Search

The study gives new evidence on the effects of public debt on economic growth in India with key macroeconomic indicators from 1980 to 2019. In the past decade, and after the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a substantial rise in public debt, which reached 90% of the GDP in April 2021. Therefore, it is imperative to study the impact of different public debt sources on the Indian economy to help policymakers frame informed debt management policies. The long-run equilibrium relationship and cointegrating coefficients are calculated using Johansen cointegration and fully modified ordinary least square techniques. Toda and Yamamoto's (1995) Granger causality test is used as a short-run diagnostic test for the long-run equilibrium relationship. The study's major findings suggest that domestic debt, total factor productivity (TFP) and exports are the major determinants of economic development in the long run. In contrast, economic prosperity determines the growth of external debt, debt service payments and TFP in the short run. It is recommended that the government should control and channel public debt productively for favourable growth effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time-dependent conduction in epitaxial superlattice (SL) strain relief layers of GaN high electron mobility transistors on 200 mm engineered substrates with a poly-AlN core was observed and analyzed. This phenomenon occurs when the devices were operated with substrate bias of ∼−300 V for 101–103 s. The formation of the conduction path is related to trap-assisted leakage through the SLs on the engineered substrates; de-trapped carriers spread out vertically and laterally within a portion of the SLs, leading to a higher electrical field across the rest of the layers. This conduction mechanism may be hidden during the devices' normal operation (target 650–1200 V). It could lead to undesired effects during the operation of the devices, such as a time-dependent dynamic Ron. More resistive SLs will potentially reduce the impact of this phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crop water requirement of rice in different agroclimatic zones of Jharkhand, India was estimated using the CROPWAT 8.0 and CLIMWAT 2.0 models with data collected through NASA data-access-viewer on climate, soil, crop, and water availability. The evapotranspiration (ETo ), effective rainfall (Peff), and crop water requirement (CWR) for the four zones of the Jharkhand State were calculated. Results revealed that the reference evapotranspiration (ETo) varied from 420.4 mm to 516.5 mm during the crop growing season of rice in different zones. The effective precipitation varied from 748.4 mm to 760.8 mm. The crop water requirement of rice varied from 482.5 mm to 592.4 mm. Effective rainfall was sufficient to meet the water requirement of rice in most of the zones except Alluvial zone wherein the net irrigation water requirement was only 67.6 mm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finding innovative, stable, and environmentally acceptable perovskite (PVK) sunlit absorber constituents has developed a major area of study in photovoltaics (PVs). As an alternative to lead-based organic-inorganic halide PVKs, these PVKs are being researched for use in cutting-edge PVK solar cells. While there has been progress in this field as of late, there are still several scientific and technical questions that have yet to be answered. Here, we offer insights into the big picture of PVK toxicity/instability research, and then we discuss methods for creating stable, non-toxic PVKs from scratch. It is also believed that the processing of the proposed PVKs, which occurs between materials design and actual devices, poses novel challenges. PVK PVs that are both stable and ecologically benign can be created if these topics receive more attention. It is interesting to note that although perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have impressive power conversion efficiency, their commercial adoption is hindered by lead toxicity. Lead is a hazardous material that can cause harm to humans and the environment. As a result, researchers worldwide are exploring non-toxic lead-free photovoltaics (PSCs) for a sustainable and safe environment. To achieve this goal, lead in PSCs is replaced by non-toxic or less harmful metals such as tin, germanium, titanium, silver, bismuth, and copper. A study has been conducted that provides information on the characteristics, sustainability, and obstacles of replacing lead with these metals in PSCs. The paper also explores solutions for stability and efficiency issues in lead-free, non-toxic PSC commercialization, including altering manufacturing techniques and adding additives. Lastly, it covers the latest developments/future perspectives in lead-free perovskite solar cells that can be implemented in lead-free PSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self‐healing (SH) of (opto)electronic material damage can have a huge impact on resource sustainability. The rising interest in halide perovskite (HaP) compounds over the past decade is due to their excellent semiconducting properties for crystals and films, even if made by low‐temperature solution‐based processing. Direct proof of self‐healing in Pb‐based HaPs is demonstrated through photoluminescence recovery from photodamage, fracture healing and their use as high‐energy radiation and particle detectors. Here, the question of how to find additional semiconducting materials exhibiting SH, in particular lead‐free ones is addressed. Applying a data‐mining approach to identify semiconductors with favorable mechanical and thermal properties, for which Pb HaPs are clear outliers, it is found that the Cs2AuIAuIIIX6, (X = I, Br, Cl) family, which is synthesized and tested for SH. This is the first demonstration of self‐healing of Pb‐free inorganic HaP thin films, by photoluminescence recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The addition of ZrO2 nanoparticles to porcelain insulators and its influence on their electrical and corporeal characteristics are studied throughout a wide range of sintering temperatures. The DC magnetron sputtering with a 99.99% pure zirconium target is utilized to create zirconium oxide thin films on glass and silicon substrates in a 12-inch-diameter chamber. Different temperatures were used to sinter the produced samples (room temperature (RT) − 400°C) for 1 h with gas pressure of 15 mTorr for all depositions. