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To evaluate the prevalence of coronary artery calcification (CAC) on non-contrast computed tomography (CT) of the thorax in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD), assess consistency of CAC reporting and assess incidence of subsequent cardiac events. Patients with known interstitial lung disease who underwent a CT thorax over a 2-year period were retrospectively reviewed. Presence of CAC was assessed using a visual scale for CAC reporting and graded as mild, moderate, or severe by two cardiothoracic radiologists. CT reports were reviewed to determine if presence of CAC had been described. Electronic medical records were reviewed for any subsequent cardiothoracic events from the date of the CT thorax to present. 254 patients were included in the analysis (54.7% men; mean age 59.9 yo). 43.7% had CAC on their CT thorax; however, in 87.3% of those, reports did not comment on its presence. 8 patients had cardiac events; 7 of them had CAC on CT although only in 1 case this was reported. Global CAC and LAD CAC Patients with cardiac events had a significantly higher global CAC (p=0.016) and LAD CAC (p=0.048) when compared to patients without. We demonstrated a high prevalence of CAC in ILD patients and its significant association with adverse cardiac events. Unfortunately, CAC on CT thorax is still largely unreported. As per recent BSCI/BSCCT and BSTI guidelines, reporting of CAC should become part of routine practice, as may prompt prevention and impact on patients outcome. • Coronary artery calcification is often unreported on CT thorax. • Visually detected coronary artery calcification on CT thorax is associated with future cardiovascular events. • Routine coronary artery calcification reporting on CT thorax in ILD patients may prevent adverse cardiac events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pulses constitute the major source of dietary protein; therefore, it has ability to fulfil required protein recommended dietary allowance for vegetarian population of India. Pulse crop attack more than 200 insect pests and inflicting heavy damages at different growth stages that lead to significant economic losses to the farmers. The studies were conducted on green gram to find out the effective control measure of different crop stages against insect pests complex in green gram. Methods: The field experiment was laid out in a randomized block design and the consist 12 treatments with seed treatment and foliar sprays of insecticides at 50 per cent flowering stages then these treatments were replicated thrice at both years 2017 and 2018. Result: The experiments concluded that the reduction of sucking pests population like thrips, jassid and whitefly and larval population of Maruca vitrata and Helicoverpa armigera was found in seed treated with imidacloprid 48 FS and spray of flubendiamide at 50 per cent flowering stage in green gram with Rs. 10,678 net profit and 1:1.42 cost-benefit ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The frequency of nodal–paranodal antibodies in HIV‐infected patients with chronic immune‐mediated radiculo‐neuropathies (IMRN) has not been previously described. Methods: HIV‐infected patients who met the inclusion criteria for chronic IMRN were screened for immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies directed against nodal (neurofascin (NF)186) and paranodal (NF155, contactin‐1 (CNTN1) and contactin‐associated protein(Caspr1)) cell adhesion molecules, using a live, cell‐based assay. To explore potential pathogenicity, binding of human IgG to myelinated co‐cultures was assessed by incubation with patients' sera positive for nodal or paranodal antibodies. Normal human serum was added as a source of complement to assess for complement activation as a mechanism for myelin injury. Results: Twenty‐four HIV‐infected patients with IMRN were included in the study, 15 with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), 4 with ventral root radiculopathies (VRR), and 5 with dorsal root ganglionopathies (DRG). Five patients with CIDP had combined central and peripheral demyelination (CCPD). Three patients (12.7%) tested positive for neurofascin IgG1 antibodies in the following categories: 1 patient with VRR was NF186 positive, and 2 patients were NF155 positive with DRG and mixed sensory‐motor demyelinating neuropathy with optic neuritis, respectively. Conclusion: The frequency of nodal–paranodal antibodies is similar among IMRN regardless of HIV status. Interpretation of the results in the context of HIV is challenging as there is uncertainty regarding pathogenicity of the antibodies, especially at low titres. Larger prospective immune studies are required to delineate pathogenicity in the context of HIV, and to establish a panel of antibodies to predict for a particular clinical phenotype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The ameliorating effect of legumes on the soil is considered to be the most important factor for increasing productivity of non-legume crops grown in rotation. The contribution of preceding legumes is often studied by measuring the yield of subsequent crop. The success of any cropping system depends upon the appropriate management of resources including balanced use of manures and fertilizers. Methods: A field experiment was conducted at the Agronomy Farm, B. A. College of Agriculture, Anand Agricultural University, Anand, Gujarat, India during Rabi - Summer seasons of the years 2017-18 and 2018-19 on chickpea-forage sorghum cropping system. Result: Results showed that the growth, yield attributes and yield of chickpea were significantly influenced by the integrated nutrient management. On the basis of two year and pooled data, the results revealed that the plant height, dry matter production, dry root biomass, number of pods plant-1, seed yield and stover yield of chickpea were increased with application of 50% RDF + 2 t VC ha-1 + Bio NP (Rhizobium + PSB) than any other treatments. The ameliorating effect of legumes on the soil is considered to be the most important factor in improving the production of non-legume crops grown in rotation. The contribution of preceding legumes is often studied by measuring the yield of subsequent crop. The success of any cropping system depends upon the appropriate management of resources including balanced use of manures and fertilizers. It can be concluded that growth and yield of chickpea was significantly increased with combine application of chemical fertilizers, organic manure and bio-fertilizers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic evolution of the enzyme endo-β-1,4-glucanase leads to different biochemical phenotypes. These changes, which are essentially the result of molecular advancement, are more related to natural selection, causing deviations in biochemical activities and the evolution of enzymatic activity. We used phylogenetic analysis to identify evolutionary links between several types of species, including bacteria, fungi, algae, cyanobacteria, and plants, using amino acid sequences of endo-β-1,4-glucanases. From the different sequences, secretory signaling peptides involved in the secretion of endo-β-1,4-glucanases were predicted, and their phylogenetic analysis was performed. Furthermore, we find many functional domains in the molecular structure. Our results indicate that endo-β-1,4-glucanase genetically mutated protein families and superfamilies, single or multiple copies of carbohydrate-binding modules, hydrolytic domain types, and different types of signal peptides are present in diverse taxa. Altogether, we were able to identify a group of phylogenetically distinct endo-β-1,4-glucanase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Fractures of the metaphyseal part of the tibia are among the common fractures encountered in orthopaedic patients. The stabilisation of fractures of the proximal and distal tibia is associated with a high incidence of malalignment. Aims and objective: To evaluate the use of poller screws as supplement to fixation of metaphyseal fractures of tibia with intramedullary nails and to describe technique, results and complications of operative stabilization of metaphyseal fractures of tibia treated with intramedullary nails and poller screw. Material and Methods: This prospective study comprised of 42 patients with metaphyseal fractures of tibia at either proximal or distal end or both [segmental] was carried out between 1st april 2016 and 31 August 2017. Results: Most patients were in the age group of 18-30 years with male predominance. Most patients had fractured their left tibia. 