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A focussed ion beam can change the structural, morphological, and electrical properties of polymer composites. In this work mechanical mixing technique is used to develop CaCu3Ti4O12/CoFe2O4/epoxy composites with CCTO loading (50wt%, 35wt%, 25wt%, and 15wt%). These composites were irradiated with 120 MeV Au+ beam at a constant fluence of 6 × 1012 ions/cm2 and their dielectric, morphological properties were investigated. The comprehensive examination of results revealed significant changes in surface morphology (polymer degradation, and rifts). The dielectric constant and dielectric loss of prepared composites was found to be ~ 35 and ~ 1.2, respectively. The hardness of composites was observed ~ 99 after irradiation. Ion irradiation induced physiochemical changes due to solid-ion interaction, which improvise composites applicability in microelectronic devices, and electromagnetic shields. Moreover, the mechanism of solid-ion interaction is conferred in the text. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although studies of the sacral corridor dimension have been reported in the European population, little attention has been paid to this issue in the Asian population. The purpose of the study is to estimate the safe dimension of the corridor to avoid neurovascular damage during the fixation of the sacral fracture. The study aimed to examine the cephalocaudal (vertical) and the anteroposterior diameter of the bony passage in the upper three sacral segments. The study further examines the effect of age and sex on corridor dimensions at different sacral levels. Three-dimensionally reconstructed sacra from computed tomography of normal subjects were included in the study. Cephalocaudal and anteroposterior diameters were measured in coronal and axial sections using Geomagic Freeform Plus software. Anteroposterior diameter of the sacral corridor at the first, second, and third sacral segments are significantly higher in males (P=0.013, 0.0011, and <0.0001, respectively). The length of the sacrum also revealed sexual dimorphism (P<0.00016). The anteroposterior diameter of the second sacral segment (ap-S2c) correlated moderately with the first sacral anteroposterior diameter (ap-S1c) (R=0.519, P<0.001). The ap-S2c exhibited a moderate correlation to the third sacral segment (ap-S3c) (R=0.677, P<0.001). The sacral corridor at the level of S1 has the largest cephalocaudal (18.25 mm) and anteroposterior diameter (17.11 mm). Placement of the screw in the first sacral corridor may avoid damage to the neurovascular bundle during the fixation of the sacral fracture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports the synthesis of barium-ferrite (BaFe2O4) particles by co-precipitation method, which is employed to prepare BaFe2O4/multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)/epoxy nanocomposites. Furthermore, the structural properties, ferroelectric and dielectric properties, and electromagnetic attenuation properties are studied. The role of varying concentrations of BaFe2O4, frequency, and temperature on dielectric behavior is studied. In the presence of applied field, dielectric constant enhances as a result of interfacial polarization with increasing BaFe2O4 concentration. The permittivity is highest at low frequency and decreased with increasing frequency. With temperature, initially, dielectric constant increases and then decreases as a result of charge accumulation at interfaces and leads to interfacial polarization as confirmed by ferroelectric behavior. Here, BaFe2O4/MWCNTs/epoxy composite (with 40 phr BFO, where phr denotes parts per hundred) exhibited the highest value of saturation polarization (PS) ~0.31 µC/cm2 and low value of remanent polarization (Pr), that is ~0.009 µC/cm2. Moreover, composites exhibited high electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness (SE) of nearly 19 dB for 40 phr BaFe2O4 concentration at 11.3 GHz. Here, the reflection-dominated SE is ~1.06 dB and absorption-dominated SE is about 18.67 dB, which dominates the total SE. The absorption-dominant behavior is depicted by the BaFe2O4/MWCNTs/epoxy nanocomposites in EMI shielding as further conferred in the text. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ca9Y(VO4)7 phosphor activated with Er3+ ions have been developed by the urea-aided solution combustion technique. XRD profiles assisted with Rietveld refinement executed over-developed Er3+-activated Ca9Y(VO4)7 powder, revealed a trigonal phase with the R3c space group. The electron microscope techniques namely TEM and SEM characterize the size and surface-linked qualities of the developed nanopowder, respectively. The uniform distribution of various elements in the nanocrystalline sample is authenticated by an energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) system. The Eg (band gap) value of 3.64 eV for Ca9Y0.9Er0.1(VO4)7 and 3.74 eV for Ca9Y(VO4)7 has been estimated. Upon 382 nm excitation, Er3+: Ca9Y(VO4)7 phosphor gives rise to the bright green emission owing to the 4S3/2 → 4I15/2 transition. The concentration quenching after 10 mol% composition of trivalent erbium ions is attributed to dipole-dipole