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to characterize the microstructures of a subset of the samples. In order to assess the physical and microphysical changes brought on by an increase in substrate temperature, the phase composition of various nanocomposites samples was determined using X-ray diffraction (XRD). The breakdown strength, electrical resistivity, and dielectric constant were measured to assess the electrical attributes of the various samples. The obtained findings showed that the electrical and corporeal characteristics of samples sintered at RT were the best. In addition, the sample of nanocomposite porcelain sintered at room temperature has excellent insulating qualities, confirming the possibility of electro-technical porcelain manufacture (water contact angle = 103.5º), dielectric constant = 24.4, refractive index = 2.15, and bandgap = 5.33. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ophthalmoplegic migraine (OM), first described by Charcot in 1870, is a disorder characterised by recurrent episodes of migraine associated with ophthalmoplegia. It has been extensively described in children and is rarer in adults. Commonly, the third nerve is affected with pupillary involvement and, more rarely, the fourth or the sixth nerve. OM is now believed to be an inflammatory demyelinating neuropathy. However, in the largest series of OM so far, by Lal et al. it most commonly involved the sixth nerve, started with a crescendo migraine and was accompanied by no enhancement of the cranial nerves. This has led to a rethink about the role of migraine, in the pathogenesis of OM. We describe a 14-year-old boy, with a 10-year history of intermittent headache followed by drooping of right eyelid and diplopia. The current episode started with a migrainous headache, which increased in severity over 3 days, followed by right third nerve paresis with pupillary involvement. Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain with contrast showed nodular thickening at the root entry zone of the right oculomotor nerve with bright enhancement. The child responded to oral prednisolone, which was tapered over a month. Migraine prophylaxis with propranolol was concurrently added. His repeat MRI brain showed complete disappearance of enhancement of the lesion at 1 year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SICH) is the emerging cause of orthostatic headache as it has been better recognized in recent years. SICH happens due to spinal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak; however, the manifestations are predominantly cranial and hence imaging in SICH includes brain and spine. There are few characteristic brain imaging features to be concerned about to diagnose SICH in patients with vague symptoms or low clinical suspicion. Spine screening is recommended in these patients to assess spinal CSF leaks. While neuroradiologists play a significant role from the time of diagnosis to treatment of SICH, there is a need for all the general radiologists to be aware of the condition. Computed tomography myelogram and digital subtraction myelogram are performed for diagnostic and therapeutic management of SICH. There is a known risk for SICH recurrence in patients with sagittal longitudinal epidural collection and hence, targeted blood patch should be used instead of blind patch. Most importantly, slow mobilization is recommended following the patch to avoid recurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar collectors configured with flat plate innovation pushed to drive the prime role in research in solar renewable energy due to economic, sustainable, and eco-friendly. Besides, the low thermal efficiency and heat loss are the major drawbacks of using flat plate-type solar collectors. The current research adopts the 2% volume fractions of SiO2 nanofluid as the working fluid. Their effects on solar thermal functional characteristics of solar collectors made with the flat plate are experimentally analyzed with the mass-flow rate of 2 Lpm, 2.5 Lpm, 3 Lpm, and 3.5 Lpm, respectively, for air dryer applications. A flat plate solar collector's investigational thermal performance is compared with water fluid. The significance of a 2% volume fraction of SiO2 nanofluid is operating at 3.5 Lpm recorded higher temperature (71 °C), optimum thermal efficiency of 84.1%, and better drying efficiency of 83.4%. The optimum results of the present investigation utilized for air dryer applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recovery from damage in materials helps extend their useful lifetime and of devices that contain them. Given that the photodamages in HaP materials and based devices are shown to recover, the question arises if this also applies to mechanical damages, especially those that can occur at the nanometer scale, relevant also in view of efforts to develop flexible HaP‐based devices. Here, this question is addressed by poking HaP single crystal surfaces with an atomic force microscope (AFM) tip under both ultra‐high vacuum (UHV) and variably controlled ambient water vapor pressure conditions. Sequential in situ AFM scanning allowed real‐time imaging of the morphological changes at the damaged sites. Using methylammonium (MA) and cesium (Cs) variants for A‐site cations in lead bromide perovskites, the experiments show that nanomechanical damages on methylammonium lead bromide (MAPbBr3) crystals heal an order of magnitude faster than Cs‐based ones in UHV. However, surprisingly, under ≥40% RH conditions, cesium lead bromide (CsPbBr3) shows MAPbBr3‐like fast healing kinetics. Direct evidence for ion solvation on CsPbBr3 is presented, leading to the formation of a surface hydration layer. The results imply that moisture improves the ionic mobility of degradation components and leads to water‐assisted improved healing, i.e., repair of nanomechanical damages in the HaPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black gram is one of the most important short duration grain legume, which contributes significantly towards nutritional security and environmental sustainability. The virus specific primers confirms the presence of mungbean yellow mosaic India virus (MYMIV) in representative samples. A total of 27 cultivated and two wild species were found as highly resistant (HR) to MYMIV and validated through molecular markers. The start codon target (SCoT) markers analysis revealed that the SCoT loci, namely, SCoT‐4 (2200 bp), SCot‐9 (1150/ 1200 bp), SCoT‐15 (1150/1100 bp), SCoT‐16 (700 bp), SCoT‐24 (2500 bp), SCoT‐25 (700 bp), SCoT‐33 (900/1000 bp), and SCoT‐34 (600 bp), were found unique, able to distinguish HR and highly susceptible (HS) genotypes. Biochemical characterization and gene expression profiling revealed the higher expression of antioxidants and R‐genes just after pathogen inoculation indicated the activation of defence mechanism in both cultivated and its wild relatives, which modulates the resistant responses in cultivated and wild accessions. These information will be really helpful in accelerating resistance breeding in black gram. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, 2D layered material (2DLM) based heterostructures, also known as van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures, are actively pursued owing to their great potential for optoelectronic applications. They are produced either by vertical stacking of individual layers or via in-plane stitching of 2DLMs. Producing vdW heterostructures with clean interfaces and growing them using direct growth methods are challenging. Herein, we report successful growth of large-area MoS2–WS2 vdW heterostructures (single- to few-monolayer, ML, the thickness of MoS2 and WS2) on oxidized Si (100) substrates using the catalyst-free Pulsed Laser Deposition technique. The in-plane (E12g) and out-of-plane (A1g) Raman-active phonon modes are used to probe the interlayer interactions between the constituent 2D layers. We observe a blueshift of 4.73 (1.63) cm−1 of the A1g peak corresponding to MoS2 (WS2) in the MoS2(1ML)–WS2(1ML) heterostructure compared to 1.27 (0.88) cm−1 for the homo-bilayers. The E12g mode also exhibited blueshift for the heterostructure and redshift for the bilayer of the constituent material. We show that the broadband photodetectors fabricated utilizing in situ grown MoS2–WS2 heterostructures exhibit responsivity, specific detectivity, and current on/off ratio as high as 2.51 × 105 A/W, 4.20 × 1014 Jones, and 1.05 × 105, respectively, under 24 μW/cm2 at 405 nm excitation. The successful fabrication of vdW heterostructures using a simple and scalable direct growth method and excellent photodetector performance pave the way for exploitation of their application potential and offer a playground to test some of the theoretical predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Brain being the master regulator of the physiology of animal, the current study focuses on the gene expression pattern of the brain tissue with special emphasis on regulation of growth, developmental process of an organism and cellular adaptation of Labeo rohita against unfavourable environmental conditions. Methods: RNA-seq study was performed on collected brain samples at 8ppt salt concentration and analyzed for differential gene expression, functional annotation and miRNA-mRNA regulatory network. Results: We found that 2450 genes were having significant differential up and down regulation. The study identified 20 hub genes based on maximal clique centrality algorithm. These hub genes were mainly involved in various signaling pathways, energy metabolism and ion transportation. Further, 326 up and 1214 down regulated genes were found to be targeted by 7 differentially expressed miRNAs i.e., oni-miR-10712, oni-miR-10736, ssa-miR-221-3p, ssa-miR-130d-1-5p, ssa-miR-144-5p and oni-miR-10628. Gene ontology analysis of these differentially expressed genes led to the finding that these genes were involved in signal transduction i.e., calcium, FOXO, PI3K-AKT, TGF-β, Wnt and p53 signalling pathways. Differentially expressed genes were also involved in regulation of immune response, environmental adaptation i.e., neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, ECM-receptor interaction, cell adhesion molecules and circadian entrainment, osmoregulation and energy metabolism, which are critical for salinity adaptation. Discussion: The findings of whole transcriptomic study on brain deciphered the miRNA-mRNA interaction patterns and pathways associated with salinity adaptation of L. rohita. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the large-area and high-quality growth of single- to few-monolayer thick MoS2 thin films on oxidized Si (100) substrates via the pulsed laser deposition method. Our Raman, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopic, and FE-SEM measurements confirmed that atomically thin MoS2 layers are highly uniform and are stoichiometric. We found a type-I band alignment at the MoS2/SiO2 heterointerfaces through photoemission spectroscopic valence-band measurements. The valence- and conduction band offset (VBO and CBO) at the 1L MoS2/SiO2 interface was observed to be 3.91 and 2.96 ± 0.05 eV, respectively. The values of VBO and CBO increase up to 4.15 and 3.56 ± 0.05 eV, respectively, with an increase in the MoS2 layer number. This observation can be attributed to the shift of the Mo-4dz2 orbitals due to interlayer coupling for thicker MoS2 films, reducing its bandgap, resulting in an increment in VBO and CBO values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Labeo rohita is the most preferred freshwater carp species in India. The concern of increasing salinity concentration in freshwater bodies due to climate change may greatly impact the aquatic environment. Gills are one of the important osmoregulatory organs and have direct contact with external environment. Hence, the current study is conducted to understand the gill transcriptomic response of L. rohita under hypersalinity environment. Results: Comprehensive analysis of differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), microRNAs (miRNAs) and mRNAs was performed in gills of L. rohita treated with 2, 4, 6 and 8ppt salinity concentrations. Networks of lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA revealed involvement of 20, 33, 52 and 61 differentially expressed lncRNAs, 11, 13, 26 and 21 differentially expressed miRNAs in 2, 4, 6 and 8ppt groups between control and treatment respectively. These lncRNA-miRNA pairs were regulating 87, 214, 499 and 435 differentially expressed mRNAs (DE mRNAs) in 2, 4, 6 and 8ppt treatments respectively. Functional analysis of these genes showed enrichment in pathways related to ion transportation and osmolyte production to cope with induced osmotic pressure due to high salt concentration. Pathways related to signal transduction (MAPK, FOXO and phosphatidylinositol signaling), and environmental information processing were also upregulated under hypersalinity. Energy metabolism and innate immune response pathways also appear to be regulated. Protein turnover was high at 8ppt as evidenced by enrichment of the proteasome and aminoacyl tRNA synthesis pathways, along with other enriched KEGG terms such as apoptosis, cellular senescence and cell cycle. Conclusion: Altogether, the RNA-seq analysis provided valuable insights into competitive endogenous (lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA) regulatory network of L. rohita under salinity stress. L. rohita is adapting to the salinity stress by means of upregulating protein turnover, osmolyte production and removing the damaged cells using apoptotic pathway