54.3% of the total subjects had closed fractures and 45.7 % had open fractures. 60% of the total subjects had distal fractures, 34.3% proximal tibia fracture and 5.7% segmental fractures involving either proximal or distal part. Pre-operative period of 25 patients showed anterior angulation with varus to valgus ratio of 2:1, while 8 patients showed posterior angulation with varus and valgus malalignment of 7:1. In the intra-operative period, a single blocking screw was sufficed in 28 patients to achieve reduction (80%) while two blocking screws were used in 7 subjects (20% reduction). Postoperatively twenty nine patients (83%) were in the acceptable range of <5°out of which 22 patients had a varus-valgus deformity of <3° and 9 had a varus deformity of 3-5°. Three patients were malaligned to >5° of deformity. Thirty four patients had an antevertum-recurvatum deformity of either equal to 3or less than 3°, and one patient had >5° procurvatum. Functional outcome was excellent in 6 cases (17%), good in 13 cases (37.1%), satisfactory in 14 cases (21.81%), moderate in 1 (2.9%) and poor in 1 case (2.9%). Conclusion: Interlocking nailing in proximal & distal metaphyseal tibial fractures remains a challenge because of the disproportionate diameter of the intramedullary canal in the metaphysis. Mismatch between the diameters of the nail and the medullary canal, with no nail-cortex contact, the nail may translate laterally along coronally placed locking screws and increased stress is placed on the locking holes to maintain fracture alignment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Alcohol consumption causes a spectrum of liver abnormalities and leads to over 3 million deaths per year. Alcoholic hepatitis (AH) is a florid presentation of alcoholic liver disease characterized by liver failure in the context of recent and heavy alcohol consumption. The aim of this study is to explore the potential benefits of the IL-1β antibody, canakinumab, in the treatment of AH.Methods: This is a multicentre, double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial. Participants will be diagnosed with AH using clinical criteria. Liver biopsy will then confirm that all histological features of AH are present. Up to 58 participants will be recruited into two groups from 15 centres in the UK. Patients will receive an infusion of Canakinumab or matched placebo by random 1:1 allocation. The primary outcome is the difference between groups in the proportion of patients demonstrating histological improvement and will compare histological appearances at baseline with appearances at 28 days to assign a category of "improved" or "not improved". Patients with evidence of ongoing disease activity will receive a second infusion of canakinumab or placebo. Participants will be followed up for 90 days. Secondary outcomes include mortality and change in MELD score at 90 days.Discussion: This phase II study will explore the benefits of the IL-1β antibody, canakinumab, in the treatment of AH to provide proof of concept that inhibition of IL-1β signalling may improve histology and survival for patients with AH.Trial Registration: EudraCT 2017-003724-79 . Prospectively registered on 13 April 2018. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Deep serratus anterior plane block has been widely adopted as an analgesic adjunct for patients undergoing breast surgery, but robust supporting evidence of efficacy is lacking. We randomly allocated 40 patients undergoing simple or partial mastectomy with sentinel node biopsy to receive either a pre‐operative deep serratus anterior plane block (serratus group) or a placebo injection (sham group), in addition to systemic analgesia. The primary outcome measure was the quality of recovery score at discharge, as assessed by the quality of recovery‐15 questionnaire at various time‐points. Secondary analgesic outcomes included: pain severity; postoperative opioid consumption; opioid‐related side‐effects; patient satisfaction up to 7 days postoperatively; and persistent postoperative pain up to 3 months after surgery. All patients who were recruited completed the study. There were no differences in the quality of recovery‐15 scores between patients in the serratus and control groups, with mean (SD) scores of 96 (14) and 102 (20) for the control and serratus groups, respectively. We were also unable to detect differences in any of the secondary analgesic outcomes examined. The addition of a deep serratus anterior plane block to systemic analgesia does not enhance quality of recovery in patients undergoing ambulatory breast cancer surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy is considered as next alternative to fossil fuels and nowadays, it attracts much attention in agriculture and environmental protection. Application of solar photovoltaic system is drying and dehydration of products, heating, irrigation, greenhouse and power generation etc. Temperature and sun radiation varies nonlinearly. Power generation varies with reference to radiation and temperature in photo-voltaic (PV) system. PV characteristic is nonlinear and PV cell is the basic unit for electricity generation. To get the characteristic response of PV, it aimed to develop a solar cell/panel model and array on a platform like MATLAB. In this research paper, step by step procedure has been defined for modelling solar cell, panel, and array models of the photovoltaic system. Kyocera solar KC-200GT 200W solar panel is used as a reference model for further modelling. The PV array characteristic are simulated for different irradiance(200W/m²,400 W/m², 600 W/m², 800W/m², 1000W/m²)and temperature variation(25°C, 35°C, 45°C, 55°C, 75°C). The output characteristic of the reference model matches with simulated results. The output reduced when the solar irradiation reduced from 1000 to 200 W/m². As the temperature increased, the output voltage decreases, whereas the output current increases slightly. This model would be useful for investigating the effect of different parameters like series resistance, shunt resistance, thermal voltage, solar cell temperature coefficient of short circuit current etc. It would also be useful for investigating the working parameters like temperature & radiation condition and different series and parallel combinations of panels. This modelling is useful in investigating the performance of solar arrays in different applications of solar power generation, as well as modelling provides a major role in the mounting of PV panels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to examine the medical literature regarding the natural history and management of keratosis obturans. Method: PubMed was queried via the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses protocol, and the methodological quality of each study was assessed using the Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies criteria. Results: Fifty-one studies were abstracted, and dual investigator screening resulted in five retrospective studies for final analysis. All studies included patients afflicted with either unilateral (n = 75) or bilateral