interlinkages in accordance with Dexter's theory. The radiative lifetime (1.1083 ms), non-radiative rates (0.2079 ms− 1), quantum efficiency (79%), along with colorimetric parameters i.e. CIE x (= 0.2577), y (= 0.4566), and CCT quantities offer Ca9Y0.9Er0.1(VO4)7 as a proficient green radiating nanomaterial for RGB phosphors in solid-state applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, PPF dependent fixed point theorems are proved for a nonlinear operator, where the domain space C[[a,b], E] is distinct from the range space, E, which is a Strong Partial b-metric space (SPbMS). We obtain existence and uniqueness of PPF dependent fixed point results for the defined mappings under SPbMS. Our results are the extension of fixed point results in SPbMS. Examples are provided in the support of results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The research aimed to assess and compare the effect of bacterial inoculants, chemical additive and their combinations on the fermentation process of sugarcane tops silages along with variations in pH, yeast and mould count after aerobic exposure. Methods: In harvest season, sugarcane tops were collected from local farmer fields (27.80% DM). The treatments were, control (no additive), LP (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum), LF (Limosilactobacillus fermentum), PA (Propionic acid), a combination of LP + LF, PA + LP, PA + LF, and PA + LP + LF. After 30 days of ensiling, silage fermentation parameters and pH, yeast and mould were accessed after aerobic exposure. Results: The treatment with additives reduced pH (P < 0.05) and increased lactic acid, acetic acid and dry matter recovery significantly (p < 0.05). In the PA + LP + LF treatment, the oxalate content substantially reduced by 51.36% after ensiling (p < 0.05). NDF content reduced in all treatments as compared with control (p < 0.05). LAB count was higher in PA + LF treatment (8.58 log10 CFU/g) (p < 0.05). Yeast and Mould counts were lower in treatments PA + LP + LF and PA, 2.22 and 3.01 (log10 CFU/g) respectively (p < 0.05). Among the treatments, combinations of PA + LP + LF and PA + LF were the most effective to improve the fermentation quality of silage and the combination of PA + LF has shown more potential to reduce the yeast and moulds after aerobic exposure. Conclusion: The additives were effective to improve the fermentation quality and reduced oxalates content of the sugarcane tops silage. As the exposure time increased the pH values and the yeast-moulds count remained more stable in silage treated with bacterial inoculants and chemical additive which reduced aerobic spoilage in sugarcane tops silage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By tailoring and optimizing the structure of core or shell material, complete alteration of properties of the material can be obtained. Herein, we have reported synthesis of CaCu3Ti4O12@CoFe2O4 particles through the chemical co-precipitation route. CaCu3Ti4O12@CoFe2O4 particles consist of CaCu3Ti4O12 (~ 200 nm) as a core and CoFe2O4 as a shell of 2.5 nm. The prepared composites are characterized with appropriate characterization tools. The morphological results confirm the proper formation of core shell structure where CaCu3Ti4O12 and CoFe2O4 act as a core and shell, respectively. The greater CCTO content composites exhibited promising relative permittivity of 8.2 × 103 at 700 °C sintering temperature (8 h) at frequency 40 to 8 MHz. When CaCu3Ti4O12@CoFe2O4 undergoes heat treatment, it leads to the removal of oxalic acid. However, a weight loss of 8.3% is obtained for CCTO-coated composites that is quite low as compared to ~ 11% weight loss obtained in pristine CFO. The removal of organic groups significantly contributed to the increase in dielectric properties. These results imply that the development of CaCu3Ti4O12@CoFe2O4 core shell structure paves the wave for high-performance devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferrite/carbon (NiFe2O4/C) nanocomposite derived from metal–organic frameworks (MOF) has been evaluated as electrode material for supercapacitors. The ferrite/carbon hybrid has synthesized via one-step solvothermal method followed by heat treatment. The thermal treatment of the MOF has been conducted under different environments (N2 and air) at various temperatures, resulting in the formation of a porous diamond-shaped ferrite/carbon nanocomposite. Notably, the material subjected to pyrolysis at 500 °C in an N2 environment exhibits remarkable enhancements in its properties, showcasing the highest specific capacitance of 85.5 F g−1 at a current density of 0.25 A g−1. This excellent specific capacitance is attributed to surface redox reactions that take place due to the material's large active surface area. Asymmetric supercapacitor composed of NF500 and activated carbon has shown a high energy density of 69.2 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 180.07 W kg−1. These outstanding electrochemical properties make the synthesized hybrid material a highly promising candidate for various energy storage applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diversely substituted methoxy derivatives of arylpiperazinyl–alkyl