and regulating the cell growth and hence diverting the essential energy for coping with salinity stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has resulted in extreme temperature and drought around the globe, which poses serious threat to food security. Both heat and drought stress affects the production and productivity of wheat crop. The present study was undertaken to evaluate 34 landraces and elite cultivars of Triticum spp. for phenological and yieldrelated traits under optimum, heat, and combined heat–drought stress environments during 2020–2021 and 2021–2022. The pooled analysis of variance showed significant genotype × environment interaction, suggesting an influence of stress on trait expression. The trait performance of genotypes exhibited significant reduction under combined heat–drought stress as compared to optimum and heat stress environments. The maximum seed yield penalty was observed under combined heat–drought stress environment as compared to heat stress alone. Regression analysis indicated significant contribution of number of grains per spike towards stress tolerance. Based on Stress Tolerance Index (STI), genotypes Local-17, PDW 274, HI-8802, and HI-8713 were identified to be tolerant to both heat and combined heat and drought stress at Banda, whereas genotypes DBW 187, HI-8777, Raj 4120, and PDW 274 were tolerant at Jhansi location. The genotype PDW 274 showed stress tolerance under all treatments at both the locations. The genotypes PDW 233 and PDW 291 showed highest stress susceptibility index (SSI) across the environments. The number of grains per spike and test kernel weight were positively associated with seed yield across the environments and locations. The selected genotypes Local-17, HI 8802, and PDW 274 were identified to be the potential sources of heat and combined heat–drought tolerance, which may be utilized in hybridization to develop tolerant wheat genotypes and also for mapping of underlying genes/quantitative trait loci (QTLs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper provides a detailed acoustic characterization of symmetric and asymmetric NACA airfoils for various thickness ratios to determine the best thickness ratio and geometry which provide lower acoustic radiations with respect to the standard NACA0010 airfoil. The studies are conducted for various t/c values of 0.12, 0.15 and 0.21, where t is the airfoil thickness and c is the airfoil chord. The far-field acoustic emissions are observed to decrease with increase in t/c ratios for both the symmetric and asymmetric airfoils. For all the t/c values and jet velocities studied, the asymmetric airfoils show higher noise reductions from mid to high frequencies as compared to the symmetric ones, which might be due to the reduced transverse velocity fluctuations as a result of the large distortions imparted to oncoming turbulent gust by the formation of the larger stagnation pressure zone. The symmetric airfoils show a maximum reduction up to 3 dB from mid to high frequencies while asymmetric ones show a reduction up to about 5 dB. An empirical expression is developed for the ΔOAPWL as a function of t/c only for both the symmetric and asymmetric airfoils, where ΔOAPWL is the overall sound power reduction level in dB. It reveals that the ΔOAPWL follow a second order polynomial for both the symmetric and asymmetric airfoils at all jet velocities studied. It is observed that thicker (i.e., t/c = 0.21) symmetric and asymmetric airfoils show lower acoustic radiations as compared to the thinner ones for all the emission angles. In general, it is observed that the thinner airfoils show higher directivity as compared thicker ones, albeit they show a common trait of downstream directivity. Further the highest directivity is seen at an emission angle of 67.5° for both the symmetric and asymmetric airfoils. Thus, the present study clearly demonstrates that the airfoils with higher t/c ratios could be considered as the best passive means for achieving substantial reductions of airfoil broadband noise over a wide range of frequencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction/Aims: Studies conducted during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID 19) pandemic have reported varied data regarding the incidence of Guillain--Barre syndrome (GBS). The present study investigated demographic and clinical features, management, and outcomes of patients with GBS during a specified period of the COVID 19 pandemic, and compared these features to those of GBS in the previous year. Methods: A multicenter, ambispective cohort study including 26 centers across India was conducted. Data from a pre COVID 19 period (March 1 to August 31, 2019) were collected retrospectively and collected ambispectively for a specified COVID 19 period (March 1 to August 31, 2020). The study was registered with the Clinical Trial Registry India (CTRI/2020/11/029143). Results: Data from 555 patients were included for analysis: pre COVID 19 (n = 334) and COVID 19 (n = 221). Males were more commonly affected during both periods (male:female, 2:1). Gastroenteritis was the most frequent antecedent event in 2019 (17.4%), whereas fever was the most common event in 2020 (10.7%). Paraparesis (21.3% versus [vs.] 9.3%, P = 0.001) and sensory involvement (51.1% vs. 41.3%; P = 0.023) were more common during COVID 19 in 2020, whereas back pain (26.3% vs. 18.4%; P = 0.032) and bowel symptoms (20.7% vs. 13.7%; P = 0.024) were more frequent in the pre COVID period. There was no difference in clinical outcomes between the two groups in terms of GBS disability score at discharge and 3 months after discharge. Independent predictors of disability in the pre COVID period included areflexia/hyporeflexia, the requirementfor intubation, and time to bulbar weakness; in the COVID 19 period, independent predictors included time from onset to admission, intubation, and intubation requirement. The mortality rate was 2.3% during the entire study period (13/555 cases). Discussion: Results of this study revealed an overall reduction in the frequency of GBS during the pandemic. The lockdown likely reduced the risk for antecedent infections due to social distancing and improved hygiene, which may have resulted in the reduction of the frequency of GBS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This communication discusses the energy, exergy, and economic feasibility of novel heat storage based on a single-slope solar still coupled with a solar air heater (SAH). The analysis was conducted on three different solar stills, i.e., a single-slope solar still (SSSS), single-slope solar still with latent heat storage, and a single-slope solar still with latent heat storage coupled with