keratosis obturans (n = 8). The definition of keratosis obturans was present in three studies: a desquamated keratin plug within the external auditory canal. Mean and median Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies scores were 9.5 and 9.5, respectively. All patients underwent keratosis obturans exenteration with microscopy. Two studies reported an outcome instrument to evaluate endpoints: marked stillette and audiometry. No complications were observed with follow-up periods from 3 weeks to 3.5 years. Conclusion: This comprehensive review highlights a lack of published evidence relating to keratosis obturans. However, it appears keratosis obturans treatment is safe and efficacious with identifiable clinical practice patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The global burden associated with common mental disorders is high, especially for people living in low resource settings. Although psychosocial interventions delivered by locally available lay or community health workers are effective, mechanisms of intervention response are poorly understood. One of the greatest barriers is that psychosocial interventions are administered as complex, multi-component "packages of care". Objectives: Our aim is to systematically review all the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that have tested the efficacy of psychosocial interventions delivered through the task shifting modality to treat people suffering from common mental disorders (depression, anxiety, and related somatic complaints) in low resource settings, dismantle the intervention protocols creating a taxonomy of active intervention components, and re-evaluate their efficacy. Methods: We will use the component network meta-analysis (cNMA) methodology. The major benefit of cNMA is the possibility to disentangle intervention components and explore their effectiveness separately or in various combinations (even in disconnected networks). cNMA increases statistical power by combining direct and indirect comparisons while fully respecting the randomized structure of the evidence. According to the additive cNMA model which we will implement, adding a component "c" to a composite intervention "X" will lead to an increase (or decrease) of the effect size by an amount only dependent on "c", and not on "X". We will denote the corresponding component specific incremental standard mean difference (iSMD) so that iSMDc = SMD(X+c) v. (X). Combining these component-specific iSMDs will allow the estimation of SMD between any two composite interventions. Results: A network of comparisons and a hierarchy that includes all intervention components expressed as iSMD, indicating the added benefit of adding a component to an intervention, will be presented. By selecting the most effective components it will be possible to outline a novel task shifting psychosocial intervention to be tested in future RCTs. Conclusions: These findings will set the basis for further investigations in the field of precision medicine. This project is funded by the European Union's HORIZON EUROPE research programme under grant agreement No 101061648. Disclosure of Interest: None Declared [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the treatment of diabetes mellitus, a new formulation containing remogliflozin etabonate (REMO) and metformin HCl (MET) has recently been approved. This study is aimed to develop simple and quick RP-UHPLC methods for measuring REMO and MET simultaneously. REMO and MET chromatographic separation were carried out on a Zorbax Eclipse Plus C18 (150×4.6 mm, 5 µm) column with acetonitrile: phosphate buffer (pH: 3) (60:40 %, v/v) mobile phase, 10 µl sample volume and 1.0 ml/min flow rate at 230 nm in a diode array detector. REMO had a 99.51 % average percent assay, while MET had a 99.60 % average percent assay. The methods projected were simple, precise, accurate, and fast. They can also be used to verify the consistency of REMO and MET formulations regularly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of radiation-induced toxicities is a multifactorial process. Existing DVH-based prediction models use traditional multivariate analysis to combine all the potential risk factors. Recently, deep learning (DL) has been proposed for predicting mandibular osteoradionecrosis (ORN) directly from 3D dose distribution maps [1]. However, with this approach, incorporating non-imaging data such as potential risk factors presents challenges. We investigate the use of DL-based multimodality fusion for the purpose of radiation-induced ORN toxicity prediction. This study explores early and late fusion strategies for combining 3D radiation dose distribution maps and clinical and demographic variables in the prediction of mandibular ORN incidence in head and neck cancer patients treated with radiotherapy. The results are compared to single-modality predictions with a random forest (RF) trained only on clinical variables and a 3D DenseNet40 trained on dose maps alone. We investigate two different fusion approaches. In the first, the image features extracted from the radiation dose maps using a 3D DenseNet40 were concatenated with the clinical variables into one single vector using a type II early fusion strategy. The combined feature vector was input into a fully connected layer for classification of ORN vs. controls. A final softmax activation layer was added to obtain the class predicted probabilities. The second approach used a late fusion strategy, in which the outputs from the 3D DenseNet40 and the RF model were combined by averaging the predicted classification probabilities for each of the two classes (ORN and no ORN) to obtain the final class decision on a case-by-case basis. The AUROC values obtained for the late and early fusion models and the single-modality 3D DenseNet40 and RF models were 0.70, 0.68, 0.69 and 0.60, respectively. The highest AUC ROC was observed with the late fusion approach, which was statistically significantly different to that of the RF single-modality model with a significance level of 0.05. However, after Bonferroni correction (Altman 1999) for multiple comparisons was applied, resulting in a corrected significance level of 0.05/6 = 0.008 for each comparison, no statistically significant difference was observed between any of the models' AUROC values. This is most likely due to the lack of discriminative contribution observed from clinical variables, which on their own resulted in a poorly predictive RF model. To our knowledge, no previous work has been published on the use of multimodal fusion DL methods to combine dose distribution maps and clinical variables in the prediction of mandibular ORN. Although non-conclusive results were obtained, this study demonstrates the potential of DL in the prediction of the multifactorial side effects resulting from radiotherapy treatments. [1] Humbert-Vidan L et al. Prediction of Mandibular ORN Incidence from 3D Radiation Dose Distribution Maps Using DL (2022) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wood adhesives were made using defatted soy flour, casein, sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and ethylene diamine. These eco-friendly wood adhesives are used to substitute formaldehyde-derived adhesives in order to decrease formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds emissions from the adhesives that are utilised in plywood. The features of adhesively-glued wood joints in terms of performance such as tensile strength, water resistance and chemical resistance were gauged in this study. The results revealed that adhesives showing good performance and eco-friendly adhesive system was prepared for wood joints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aluminum surface composites have gained huge importance in material processing due to their noble tribological characteristics. The reinforcement