benzothiazolone has been evaluated as specific probe for 5HT7. To determine the best methoxy derivative for 5HT7 receptor affinity, we synthesised a number of 2-benzothiazolone arylalkyl piperazine derivatives. In-vitro/vivo studies with C-2 substituted [11C]ABT showed 5HT7 specific binding. The radiochemical purity of [11C]ABT was found to be more than 99% with radiochemical stability persistence for more than 1.5 hr at 25 °C. The interaction of BSA and ABT has been analysed by photophysical studies for better understanding of properties such as adsortion, distribution, metabolism and elemination (ADME). The interaction between ABT and BSA was analyzed by using the UV-vis and fluorescence spectra. UV-vis spectra analyzed the changes in primary structure of BSA on its interaction with ABT. ABT showed quenched fluorescence emission intensity of tryptophan residues in BSA via static quenching mechanism. This study might help to understand how ABT binds to serum protein or subsequently to know the ADME of this drug candidate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical model of a wideband band reject filter using closed rectangular loop resonator is presented using transmission lines. The prototype design of wide band reject filter centred at 3 GHz with lower cut-off frequency of 2 GHz and upper cut-off frequency of 4 GHz is fabricate from the optimal values obtained from the numeric model on a substrate (FR4) with a dielectric constant of 4.3, loss tangent of 0.02–0.03 and substrate height of 1.6 mm. For bidirectional operations, the length-to-width ratio of filter is 2:1. The impedance of the transmission line which is connected between input and output ports is taken as double the feed line impedance while the impedance of the other half wavelength is considered as four times the feed line impedance. The design has obtained bandwidth of more than 60%. It is observed that the full wave electromagnetic results are in good agreement with the experimental and numerical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study was undertaken to identify the most promising combination of the additives which reduce the ensiling duration and improve silage quality in terms of microbial succession and fermentation profiles of sugarcane tops silage. Fresh sugarcane tops were ensiled in 3-L laboratory silos in four treatment groups supplemented with enzymes (cellulase + xylanase), enzymes plus Lactobacillus plantarum (C + X + LP), enzymes plus Lactobacillus fermentum (C + X + LF) and enzymes + Lactobacillus plantarum + Lactobacillus fermentum (C + X + LP + LF) for 15, 25, 35, and 45 days. Urea (0.5%) and molasses (1.5%) were added to all treatment groups. The silages were tested for microbiological and chemical parameters after storage. Results indicated that, in the first 15 days of ensiling, higher LAB counts were observed and thereafter decreased. The highest LAB count was observed in C + X + LP + LF treatment. Among all the durations of ensiling, the yeast and moulds count was lower at day 25. NH3–N, acetic acid (AA), and butyric acid significantly increased with increasing the days of ensiling. All additives improved lactic acid concentration relative to the enzymes (C + X) treated silage. The concentration of lactic acid (LA) in all silages soared to grasp a peak at day 35 and then decreased at the end of the ensiling days. The LA: AA ratio in all silages peaked at day 25 and then decreased with increasing the duration of ensiling. Consequently, among all treatments, exogenous enzymes and LAB-treated silages (C + X + LF and C + X + LP + LF) were the best combination based on LAB count, lactic acid, yeast–mould counts, and LA:AA ratio at days 15 and 25 of ensiling. The combined effect of LAB and enzymes can reduce the ensiling period and improve silage quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schiff base ligands are chemical compounds having diverse biological activities like industrial, agriculture and pharmaceutical. The current work discusses the evaluation of the biological properties of different synthesized mononuclear Fe(II), Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) complexes. The complexes were synthesized using a condensation reaction which demonstrated the appearance of White, Cream, Black and Green. Biological activities for synthesized metal complexes were assessed against S. aureus, B. cereus, E. coli and P. aeruginosa and by comparing the zones of inhibition it can be depicted that metal complexes are fairly more effective inhibitors of gram-positive bacteria. Furthermore the antioxidant potential of these complexes was also evaluated and it concluded that copper complexes showed promising antioxidant activity which is higher in association with Ni(II), Fe(II), and Co(II). Hence, these metal complexes were biologically active and further studies are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2-(Bis(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)amino) acetic acid (PIC) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) vehicle-based acetamidobenzoxazolone probes have been evaluated for the assessment of a 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO). Here, PIC