a solar air heater. The performance evaluation of all types of solar still has been compared to evaluate the best-performing solar still. Paraffin wax as a phase change material (PCM) has been used at the bottom of the solar still to provide proper thermal storage. The experiments were conducted on different depths, i.e., 3 cm, 6 cm, 9 cm, 12 cm, and 15 cm. The efficiency of a single-slope solar still with PCM and SAH was 65.58% higher than a conventional solar still. The average exergy efficiency of a single-slope solar still with latent heat storage coupled with a solar air heater is 83.19% higher than a traditional solar still. Additionally, the maximum hourly output was found to be 735 mL/m2 h for the solar still customized with PCM and solar heater for a depth of 3 cm. This shows that the still (single-slope solar still with latent heat storage coupled with a solar air heater) has higher thermal performance than the other two solar stills. Therefore, the proposed solar still is very suitable for desalination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing salinization of freshwater resources, owing to global warming, has caused concern to freshwater aquaculturists. In this regard, the present study is aimed at economically important freshwater fish, L. rohita (rohu) adapting to varying degrees of salinity concentrations. The RNA-seq analysis of kidney tissue samples of L. rohita maintained at 2, 4, 6, and 8 ppt salinity was performed, and differentially expressed genes involved in various pathways were studied. A total of 755, 834, 738, and 716 transcripts were downregulated and 660, 926, 576, and 908 transcripts were up-regulated in 2, 4, 6, and 8 ppt salinity treatment groups, respectively, with reference to the control. Gene ontology enrichment analysis categorized the differentially expressed genes into 69, 154, 92, and 157 numbers of biological processes with the p value < 0.05 for 2, 4, 6, and 8 ppt salinity groups, respectively, based on gene functions. The present study found 26 differentially expressed solute carrier family genes involved in ion transportation and glucose transportation which play a significant role in osmoregulation. In addition, the upregulation of inositol-3- phosphate synthase 1A (INO1) enzyme indicated the role of osmolytes in salinity acclimatization of L. rohita. Apart from this, the study has also found a significant number of genes involved in the pathways related to salinity adaptation including energy metabolism, calcium ion regulation, immune response, structural reorganization, and apoptosis. The kidney transcriptome analysis elucidates a step forward in understanding the osmoregulatory process in L. rohita and their adaptation to salinity changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predominantly visual loss, is very rare in Wernicke's encephalopathy. A 22 year old lady, in her 28th week of gestation, presented with a confused mental state, bilateral papilloedema with retinal hemorrhages, ophthalmoparesis, and cerebellar signs. Her MRI brain was suggestive of Wernicke's encephalopathy and she recovered with intravenous thiamine [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The emerging viral pandemic worldwide is associated with a novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2). This virus is said to emerge from its epidemic center in Wuhan, China, in 2019. Coronaviruses (CoVs) are single-stranded, giant, enveloped RNA viruses that come under the family of coronaviridae and order Nidovirales which are the crucial pathogens for humans and other vertebrates. Main body: Coronaviruses are divided into several subfamilies and genera based on the genomic structure and phylogenetic relationship. The name corona is raised due to the presence of spike protein on the envelope of the virus. The structural and genomic study revealed that the total genome size of SARS-CoV-2 is from 29.8 kb to 29.9 kb. The spike protein (S) is a glycoprotein that attaches to the receptor of host cells for entry into the host cell, followed by the attachment of virus RNA to the host ribosome for translation. The phylogenetic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 revealed the similarity (75–88%) with bat SARS-like coronavirus. Conclusion: The sign and symptoms of novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 are also discussed in this paper. The worldwide outbreak and prevention from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 are overviewed in the present article. The latest variant of coronavirus and the status of vaccines are also overviewed in the present article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examined the dielectric characteristics of soils by utilizing four types of soil (clay-loam, loam, clay, and Frank) in a vector network analyzer (VNA) in the 600–8000 MHz microwave frequency range at ambient temperature (25°C ± 3°C). In this experiment, three observations were performed on the basis of soil moisture contents (dry, 33%, 66%, and 100% field capacities (CC)). Both actual (dielectric constant) and fictional (loss factor) parts of the dielectric characteristics improved with increasing soil moisture; however, the responses were not linear. It was observed that dry soil dielectric characteristics were deficient when compared to wet soil. In conclusion, the dielectric behavior of soil mainly was resolute by the moisture in the soil. Frank soil had considerably lower dielectric characteristics, while the Jain University (JU) clay soil had a far more significant dielectric loss factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automatic speech recognition is being used everywhere these days. An essential part of this is language identifi- cation. Our goal here is to identify the language of the media title, such as song names and movie titles, to help in speech recognition. The focus here is to classify solely using the title of the media without any additional data in their transliterated form to classify them into their original native language using natural language processing, machine learning, and deep learning techniques. Transliterated titles of the song and movie names are being used. This work explores and implements various natural language processing and machine learning methods such as N-grams, SVMs, LSTMs, and MuRIL to classify the text titles according to their language. The results of various implementations are compared and contrasted as an approach of its own to classify the data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A thin coating of zirconium oxide (ZrO2) is placed on outdoor high-voltage insulators to minimize air fouling. ZrO2 thin film coatings were deposited on glass substrates using