of solid lubricant particles with hard ceramics further enriches the tribological characteristics of surface composites. In the current study, friction stir processing was chosen to synthesize hybrid surface composites of aluminum containing B4C and MoS2 particles with anticipated improved tribological behavior. B4C and MoS2 powder particles in 87.5: 12.5 ratio were reinforced into the AA6061 by hole and groove method. Microstructural observations indicated that reinforcement particles are well distributed in the matrix. The hardness and wear resistance of hybrid surface composites improved as compared to the base material, due to well distributed abrasive B4C and solid lubricant MoS2 particles in AA6061. The hybrid surface composites achieved ∼32 % increased average hardness as compared to the base material. Hole method revealed ∼13 % better wear resistance compared to the groove method for friction stir processed hybrid surface composite, attributing to an improved homogeneity of particle distribution shown by zigzag hole pattern. Moreover, friction stir processed AA6061 without reinforcement particles exhibited reduced hardness and wear resistance due to loss of strengthening precipitates during multi‐pass friction stir processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To be able to track the deformation of fibers in composite laminates subject to high strain bending and to study any changes that occur due to elevated temperature hold, an experimental technique using micron scale X-ray computed tomography (micro-CT) was developed and is reported here. A lab based X-ray micro-CT system with resolution as low as 0.7 μ m was used to scan an approximately 0.76 × 0.76 × 0.27 mm volume of a 0.27 mm thick unidirectional carbon fiber/epoxy matrix composite laminate. Long scans of 16 hours at low energy, 40 kV, were needed to yield low noise, clear CT images. The laminate is bent to a radius of curvature of approximately 8.2 mm and held statically in a 3D printed fixture. Since the fixture is in the beam path it is important that it have low and uniform X-ray absorption. Several materials were tried, resulting in the choice of polyamide for the 3D printed fixture. Treating fiber cross sections as particles and adapting an algorithm designed for tracking particle trajectories, individual fibers in the deformed state are identified and their coordinates mapped out. Analysis of the fibers shows no measurable change to the fiber curvatures before and after being held at 80 ∘C for one hour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Timely detection of fatigue cracks is necessary to avoid catastrophic failure of rotating machines which can lead to economical losses and accidental risk. This paper presents an exhaustive literature survey on theoretical and experimental vibration analysis of the rotating shaft in the presence of crack. Various non-destructive methods adopted by several researchers for crack detection in rotating machinery have been discussed. The vibration-based crack detection methods such as vibration-based diagnostics methods and vibration-based signal processing techniques have been broadly categorized along with their advantages and disadvantages. In general, various methodologies such as breathing mechanism, finite-element method, Hilbert–Huang transform, artificial intelligence techniques, wavelet transform and wavelet finite-element transform have been applied to investigate the presence of crack in the rotating shaft. The parameters such as natural frequencies, 1 × , 2 × and 3 × harmonic components of dynamic response, critical speeds and whirl orbits have been significantly influenced due to the presence of crack in the rotating shaft. Several studies have been carried out to study variations in these parameters. Still, there is a need of more reliable and accurate modelling approach to detect variations in these parameters. In this paper, an attempt has been made to deliver all the modelling approaches implemented by the various researchers to detect crack within the rotating shaft. The modelling approaches are categorized based on the methodologies adopted by the various researchers to detect crack. Moreover, the critical observations made from the proposed modelling approaches are summarized and presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultralow dielectric constant pSiCOH films have been prepared using tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane (TMCTS) as the skeleton precursor and two different porogen precursors. The porogen has been removed from the deposited films by thermal annealing at 400 °C, obtaining films with dielectric constants down to 1.95. The films have been investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and n&k optical measurements of the refractive index (n) and the electrical characteristics have been measured on metal-insulator-semiconductor structures. It was found that the properties of the annealed films depend on the deposition temperature and used porogen, different concentrations of porogens in the plasma feed being required to obtain the same final dielectric constant. The efficiency of porogen incorporation in the films prepared from TMCTS was very low and was dependent on the selected porogen precursor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low dielectric constant (k) of plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposited SiCOH films has been attributed to porosity in the films. We have shown previously that the dielectric constant of such materials can be extended from the typical k values of 2.7–2.9 to ultralow-k values of k=2.0. The reduction in the dielectric constants has been achieved by enhancing the porosity in the films through the addition of an organic material to the SiCOH precursor and annealing the films to remove the thermally less-stable organic fractions. In order to confirm the relation between dielectric constant and film porosity the latter has been evaluated for SiCOH films with k values from 2.8 to 2.05 using positron annihilation spectroscopy, positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy, small angle x-ray scattering, specular x-ray reflectivity, and ellipsometric porosimetry measurements. It has been found that the SiCOH films with k=2.8 had no detectable porosity, however the porosity increased with decreasing dielectric constant reaching values of 28%–39% for k values of 2.05. The degree of porosity and the pore size determined by the dissimilar techniques agreed within reasonable limits, especially when one takes into account the small pore size in these films and the different assumptions used by the different techniques. The pore size increases with decreasing k, however the diameter remains below 5 nm for k=2.05, most of the pores being smaller than 2.5 nm. © 2003 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study that investigated the feasibility of preparing materials by conventional parallel-plate plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process and processing the film at a desired temperature. Experimental setup of the study; Composition and optical properties of deposited films; Index of refraction and optical gap; Values of the dielectric constants.