and EDTA work as a vehicle for possible binding of requisite metal and acetamidobenzoxazolone pharmacophore (MBP) has been used as a specific binding probe for TSPO. In silico interaction analysis was carried out to assess MBP's binding efficacy towards the TSPO. TSPO is a protein that is known to be overexpressed during inflammatory conditions, therefore, during in vivo experiments, an LPS-induced lung inflammation mouse model was developed for the administration of 99mTc-PIC-MBP and 99mTc-EDTA-MBP to understand absorption and distribution in several peripheral organs over time through SPECT imaging. In addition, photophysical analysis with serum protein, i.e., bovine serum albumin (BSA) was also performed using different spectroscopic techniques to understand the in vivo transportation/excretion of these two probes PIC-MPB and EDTA-MPB to better understand the nature of these probes as specific diagnostic agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study reports the fabrication of hafnium oxide (HfO2) thin films on glass and silicon (Si) substrate using electron beam evaporation technique. The deposition of films was carried out in a stepwise approach, in which a run deposited the thickness of ~ 100 nm, and subsequently, the overall thickness was achieved by repeating the deposition process to achieve better quality films. Initially, films were amorphous and were subjected to a thermal treatment process above 400 °C temperature to assess the crystallinity. The structure of these films was analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicating crystalline nature of the annealed films. The surface morphology examined using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) revealed a dense microstructure with round-shaped grains with a diameter of 30–50 nm. The average surface roughness of HfO2 films was achieved in the range of 7–9 nm measured using optical profiler. The optical studies having UV–Vis–NIR range indicated high transparency in visible region (average transmission ~ 85%). The film thickness was evaluated using envelope method, and compared with the thickness obtained from cross-sectional SEM and reflectometer results. The surface wettability measurement of the HfO2 thin film was performed using a drop shape analyzer that indicates the hydrophobic nature of 500 nm thin films over glass and Si substrate. The observations showed that the developed single-layer thin film can be a promising choice in optical, anti-reflection, protective, optoelectronics, and so forth, applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the lives of everyone from young children to the aged. Children especially preschoolers are highly energetic and love to go to school and do different types of activities. But because of corona pandemic lockdown, they only have their parents and siblings to interact with, play with, and do all other different types of activities. This qualitative study was conducted to explore the different types of changes that occurred in the lives of preschoolers and how their parents' roles, responsibilities got influenced, and how they were handling their young children during this trying time of being confined at home. The objectives of the study were to explore that how children at home during the time of the pandemic spent their time and to map the changes in their routine life and its effect on their life and development along with this it was also tried to document the ways in which parents are engaging children during this pandemic. Interviews were conducted through audio and video calls. The responses were subjected to thematic analysis. The key findings highlighted that education plays a significant role in preschoolers but because of the negative impact of screen time parents were not interested in online classes. The children have become more engaged in digital media due to being confined at home without school for a long duration of around ten months and because of this the aggression level has increased as they had a low social development environment, and no peer at all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a total of 118 genotypes, including 90 wild accessions belonging to AA genome (O. glaberrima, O. barthii, O. nivara, O. rufipogon, O. longistaminata, O. meridionalis, O. glumaepatula) and CC genome (O. officinalis), 19 non-basmati genotypes and nine basmati cultivars were analyzed for their protein content and grain characteristics in brown rice. The protein content in wild rice accessions was appreciably high as 20.8% followed by non-basmati and (11.5%) and basmati (11%) cultivars. Thousand-grain weight and grain breadth (GB) were highest in wild rice accessions (30.4gm and 2.9 mm), while grain length and L: B were highest in basmati cultivars (8.9 mm and 6.2). Fractionation of storage proteins and SDS gel electrophoresis revealed that significant differences in the protein content between the wild rice species and cultivated rice genotypes were mainly due to differences in their glutelin contents and high molecular weight glutelin polypeptides. The presence of characteristic bands in selected accessions is a useful parameter for identification of rice germplasm. The