a DC sputtering (reactive magnetron) technique with sputtering pressures ranging from 5 to 25 mTorr. Characterization of the deposited films was carried out utilizing approaches such as XRD, AFM, CAG, and spectrophotometer. Following the XRD peaks, when 15 mTorr is reached, the average crystallite size increases, after which it begins to decline. The wettability of the deposited thin layer is associated with the coarseness calculated by AFM. At 15 mTorr pressure, maximum aquaphobic is achieved (107.45°). At this pressure, the transmittance and bandgap were similarly determined to be 90% and 5.43 eV, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultra-thin hydrophobic capping layers of two-dimensional (2D) onto three-dimensional (3D) metal halide perovskites (HaPs) are an attractive strategy for preventing ambient-induced degradation and minimizing interfacial non-idealities of 3D HaPs. However, it is not obvious in how far the unusual 3D HaP lattice dynamics affect 2D-on-3D HaP composites’ stability, especially at their interface, an issue important for devices made with such composites. Using low electron–fluence, four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy and nanobeam electron diffraction, we show formation of the 2D (n = 1) phase on top of 3D perovskite, usingfocused-ion beam-prepared cross-sections, under conditions that minimize radiation damage. The 2D-on-3D HaP composites were prepared by controlled gas-phase surface cation exchange of 3D MAPbI3 films to form A2PbI4, where A= (fluoro)phenyl-ethyl-ammonium, (F)PEA. We provide direct evidence for 2D phase formation also inside the 3D matrix, likely via A cation grain boundary diffusion, and, over time, of quasi-2D phases near the surface. These results show that the 2D/3D heterointerface is dynamic; they imply that not only small, but also large A cations, (F)PEA+, migrate. Structural rearrangements, leading to quasi-2D phase formation can be followed with the electron beam, which provides hitherto unknown atomistic insights into such interfaces, needed to assess their (in)stability. Apart from directly illustrating effects of HaP lattice dynamics, our results help understanding extensive (semi)empirical data on engineering 2D-on-3D composites and provide guidance for enhancingstability of such systems. Critically, our direct observation of electron beam-induced loss of long-range periodicity defines conditions for damage-free atomicresolution studies of HaP samples, also in device-relevant configurations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To study impact of COVID-19 pandemic on frequency, clinical/electrophysiological profile and treatment outcomes in pediatric Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). Background: GBS is the most frequent cause of pediatric acute flaccid paralysis. The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric GBS is unclear in the literature. Methods: We conducted an ambispective, multicentric, cohort study involving 12 of 27 centres in GBS Consortium, during two periods: pre-COVID-19 (March-August 2019) and during COVID-19 (March-August 2020). Children <12 years who satisfied National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke criteria for GBS/variants were enrolled. Details pertaining to clinical/laboratory parameters, treatment and outcomes (modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at discharge, GBS Disability score at discharge and 3 months) were analysed. Results: We enrolled 33 children in 2019 and 10 in 2020. Children in 2020 were older (median 10.4 [interquartile range 6.75-11.25] years versus 5 (2.5-8.4) years; P = 0.022) and had more sensory symptoms (50% versus 18.2%; P = 0.043). The 2020 group had relatively favourable mRS at discharge (median 1 (1-3.5) versus 3 (2-4); P = 0.042) and GBS disability score at 3 months (median 0 (0-0.75) versus 2 (0-3); P = 0.009) compared to 2019. Multivariate analysis revealed bowel involvement (P = 0.000) and ventilatory support (P = 0.001) as independent predictors of disability. No child in 2020 had preceding/concurrent SARS-CoV2 infection. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic led to a marked decline in pediatric GBS presenting to hospitals. Antecedent illnesses, clinical and electrophysiological profile of GBS remained largely unchanged from the pre-pandemic era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There was a time when it was said that the commanding height of Indian economy will be with the public sector. But with gradual deterioration in the functioning of government owned public utilities, increasing public chaos and demand for better public utility services necessitated revolutionary change in state owned enterprises and boards. This paper throws light upon the exigency to undertake revolutionary change in DJB (Delhi Jal Board) to circumvent public misery and outcry. It expresses the need to commence a major change that encompasses altering internal policies, procedures, structure, mindset as well as the mission and vision of the organisation. Accordingly, this paper attempts to substantiate the obligatory high level change through research conducted on TPDDL (Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited) that was transformed on PPP (public-privatepartnership) basis. It also exhibits the various forces operating in the environment that incessantly drive towards a comprehensive change, through Kurt Lewin model of change. Consequently, it addresses the problems of water scarcity and mismanagement. Besides, it also updates about the small projects or initiatives by DJB to deal with the growing needs of water in Delhi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovative material configurations obtained by incorporating two-dimensional (2D) layers of MoS2 (a two-dimensional material) with Fe doped ZnO (Fe:ZnO) thin films are found to exhibit high thermoelectric properties at lower temperature. The low dimensionality of material (MoS2) is expected to enhance the thermoelectric power factor because of the strong confinement of charge carriers. MoS2 layers have been incorporated in the Fe:ZnO thin film by depositing MoS2 layers over Fe:ZnO thin film and by fabricating the multilayered structure of MoS2 layers with Fe:ZnO. The fabricated structures were characterized for their structural, optical and morphological properties using the available characterization tools. The multilayer configuration of the MoS2 and Fe:ZnO (FZnMFZn) sample was found to exhibit higher values of power factor of 1.06 × 10−3 W/mK2 and figure of merit (ZT) of 3.11 × 10−2 at a very low operating temperature of 300 K. The obtained results highlight the importance of charge confinement in improving the