Solvent-tolerant lipase produced by Bacillus sp. DM9K3 has been isolated from the hypersaline area, White Rann of Kachchh, Gujarat, India. The strain initially showed lipase activity of 11.1 U/mL in a basal medium which increased to 52.0 U/mL under optimized culture conditions. Bacillus sp. DM9K3 exhibited stability at 7% salinity, pH 9.0 and 50°C. The extracellular lipase was partially purified by acetone precipitation followed by DEAE-cellulose resulting in 39-fold purification with 40% yield. Metals ions such as Mg2+, Ca2+ and K+ showed enhanced enzyme activity. EDTA did not have a significant effect on activity suggesting that lipase is not metalloenzyme. The lipase under study showed the highest activity when palmitate (C16) was used as a substrate and was also highly stable in organic solvents such as cyclooctane and benzene. The partially purified enzyme was immobilized for increasing the efficiency of the ethyl caprylate (an orange flavored ester) synthesis in the presence of cyclooctane. Additionally, lipase of Bacillus sp. DM9K3 was explored for biodegradation of polycaprolactone microspheres and showed promising results for potential applications in drug delivery system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Elder abuse has devastating consequences such as poor quality of life, psychological distress and loss of property and security. Abuse of elderly patients with depression has not been adequately researched in India. Aims: To explore the prevalence and predictors of abuse and its relation to various sociodemographic variables in elderly patients with depression. Settings and Design: A cross-sectional, observational study carried out at a tertiary care centre in Jamnagar. Methods and Materials: In all, 100 elderly patients with depression, attending Out Patient Department of Psychiatry at Shree M. P. Shah Government Medical College and Guru Gobind Singh Hospital, Jamnagar, were selected using simple random sampling by lottery method. Actual Abuse Tool and Elder Abuse Suspicion Index were used to detect abuse. Geriatric Depression Scale was used to assess depression, and Mini Mental State Examination was used to rule out dementia. Statistical Analysis: Descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, and binary logistic regression were used. Results: The prevalence of abuse was 24%. Among those who had experienced abuse, 50% had experienced psychological abuse, 17% had experienced neglect, 8% had experienced exploitation and 4% had experienced physical abuse. About 54% of patients with severe depression had experienced abuse. Daughters-in-law (54%) and sons (42%) were the most common perpetrators. Illiteracy and severe depression were found to be the predictors of abuse. Conclusion: Prevalence of abuse in elderly patients with depression is high. Severe depression and illiteracy are important predictors of experiencing abuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new, accurate and precise high performance thin layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method has been developed for simultaneous analysis of metformin hydrochloride and teneligliptin in tablet formulation. The chromatographic separations were achieved on TLC plates precoated with silica gel G60 F254 and the plates were developed with 0.5% ammonium acetate-n propanol-ammonia (4.5:5:0.5, v/v/v) as mobile phase. Detection and evaluation of chromatograms were performed densitometrically at 252 nm. The retention factor of metformin hydrochloride and teneligliptin was found to be 0.2 and 0.63, respectively. The method was found to be linear in the range of 100-1200 ng per spot and 200-2400 ng per spot for metformin and teneligliptin, respectively. The method was validated with respect to precision, accuracy, specificity and robustness as per ICH guidelines Q2 (R1) and the results were found to be within the acceptance criteria. The method was successfully applied for the analysis of drugs in combined tablet dosage form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: Thrombocytopenia and circulating dysfunctional immune cells are commonly observed in patients with cirrhosis. Platelets may form complexes with neutrophils, monocytes and T cells modulating their function. We recently reported increased frequencies of platelet‐complexed neutrophils in cirrhosis with evidence of neutrophil activation upon contact with healthy platelets in vitro. Whether this occurs in vivo following platelet transfusion and contributes to systemic inflammation and endothelial activation is unknown. Aims: To characterise platelet‐leucocyte aggregation in cirrhosis and to determine whether elective platelet transfusion results in perturbations associated with changes in markers of haemostasis, inflammation or endothelial activation. Methods: We collected blood from cirrhotics (n = 19) before and following elective platelet transfusion. We measured platelet‐leucocyte aggregation, activation and function, and markers of platelet activation, systemic inflammation and endothelial activation by flow cytometry. Haemostasis was assessed by thromboelastometry and plasma haemostatic proteins. Results: We observed a 2.5‐fold increase in platelet‐complexed neutrophils in patients with cirrhosis compared with healthy subjects and twofold more platelets attached per monocyte and T cell. All platelet‐complexed leucocytes expressed higher levels of activation markers and platelet‐complexed neutrophils had higher resting oxidative burst and phagocytic capacity than their nonplatelet‐complexed counterparts (P < 0.001); most pronounced in patients with cirrhosis. Paradoxically, platelet‐complexed leucocyte frequency decreased with increasing MELD score. Platelet transfusion increased soluble CD40 ligand (platelet activation marker), the frequency of platelet‐complexed monocytes (P < 0.05) and improved haemostatic status. Conclusion: Cirrhotic patients have activated circulating platelet‐complexed leucocytes with increased platelet‐monocyte aggregation following elective platelet transfusion. Elective platelet transfusion might therefore exacerbate immune dysfunction in cirrhosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Prevention of arthropathy is the major goal of haemophilia treatment, and early detection of the first signs of joint damage is important so that prevention strategies can be initiated to limit physical disability and improve quality of life. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the inter‐rater repeatability of the HEAD‐US protocol when performed by haemophilia physiotherapists. Methods: Sixty‐three joints (21 elbows, 21 knees and 21 ankles) were examined in 21 patients (mean age; 29.14 ± 10.09 years) according to the HEAD‐US protocol by four of six physiotherapists blinded to clinical information. Inter‐rater repeatability was evaluated by comparing the concordance of scores between the different clinicians using weighted Kappa (κw) statistics and 95% confidence intervals. Results: Substantial agreement was found when evaluating synovial hypertrophy (κw = 0.69), articular cartilage (κw = 0.60) and bone (κw = 0.74). Near perfect repeatability (κw > 0.80) was found when scoring synovitis profiles of the elbow joint and bone profiles of the knee joint. Repeatability was moderate for scoring synovitis and articular cartilage profiles of the ankle joint. A moderate correlation between HEAD‐US and HJHS was found for the elbow and ankle joint and a strong correlation for the knee joint. Discordance between clinical and ultrasound examination was 19.30%. Conclusion: Overall, we found repeatability of the HEAD‐US protocol was good when performed by physiotherapists, and our results support the emerging view that US imaging complements the physical examination when screening and monitoring joint health of people with haemophilia at the point of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the role of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway substrate 8 (EPS8) as treatment for patient with oral cancer. It mentions that EPS8 influence a range of normal biological processes such as trafficking of the EGFR, regulation of actin dynamics and cellular proliferation.