wild species that had high protein content has potential to increase the nutritional quality of rice through interspecific crosses in future breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With increasing initiatives on "clean power plan" and "carbon neutrality," gasification is one of the most promising ways toward cleaner energy production using a diverse range of feedstocks. However, prior to gasification, the feedstock must be thoroughly analyzed. The characteristics of various feedstocks, including coal, biomass, petcoke, municipal solid waste (MSW), and their blends, are studied using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). TGA is widely employed to examine the effect of various parameters, such as time, temperature, heating rate, residence time, pressure, gas composition, and particle size, on the gasification reactivity and kinetics of different carbonaceous feedstocks. Since it is realistic, rapid, reliable, and cost-effective, it is a widely used technique. This review details various thermal analysis techniques, including TGA, differential thermal analysis, and derivative thermogravimetry that can be used for feedstock characterization. The objective of this review is to compare and analyze the reactivity and kinetics behavior of various feedstocks during gasification using TGA. It was observed that the reactivity of biomass is found to be greater than that of MSW, coal, and petcoke with their activation energy in the range of 56–230 kJ mol−1, 100–275 kJ mol−1, 58–250 kJ mol−1, and 120–640 kJ mol−1. This paper will also help in predicting the suitability of different feeds for gasification as well as selecting/designing suitable gasifier. It does highlight different feedstocks used in gasification, along with several thermal analysis techniques. Additionally, in this overview directions of future progress are anticipated for its sound development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gradient structures mainly boost the dielectric and mechanical properties of composites. Herein, the fabrication of silicon carbide (SiC)/epoxy gradient composites via centrifugal casting was carried out. Samples having different weight percentages (upto-30%) were prepared by centrifugal casting and compared with non-centrifuged samples. The prepared samples were characterized for their dielectric behavior such as breakdown strength, dielectric constant, and dissipation factor. The centrifuged samples exhibited better dielectric strength as compared to the non-centrifuged ones. The breakdown voltage of the sample was increasing owing to an increase in SiC contents in the direction of centrifugal force. However, the gradient samples exhibited a low dielectric constant as compared to non-gradient samples. The mechanism involved in such phenomenon is proposed and discussed in the text. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present investigation was conducted to determine the effects of different bio-stimulants on vegetative growth parameters, floral and tuber yield parameters, and different holding solutions on vase life of Dahlia. Seaweed extract, Humic acid and Panchgavya were sprayed on plants four times at 15 days, 30 days, 45 days and 60 days, respectively with different concentrations. The harvested flowers were subjected to treat with Sucrose alone and in combination with Salicylic acid (SA), and Ascorbic acid as vase solutions for assessment of vase life of cut flowers. Results indicated that treatment T9 (75% recommended dose of 50% RDF+ 5% seaweed extract + 3% Humic Acid + 3% Panchgavya foliar spray) was the most effective in improving Dahlia growth and flower yield, while treatment T4 (75% RDF + 3% Humic acid foliar spray) was the most effective in improving tuber yield and quality. However, the vase life analysis revealed that salicylic acid 1.0 mM + 4% sucrose treatment showed the best effect on the viz., maximum fresh weight, total solution uptake and vase life of the dahlia cut flowers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information on comparative gasification reactivity of high temperature chars in CO2 with high ash coal (C), sawdust (SD) and rice husk (RH) under identical condition is important for clean energy development drive particularly in countries like India, where energy matrix is dominated by coal and introduction of larger quantity of biomass in energy‐mix is attracting global interests. Therefore, TGA‐studies on char‐gasification reactivity using CO2 as a gasifying agent were performed at temperatures 850–1000 °C. In case of coal and RH‐chars, CO2 reactivity found to increase with increasing the BET surface area and reverse trend was observed with SD‐chars. Both the biomass‐chars showed increased specific micro pore surface area with increasing char preparation temperature through t‐plot analysis, still keeping unusual behavior of CO2 reactivity of SD‐char unexplained. The estimations indicating the presence of catalytically active alkali and alkaline earth metals in substantial quantity is only important criteria found to explain the decreasing trend of gasification reactivity of SD‐char prepared at various temperatures despite the increase in surface