is not available to the studied firm itself -- we measure Due-Diligence as an increasing function of the empirical likelihood of the alternate hypothesis of due diligence versus the null hypothesis of non-due diligence, using an innovative application of the Hausman Specification Test (of Two Stage Least Squares versus Ordinary Least Squares). We measure Strategic-Behavior using a similar innovative application of the Wald Test. We find that over 1994-2018, Due-Diligence is significantly increasing in first analyst forecast after management guidance, log of difference in days between management guidance and analyst forecast, and log of analyst's experience, and that Strategic-Behavior is significantly increasing in first analyst forecast after management guidance, log of difference in days between management guidance and analyst forecast, and log of analyst's experience, and significantly decreasing in log of mean trading volume, mean bid-ask spread, and volatility of studied firm's equity. We also find that Ex Post Normalized Accuracy is positively related to Due-Diligence and Non-Strategic-Behavior.