An experiment was conducted at Zonal Agricultural Research Station, V.C farm, Mandya (Karnataka), India during 2015, to assess the chemical control of sugarcane early shoot borer (Chilo infuscatellus). Nine insecticides namely, Fipronil 0.3G, Chlorantraniliprole 0.4G, Chlorantraniliprole 18.5 SC, Spinosad 45SC, Flubendiamide 39.35SC, Cartap hydrochloride 4G, Phorate 10G, Carbofuran 3G, Chlorpyriphos 20EC, and compared with untreated (Check plot)using randomized block design with three replications. Significant differences were noticed among the treatments. Chlorantraniliprole 0.4G recorded lowest cumulative incidence (2.79%) and highest per cent reduction over the control (85.78%) which was followed by Cartap hydrochloride 4G (5.37% and 72.65%), Chlorantraniliprole 18.5 SC (5.95% and 75.62%), Flubendiamide 39.35SC (6.64% and 66.19%) and Fipronil 0.3G (6.83% and 65.22%) were found significantly superior in reducing the cumulative incidence of C. infuscatellus. In Co 86032 Cartap hydrochloride 4G was found to be the best insecticide in getting a highest cost benefit ratio (1:12.39). Other insecticides such as Fipronil 0.3G (1:8.84), Chlorantraniliprole 0.4G (1:6.96), Flubendiamide 39.35SC (1:5.42) and Spinosad 45SC (1:4.16) have also recorded better cost benefit ratio. Since Cartap hydrochloride 4G does not have crop label so we can recommend Fipronil 0.3G or Chlorantraniliprole 0.4G for the management of sugarcane early shoot borer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Mortality from chronic liver disease is rising exponentially. The liver is intimately linked to the gut via the portal vein, and exposure to gut microbiota and their metabolites translocating across the gut lumen may impact upon both the healthy and diseased liver. Modulation of gut microbiota could prove to be a potential therapeutic target. Aim To characterise the changes in the gut microbiome that occur in chronic liver disease and to assess the impact of manipulation of the microbiome on the liver. Methods We conducted a PubMed search using search terms including 'microbiome', 'liver' and 'cirrhosis' as well as 'non-alcoholic fatty liver disease', 'steatohepatitis', 'alcohol' and 'primary sclerosing cholangitis'. Relevant articles were also selected from references of articles and review of the ClinicalTrials.gov website. Results Reduced bacterial diversity, alcohol sensitivity and the development of gut dysbiosis are seen in several chronic liver diseases, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, alcohol-related liver disease and primary sclerosing cholangitis. Perturbations in gut commensals could lead to deficient priming of the immune system predisposing the development of immune-mediated diseases. Furthermore, transfer of stool from an animal with the metabolic syndrome may induce steatosis in a healthy counterpart. Patients with cirrhosis develop dysbiosis, small bowel bacterial overgrowth and increased gut wall permeability, allowing bacterial translocation and uptake of endotoxin inducing hepatic and systemic inflammation. Conclusions Manipulation of the gut microbiota with diet, probiotics or faecal microbiota transplantation to promote the growth of 'healthy' bacteria may ameliorate the dysbiosis and alter prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives:To identify and evaluate cranial magnetic resonance imaging findings associated with Ménière's disease.Methods:Seventy-eight patients with a documented diagnosis of Ménière's disease and 35 controls underwent 1.5 T or 3 T magnetic resonance imaging of the brain. Patients also underwent otological, vestibular and audiometric examinations.Results:Lack of visualisation of the left and right vestibular aqueducts was identified as statistically significant amongst Ménière's disease patients (left, p = 0.0001, odds ratio = 0.02; right, p = 0.0004, odds ratio = 0.03). Both vestibular aqueducts were of abnormal size in the Ménière's disease group, albeit with left-sided significance (left, p = 0.008, odds ratio = 10.91; right, p = 0.49, odds ratio = 2.47).Conclusion:Lack of vestibular aqueduct visualisation on magnetic resonance imaging was statistically significant in Ménière's disease patients compared to the general population. The study findings suggest that magnetic resonance imaging can be useful to rule out retrocochlear pathology and provide radiological data to support the clinical diagnosis of Ménière's disease. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The green synthesis approach using ecofriendly biological precursors has gained world-wide popularity, reputation and recognition in the synthesis of several inorganic nanomaterials. This work demonstrates that a proper selection of biological precursor from the sustainable natural resources can effectively replace the commercial surfactant for fabrication of nanomaterials. Through this work, the green biotemplate Aloe vera plant extract has emerged as a better substitute of industrial surfactant poly(ethylene)glycol of molecular weight 8000 (PEG8000) in synthesis of ZnO nanorods using a simple sonoemulsion route. The colloidal growth of ZnO nanorods in PEG8000/Aloe vera -assisted sonoemulsion route has been elaborated in the context of relative supremacy of ultrasonic-assisted self-aggregation rate with steric-hindrance effect imposed by PEG8000/Aloe vera . The relative catalytic activity of PEG8000/Aloe vera synthesized ZnO nanorods, Co3O4nanobelts and CuO nanorods in thermal decomposition of potassium perchlorate has been studied by thermo-gravimetric analysis and differential thermal analysis of pure potassium perchlorate and its mixture with nanoscale ZnO/Co3O4/CuO by 2% weight. The ZnO nanorods formulated through Aloe vera route demonstrated higher catalytic activity than that of ZnO nanorods prepared through PEG8000 route. The relative order of catalytic effect of nanoscale metal oxides in thermal decomposition of potassium perchlorate was found in descending order as CuO nanorods > Co3O4nanobelts > ZnO nanorods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel chalconyl ester homologous series RO.C6H4.COO.C6H4.CO-CH:CH-C6H4.OC8H17(p) synthesized and studied with a view to understanding and establishing the relation between molecular structure and Liquid Crystal (LC) properties of thermotropic mesomorphs. The novel series consists of eleven homologous (C1to C16). Enantiotropicnematic type of mesophase formation commences from C3homologue and continued up to the last C16homologue of a novel series. Smectogenic character is totally absent for the novel series. Transition temperatures and the textures of nematic phase were determined through an optical polarizing microscopy (POM) equipped with a heating stage. Textures of nematic phase are threaded or Schlieren. Transition curve Cr-N/I and N-I behaved in normal manner except C8homologue which showed negligible deviation from normal behavior. N-I transition curve exhibited odd–even effect. Analytical and structural data supported the molecular structures of homologues. Average thermal stability for nematic is 98.88°C whose degree of mesomorphismvary from 12.0°C to 37.0°C. Evaluated thermometric data of present novel series are compared with structurally similar series. Group efficiency order for nematic on the basis of thermal stability, early commencement of mesophase and the degree of mesomorphism. Thus, present series is predominantly nematogenic and lower middle ordered melting type the low degree of mesomorphism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A homologous series of novel chalconyl ester derivatives: RO.C6H4.COO.C6H4.CO.CH:CH.C6H4.OC6H13(n) shave been synthesized and studied for its thermotropic liquid crystal (LC) properties with a view to understanding and establishing the relation between molecular structure and LC properties. The homologous series consists of eleven members whose, mesomorphism commences from C3of the series and continues up to the C16homologue. The C1and C2homologues are nonliquid crystals. All the LC homologues are enantiotropically nematogenic with absence of smectogenic character. Transition temperatures were determined by an optical polarizing microscope (POM) equipped with a heating stage. Textures of a nematic phase are threaded or Schlieren. Analytical and spectral data confirms the molecular structures of homologues. Transition curve Cr-N/I behaved in normal manner. N-I transition curve exhibits an odd even effect; descended at C10homologue and then again rises at C12and descended from and beyond C12homologue. Thus it partly deviates from normal behaviour. Thermal stability for nematic is 95–89°C and nematogenic upper and lower mesophase lengths are 41.0°C and 07.0°C respectively. Group efficiency order for nematic on the basis of thermal stability is –OC8H17(n)> -OC6H13(n) > -OC10H21(n) and it is a low order melting type series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal analysis of the vertical Bridgman-grown In2Se2.7Sb0.3 single crystals was carried out by recording the Thermogravimetric (TG), Differential Thermogravimetric (DTG), and Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA) curves. All three thermo-curves were recorded simultaneously by a thermal analyzer in the temperature range of ambient (300 K) to 923 K in the air atmosphere. The thermo-curves were recorded for single heating rates of 10 K/min. The thermal kinetic parameters of the vertical Bridgman-grown In2Se2.7Sb0.3 single crystals were determined employing the non-mechanistic H-M (Horowitz and Metzger), P-N (Piloyan-Novikova), C-R (Coats-Redfem), and Broido relation from TGA and PRN (Piloyan, Ryabchikov, and Novikova) and BD (Borchardt and Daniels) relation from DTA curves. The determined kinetic parameters support the observations of the thermo-curves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel liquid crystalline(LC) homologous series of chalconyl esters: RO-C6H4-COO-C6H4-CH = CH-CO-C6H4F has been synthesized and studied with a view to understanding and establishing the relationship between thermotropic LC properties and molecular structure with reference to varying molecular rigidity due to linking groups. The novel homologous series consists of eleven members (C1to C16). C1and C2homologues are nonliquid crystals (NLC) and the rest of the homologues are enantiotropically nematic (C3to C16). The smectogenic character, either in enantiotropic or monotropic manner is totally absent for a series. Transition temperatures and textures of nematic phase were determined by an optical polarizing microscope (POM) equipped with a heating stage. Textures of the nematic phase are threaded or Schlieren. The analytical, thermal and spectral data support the molecular structures. Cr-N/I and N-I transition curves behaved in normal manner except for the C14homologue. N-I transition curve exhibits an odd- even effect with a negligible deviating effect from the C10homologue. Thermal stability for the nematic is 105.2°C and mesophase lengths range from 06.0°C to 46.0°C at C8and C14homologues respectively. The group efficiency order derived for nematic from the comparative study of present novel series with structurally similar analogous series on the basis of thermal stability as under. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A novel homologous series of chalconyl ester liquid crystals (LCs): RO−C6H4–CH:CH–COO−C6H4–CO−CH:CH−C6H4–OC10H21(n) (para) has been synthesized and studied with a view to understanding and establishing the relationship between molecular structure and LC properties with reference to flexibility of the terminal chain. The novel series consists of eleven homologs (C1–C16). The C1and C2homologs are nonliquid crystals and the rest of the homologs (C3–C16) are enantiotropic nematic without exhibition of smectic mesophase. Transition and melting temperatures were determined by an optical polarizing microscope equipped with a heating stage. Textures of nematic phases are threaded or Schlieren. Cr-N/I transition curve adopts a zigzag path in a normal manner with overall descending behaviors. The N-I transition curve exhibits a sharp and shorter odd-even effect from C3to C6and it diminishes from and beyond C6for higher homologs of longern-alkyl chain (R) in more or less or negligible deviating manner from normal descending tendency. Thermal stability for the nematic is 116.4°C and mesophase length ranges from 19°C to 67°C at the C3and C12homolog respectively. The LC properties of present novel series are compared with structurally similar analogous series to derive group efficiency order. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Novel liquid Crystalline (LC) substances of chalconyl ester derivatives from Vinyl aromatic carboxylic acids are synthesized and studied with a view to understanding and establishing the relation between molecular structure, RO-C6H4-CH=CH-COO-C6H4-CH=CH-CO-C6H4-F (para) and LC properties of the thermotropic variety. Homologous series consists of eleven members (C1to C16). C1and C2members of novel series are nonliquid crystals (NLC) and the rest of the homologues (C3to C16) are enantiotropic nematic with absence of smectic property throughout. Transition temperatures and textures of homologues were determined by an optical polarizing microscope (POM) equipped with a heating stage. Textures of nematic phase are threaded or Schlieren. The transition temperatures of novel homologues are relatively lower than the corresponding dimeric trans n-Alkoxy Cinnamic acids from which, novel homologues are synthesized. Thermal, analytical, spectral data confirmed molecular structures of novel homologues. Cr-N/I and N-I transition curves behaved in normal manner except C8to C14homologues which deviated from normal descending tendency in N-I transition curve. N-I transition curve exhibited odd-even effect up to C6homologue and odd member's N-I transition curve occupied lower position than even member's N-I transition curve. Thermal stability for nematic is 118.2°C; with its total mesophase length ranging from 12.0 to 50.0°C. Thus, it is a middle ordered melting type series with absence of smectic property. Group efficiency order derived on the basis of thermal stability using comparative study of present novel series with structurally similar analogous series as mentioned below. Smectic: Series-Y > Series- X = Series-1 and Nematic: Series-X > Series- 1 > Series-Y [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The internet is an important modern means of obtaining information and communicating with others which has converted the world into a global village. At the same time, increasing internet use among adolescents is also likely to pose a major public health concern that is internet addiction (IA). The aim was to assess the prevalence of IA among school-going adolescents and factors associated with IA. Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed to survey adolescents studying in 8th to 11th standard of five schools of Vadodara. Information regarding sociodemography and various patterns of internet use were obtained using survey forms. IA test (IAT) was used to screen for IA. Descriptive analysis, univariate analysis, and logistic regression were done to analyze the data. Results: Seven hundred and twenty-four participants that completed IAT were analyzed. Internet use prevalence was 98.9%. Prevalence of IA was 8.7%. Male gender, owning a personal device, hours of internet use/day, use of smartphones, permanent login status, use of internet for chatting, making online friends, shopping, watching movies, online gaming, searching information online and instant messaging were found to be associated significantly with IA in univariate analysis. Internet use for online friendships was found to be a significant predictor of IA (odds ratio [OR] =2.4), and internet use for searching information was found to be protective (OR = 0.20) against IA on logistic regression. Conclusions: IA is prevalent in the adolescent population and requires awareness and intervention. Characteristics of