thermoelectric properties of the multilayered structure (FZnMFZn thin film sample) indicating that it is a promising candidate for practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One new tridentate N-coordinate ligand, N′-phenyl-N″-(phenyl(pyridin-2-yl)methylene)ethane-1,2-diamine (L), has been synthesized and characterized. The tridentate N3-coordinate ligand L has been used in the synthesis of a series of three mononuclear complexes [M(L)Cl2] [M = Cu(II), Co(II), and Zn(II)] and one polynuclear Cd(II) complex [Cd(L)Cl2]n and these complexes were characterized by spectroscopic techniques. The structure of all the complexes has been solved by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies and the data reveal that all mononuclear complexes have distorted square pyramidal geometry and the polynuclear Cd(II) complex has distorted octahedral geometry. The antimicrobial activity of all complexes was investigated against Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris) bacteria by disk diffusion method. The compounds demonstrated significant antimicrobial activity while [Cu(L)Cl2] exhibited the best antibacterial activity among all the synthesized complexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: COVID-19-related strokes are increasingly being diagnosed across the world. Knowledge about the clinical profile, imaging findings, and outcomes is still evolving. Here we describe the characteristics of a cohort of 62 COVID-19-related stroke patients from 13 hospitals, from Bangalore city, south India. Objective: To describe the clinical profile, neuroimaging findings, interventions, and outcomes in COVID-19-related stroke patients. Methods: This is a multicenter retrospective study of all COVID-19-related stroke patients from 13 hospitals from south India; 1st June 2020–31st August 2020. The demographic, clinical, laboratory, and neuroimaging data were collected along with treatment administered and outcomes. SARS–CoV-2 infection was confirmed in all cases by RT-PCR testing. The data obtained from the case records were entered in SPSS 25 for statistical analysis. Results: During the three-month period, we had 62 COVID-19-related stroke patients, across 13 centers; 60 (97%) had ischemic strokes, while 2 (3%) had hemorrhagic strokes. The mean age of patients was 55.66 ± 13.20 years, with 34 (77.4%) males. Twenty-six percent (16/62) of patients did not have any conventional risk factors for stroke. Diabetes mellitus was seen in 54.8%, hypertension was present in 61.3%, coronary artery disease in 8%, and atrial fibrillation in 4.8%. Baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score was 12.7 ± 6.44. Stroke severity was moderate (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale 5–15) in 27 (61.3%) patients, moderate to severe (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale 16–20) in 13 (20.9%) patients and severe (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale 21–42) in 11 (17.7%) patients. According to TOAST classification, 48.3% was stroke of undetermined etiology, 36.6% had large artery atherosclerosis, 10% had small vessel occlusion, and 5% had cardioembolic strokes. Three (5%) received intravenous thrombolysis with tenecteplase 0.2 mg/kg and 3 (5%) underwent mechanical thrombectomy, two endovascular and one surgical. Duration of hospital stay was 16.16 ± 6.39 days; 21% (13/62) died in hospital, while 37 (59.7%) had a modified Rankin score of 3–5 at discharge. Hypertension, atrial fibrillation, and higher baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores were associated with increased mortality. A comparison to 111 historical controls during the non-COVID period showed a higher proportion of strokes of undetermined etiology, higher mortality, and higher morbidity in COVID-19-related stroke patients. Conclusion: COVID-19-related strokes are increasingly being recognized in developing countries, like India. Stroke of undetermined etiology appears to be the most common TOAST subtype of COVID-19-related strokes. COVID-19-related strokes were more severe in nature and resulted in higher mortality and morbidity. Hypertension, atrial fibrillation, and higher baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores were associated with increased mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One new polymeric cadmium(II) complex {[Cd(bdmpe)(µ1,5-dca)]ClO4.CH3OH}n has been synthesized by the reaction of cadmium perchlorate with ligand N,N-bis((3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)methyl)-2-(phenylthio)ethan-1-amine (bdmpe) in presence of dca (dicyanamide, N(CN)2-) as bridging ligand in methanol and characterized by spectroscopic techniques. Single crystal X-ray diffraction study of the complex confirmed that it has polymeric 1D chain and each cadmium centre has distorted octahedral geometry with N5S coordination and is bonded through two terminal nitrile group of the dca ligand using µ1,5 coordination modes. Intermolecular interactions and packing modes of the compound are described by Hirshfeld surface analysis and two dimensional finger print plots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A SSR-based linkage map of linseed constructed based on 154 individual lines of F2 mapping population derived from JRF-4 (disease-resistant) and Chambal (disease susceptible) genotypes. QTLs for Alternaria blight and other yield related traits identified. Out of 1720 SSRs, 216 SSRs were found polymorphic among the parents but due to segregation distortion 18 SSRs could not be used for linkage map construction. Total 191 SSRs were used to construct the linkage map and distributed in 15 linkage groups covering genome length of 1802.4 cM. A total of 10 QTLs were identified for 4 phenotypic traits including 4 QTLs for capsules/plant, 2 for capsule weight/plant, 2 for seed weight/plant and 2 for Alternaria blight resistance. This study laid a foundation for further validation and fine mapping with more advance and large set of marker for different QTL identification and marker-assisted selection in linseed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was conducted on six Jharseem and six Dahlem Red healthy hensto see the effect of histomorphometric changes in different segments of oviduct during laying condition. The hens were slaughtered then dissected to study the different parts of oviduct with its relation. Significantly higher number of mucosal folds in Jharseem hens in comparison to Dahlem Red hens in almost all the regions except isthmus and vagina. Although, the difference of number of mucosal folds in isthmus and vagina of Jharseem and Dahlem Red hens were non-significant, but more numbers of mucosal folds were recorded in Jharseem