internet usage found to be associated with IA needs to be considered while developing strategies for interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous solution behaviour of worm-like micelles of cetyltrimethylammonium tosylate (CTAT) was examined in the presence of some water soluble nonionic polymers viz. poly(ethylene oxide) 4000 (PEO 4K), poly(propylene oxide) 1000 (PPO 1K), poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO-PPO-PEO) and poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide) (PPO-PEO-PPO) type linear triblock copolymers and nonlinear octablock copolymers by an array of techniques. CTAT forms worm-like micelles at very low concentrations. Very hydrophilic PEO 4K molecules surround micelle surface leading to viscosity increase while PPO 1K and linear triblock copolymers demonstrates distinct interaction with worm-like CTAT micelles. They form smaller mixed micelles strongly depending on their structure and hydrophobicity. Structurally different PEO-PPO-PEO type nonlinear block copolymer display dissimilar effect on morphology of CTAT micelles. Small angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements provide clear idea about structural transitions from worm-like to spherical/ellipsoidal micelles with different dimensions. The different behaviour shown by the polymers is explained on the basis of their interaction with different interiors of CTAT micelles. 1 H NMR and nuclear overhauser enhancement spectroscopy (NOESY) experiments provide idea about location of these additives and site of interaction. The present study validates how the size of worm-like micelles can easily be tuned up by different polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was aimed to prepare and evaluate raft forming chewable tablets of ranitidine hydrochloride for effective treatment of Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease.. The tablets were evaluated for various physicochemical parameters and in vitro drug release study. Tablets have shown satisfactory results when evaluated for hardness, friability, weight variation, drug content, raft strength and acid neutralizing capacity. Out of all factorial batches i.e. PB1 to PB10, PB8 has shown promising results of raft strength as it is sufficient for the prevention of the reflux in the esophagus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motor, sensory, and autonomic abnormalities are reported for toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) knock-out (KO) mice. However, a physiological role of TLR9 in the nervous system is largely unknown. Since altered synaptic transmission can contribute to sensory and motor abnormalities, we evaluated neuromuscular junction (NMJ) function and morphology of TLR9 KO mice. Triangularis sterni nerve-muscle preparations were dissected from TLR9 KO and age-matched control mice. Two-electrode voltage clamp of the motor endplate revealed that the amplitude and frequency of miniature end plate currents (mEPCs) for TLR9 KO NMJs were significantly greater than control. In contrast, mean endplate current (EPC, 1 Hz) amplitude was equivalent to control. The ratio of mean EPC to mean mEPC amplitude indicated a decline of quantal content (m) for TLR9 KO NMJs. Furthermore, m declined more rapidly than control in response to 50-Hz stimulus trains. A rightward shift of the mEPC amplitude distribution suggested formation of vesicles containing larger amounts of acetylcholine (ACh). Staining with rhodamine α-bungarotoxin revealed a significant decline of endplate size in TLR9 KO mice. This alteration may result from ACh-induced decline of acetylcholine receptor (AChR) expression resulting from increased frequency and amplitude of mEPCs. At the same time, excessive spontaneous vesicular ACh release may initiate retrograde suppression of excitation-secretion coupling. These data suggest a novel role of TLR9 in the development of the NMJ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The west coast of India is affected by tsunamigenic earthquake along the Makran subduction zone. On 28 November 1945 at 21:56 coordinated universal time (UTC), a massive Makran earthquake (M8.0) generated a destructive tsunami that propagated across the Northern Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. This tsunamigenic earthquake was responsible for the loss of life and great destruction along the coasts of India, Pakistan, Iran and Oman. Modelling of tsunami stages has been made for the coasts of Pakistan, Iran, India and Oman using NAMI-DANCE computer code. The fault parameters of the earthquakes for the generation of tsunami are epicentre (25.15° N, 63.48° E), fault area (200 km length and 100 km width), angle of strike, dip and rake (246°, 7° and 90°), focal depth (15 km), slip magnitude (7 m). The bathymetry data are taken from General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) and land topography data were collected using Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). The present simulation is carried out for a duration of 360 min. It is observed that the maximum calculated tsunami run-ups were about 0.7–1.1 m along the coast of Oman, 0.5 m near Muscat, 0.1 m near Sur, 0.7–1.35 m along the western coast of India, 0.5–2.3 m along the southern coast of Iran and 1.2–5.8 m along the southern coast of Pakistan. After the tsunamigenic earthquake, the tsunami wave reached the Gulf of Kachchh in about 240 min, Okha in about 185 min, Dwarka in about 150 min, Porbandar in about 155 min, Mumbai in about 300 min and Goa in about 210 min. The calculated 2-hr tsunami travel time to the Indian coast is in good agreement with the available reports and published data. If the tsunami strikes during high tide, we should expect more serious hazards which would impact local coastal communities. The results obtained in this study are converted to be compatible with the geographic information system based applications for display and spatial analysis of modelling results. The paper also presents classification of tsunami risk zones based on elevation vulnerability. We expect that the results presented here will be supportive to the tsunami emergency response system and useful in planning the protection measures due to tsunami. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) has a number of causes, the most familiar being radiation or bisphosphonate induced. Various other novel anti-neoplastic and bone-targeting therapies that can also cause jaw necrosis have recently become available. This has led to the suggested acronym MRONJ for medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw. This article summarises the available information on these drugs and their implications for the dental surgeon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel ester homologous series: 4-(4’-n-Alkoxy benzoyloxy)-4”-methoxy benzyl cinnamates have been synthesized and studied with a view to understanding and establishing the dependence of liquid crystal behavior on molecular structure. The novel series of eleven homologues is entirely nematogenic without exhibition of any smectogenic character from the very first member of the series. Transition and melting temperatures were determined by an optical polarizing microscopy equipped with a heating stage. Transition curves of a phase diagram show the mesomorphism, which behaves in normal manner. An odd-even effect is exhibited by the nematic–isotropic transition curve. The textures of the nematic mesophase are threaded or schlieren in type. Analytical and spectral data confirm the molecular structures of the novel homologues. Thermal stability for the nematic phase is 211.5°C and the degree of mesomorphism varies from 17°C to 72°C and it is a high melting type series. Mesomorphic properties of the series are compared with structurally similar series. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]