hens. The greatest height of epithelium was observed in vagina and lowest height was seen in funnel part of infundibulum in both jharseem and Dahlem Red hens. The greater diameter of tubular glands were observed in magnum and lower diameter was recorded in uterus in Jharseem and Dahlem Red hens. ‘t’ test of significance was done to see the differences in diameter of tubular glands in same segment of Jharseem and Dahlem Red hens. The greatest height of mucosal folds were noticed in uterus and lowest height were observed in funnel part of infundibulum in Jharseem hens. However, in Dahlem Red hens greatest height was observed in magnum and lowest height was recorded in funnel part of infundibulum. Table 4 indicated significantly greater heights of mucosal folds were observed in Dahlem Red in comparison to Jharseem in all the six segments. Significantly more numbers of tubular glands per mm² area per cross section were recorded in magnum and lowest number of tubular glands were observed in tubular part of infundibulum in both Jharseem and Dahlem Red hens. Critical difference test indicated significant differences among all the zones of oviduct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article highlights the dynamic analysis of a proportional valve controlled hydrostatic drive. Such drives are used widely in construction and mining applications. In the drive considered for the analysis, the speed of a bent-axis hydro-motor is controlled by varying flow supplied through a proportional direction controlled valve. A non-linear mathematical model using bond graph simulation technique is developed, where detailed model of the drive system including its loading arrangement is incorporated. From the test results of the pressure-flow characteristics of the valves, its port resistances are identified. Using them and taking into account various losses of the hydro-motor, the drive model is validated through experiments. The verified model is used to study the effects of the perturbations of some critical parameters on the transient responses of the hydrostatic drive through simulation. The proposed model may be useful for initial design of such drive and the development of control systems where these drives are used as actuators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is habitually assumed that the training sets used for learning are balanced. However, this hypothesis is not always true in real-world applications, and hence, there is a tendency of relying on the classification models that are biased towards the overrepresented class as traditional data mining algorithms are generally inclined towards building of suboptimal classification models. This class imbalance problem is common to many application domains such as data mining, machine learning, pattern recognition, etc. Several techniques have been proposed to alleviate the problem of class imbalance. RUSBoost is one of the ensemble learning approaches that uses random undersampling (RUS) for data resampling and AdaBoost technique for boosting, as a solution to class imbalance. However, RUS may cause the loss of significant information of dataset. Therefore, this paper proposes Tomek-link undersampling-based boosting (TLUSBoost) algorithm which uses Tomek-linked and redundancy-based undersampling (TLRUS) for data resampling and AdaBoost technique for boosting. TLRUS meticulously finds outliers using Tomek-link concept and then eliminates some of the probable redundant instances from the outliers. Hence, this algorithm reduces the loss of information and conserves the characteristics of the dataset, thereby helping the classifier to be trained appropriately. TLUSBoost method is validated with 16 benchmark datasets and compared with EasyEnsemble, BalanceCascade, SMOTEBoost and RUSBoost algorithms. Ten-fold cross-validation is applied to measure overall accuracy and F-measure metric of the models. Experimental results show that the proposed model is better than EasyEnsemble, BalanceCascade, SMOTEBoost and RUSBoost in both overall accuracy and F-measure performance metric. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microsatellites have been utilized most extensively in comparison to other molecular, marker because they can be readily amplified by PCR and the large amount of allelic variation at each locus. These markers are abundant, co-dominant, distributed throughout the genome and are highly polymorphic. These markers in fisheries are useful for characterization of genetic stocks, broodstock selection, constructing linkage maps and marking quantitative traits. The aim of this review is to summarize the current knowledge about the microsatellite markers in fisheries and aquaculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The priority valve is considered to be one of the critical parts of the hydraulic system used in mining equipment. This article analyzes the dynamic performance of a hydro-motor drive system using priority valve through system modeling and simulation. A typical hydraulic system of a mining equipment is considered for the analysis, where a stable source of flow is supplied to two hydro-motors through priority flow divider valve. Bondgraph simulation technique is used for the modeling of the complete system, which is validated experimentally. The influences of some key parameters on the transient response of the system have been studied through simulation. The work presented in this article forms the basis idea for the design and optimization of the priority flow control valve for a given application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iatrogenic colonic perforation is an unusual but life-threatening complication of colonoscopy. The recent advancement in endoscopy technology has made nonoperative treatment a safe and effective option for managing such perforations. A 70-year-old man sustained an iatrogenic sigmoid perforation during diagnostic colonoscopy. The abdominal X-ray showed free gas under diaphragm. He was started on conservative management and intravenous antibiotics. He underwent a second colonoscopy after 2.5-h, perforation was identified and closed with standard hemoclips. He recovered well and was discharged from hospital 6 days later. There are only a handful of reports in the medical literature describing successful outcomes following endoscopic management. Most of the cases have been managed with over-the-scope clips or endoscopic sutures that are quite expensive. In the present report, an iatrogenic sigmoid perforation was managed endoscopically with standard hemoclips. The hemoclip can be an effective, yet economical method of perforation repair in selected cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]