area. Catalytic activity of the components decreases with the rise in char preparation temperature. Kinetic analysis reveal that activation energy values of SD‐chars varied in the range123–182 kJ mole−1, whereas those for coal‐ and RH‐chars remained in the range 204–214 kJ mole−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The prevalence of treatment-related complications remains high throughout the course of cancer treatment resulting a decline in quality of life. Physiotherapy can have a positive influence on various domains of Quality of Life (QoL), potentially alleviating the severity of perceived complications. Aim: To evaluate the physiotherapy interventions used for managing treatment-related complications among breast cancer patients. Materials and Methods: Databases including Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), Science Direct, Cochrane Library, and Scopus from year 2000 to 2022 was searched with Mesh terms for trials with breast cancer patients>18 years of age participating in physiotherapy program. The primary outcome measure of interest was a significant improvement in treatment-related complications from pre- to post intervention. Change in quality of life was evaluated as secondary outcome measure. Cochrane risk of bias tool was used to assess the risk of bias and quality of included studies. Results: A total of 20 randomised controlled trials with 2019 patients incorporated various physiotherapy interventions to manage and alleviate treatment-related complications. For physical functioning (p=0.04) and the pain-sleep-fatigue cluster (p=0.006 to 0.044) different types of exercises were included. Complex Decongestive Therapy (CDT) combined with other electrotherapy modalities was embraced to manage lymphedema (p<0.05). For shoulder and arm dysfunction (p<0.05) passive stretching, mobilisation and strengthening exercises were incorporated. Furthermore, regular practice of exercise and physiotherapy exhibited positive impacts on overall health-related quality of life (p=0.0001 to 0.01) along with improvements in anxiety, depression, self-esteem and emotional function. Conclusion: Physiotherapy interventions are exceedingly effective in managing and providing relief from breast cancer treatment-related complications. Consequently, the integration of physiotherapy into cancer treatment protocols has the potential to enhance the overall QoL of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aphid transmitted viruses are the most significant constraint for quality seed potato production. Potato virus Y and Potato leaf roll virus are the most important aphid transmitted viruses in potato, which can be transmitted by a large number of aphid species. In order to determine the species composition of aphids infesting potato crops and to determine their viruliferous nature, aphid samples were collected from all the potatoes growing zones in India. Fourteen distinct aphid species were identified from 541 samples using morphological and molecular characterization. The identified species include Aphis craccivora, A. gossypii, A. fabae, A. spiraecola, Aulacorthum solani, Macrosiphum euphorbiae, Rhopalosiphum rufiabdominale, and Myzus persicae among the colonizing species and A. nerii, R. padi, R. maidis, Hyadaphis coriandri, Brevicoryne brassicae, and Lipaphis erysimi among the non-colonizing species. M. persicae and A. gossypii were the most abundant and most widespread species on potato in the country. Based on whole body testing of aphid samples through RT-PCR, M. persicae, A. gossypii, A. solani, and M. euphorbiae were found positive for PVY while M. persicae and A. gossypii tested positive for PLRV, which could potentially transmit the respective viruses in potato crops. The current study revealed that aphid species other than M. persicae could be important in determining the virus incidence in seed crops in the country. Therefore, management decisions should include such information to maintain the health standard of seed stocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background We examined the associations between the 6-year incidence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and vision-related quality of life (VRQoL), and the contribution of presenting visual acuity (VA), in an Asian population. Methods Fundus images from the Singapore Chinese Eye Study, a population-based cohort study (baseline: 2009-2011; follow-up: 2015-2017), were graded using a modified Wisconsin age-related maculopathy grading system. Incident AMD was defined as no baseline AMD in both eyes and early/late AMD in the worse eye at follow-up. Presenting VA was assessed using the logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution chart at 4 m under standard lighting conditions with habitual correction. Multiple linear regression models determined the associations between AMD incidence with changes in the Rasch-transformed scores of the Reading, Mobility and Emotional VRQoL domains of the 32-item Impact of Visual Impairment (IVI-32) questionnaire, adjusted for traditional confounders. The contribution of presenting VA to changes in VRQoL was also estimated. Results Of the 2251 participants without AMD at baseline (mean age (SD): 57.7 (9) years, 51.4% women), 101 (4.5%) and 11 (0.5%) developed incident early and late AMD at follow-up, respectively. Incident late AMD was associated with significant 30.3%, 32.5% and 30.9% decrements in Reading, Mobility and Emotional IVI scores, respectively. The contribution of presenting VA ranged between 1.62% and 4.35% of the observed decrements. No significant associations were noted with incident early AMD. Conclusion Incident late AMD had a substantial impact on all aspects of VRQoL, with presenting VA contributing only minimally to this longitudinal relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efforts are underway to improve the diagnosis and treatment for neurological disorders like depression, anxiety, epilepsy, and schizophrenia. The G‐protein‐coupled receptors (GPCRs) 5‐HT7 receptor, the most recently identified member of 5‐HT receptor family dysregulation has an association with various central nervous system (CNS) disorders and its ligands have an edge as potential therapeutics. Here, we report the synthesis, characterization, and biological evaluation of diversely substituted methoxy derivatives of 2‐benzoxazolone arylpiperazine for targeting 5‐HT7 receptors. Out of all derivatives, only C‐2 substituted derivative, 3‐(4‐(4‐(2‐methoxyphenyl)piperazin‐1‐yl)butyl)benzoxazol‐2(3H)‐one/ABO demonstrate a high affinity for human 5‐HT7 receptors. [11C]ABO was obtained by O‐methylation of desmethyl‐precursor using [11C]CH3OTf in the presence of NaOH giving a high radiochemical yield of 25 ± 12% (decay‐corrected, n = 7) with stability up to 1.5 h postradiolabeling. In vitro autoradiography displays binding of [11C]ABO in accordance with 5‐HT7 distribution with a decrease of approximately 80% and 40% activity in the hippocampus and cerebellum brain region when administered with 10 µM cold ligand. Prefatory positron emission tomography scan results in Sprague‐Dawley (SD) rat brain revealed fast and high radioactivity build‐up in 5‐HT7 receptor‐rich regions, namely, the hippocampus (2.75 ± 0.16 SUV) and the cerebral cortex (2.27 ± 0.02 SUV) establishing selective targeting of [11C]ABO. In summary, these pieces of data designate [11C]ABO as a promising 5‐HT7 receptor ligand that can have possible roles in clinics after its further optimization on different animal models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is desirable to exploit biomass energy along with coal and petcoke through gasification, and understanding the differences between petroleum coke (petcoke), coal and biomass gasification behaviour becomes very essential. Consequently, present investigation compares gasification components of petcoke, sawdust and high ash coal with their physico-chemical properties under isothermal conditions in CO2 atmosphere in the temperature range of 1173–1623 K. Physico-chemical characterisation includes proximate and ultimate analyses, porous structure analysis by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area from nitrogen (N2) adsorption isotherm, ash composition analysis and ash fusion temperature. The effects of temperature and nature of different solid fuels on gasification reactivity have been discussed. Gasification kinetics has been investigated using two nth-order kinetic models, such as homogeneous model (HM) and shrinking core model (SCM). Influence of diffusion resistance on gasification behaviour of different solid fuels is also reported. Thus, the present study will be helpful to realise the effects of high ash in gasification behaviour as well as in designing and modelling of the suitable gasifier and to establish optimum gasification conditions for petcoke, biomass and high ash coal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ternary nanocomposite comprising of manganese ferrite/poly (3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/reduced graphene oxide (MnFe2O4/PEDOT/rGO) is synthesized by hydrothermal method. The synthesized nanocomposite is observed to have the crystallite size of approximate 19 nm. In situ incorporation of MnFe2O4 decorated PEDOT layers into rGO has enhanced the ion transportation by providing sufficient interconnected path. The better ion transportation has decreased the resistance of bare ferrite by three orders of magnitude (107 Ω). The synergistic charge storage mechanism of individual components in ternary nanocomposite is evaluated. The energy storage has taken place due to the synergistic effect of Mn2+ and Fe3+ ions as evaluated from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The synthesized nanocomposite has shown both EDLC and pseudocapacitive behavior with good specific capacitance of 298.97 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 current density and 325 F g−1 at 2 mV s−1 scan rate. The material has shown high electrochemical stability with retention of 81% of capacitance over 5000 cycles. The nanocomposite also shows good capacitance retention of 87 F g−1 at higher current density of 10 A g−1. Altogether, the synthesized ternary nanocomposite with the better ion transportation could be utilized as an electrode material for supercapacitor fabrication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potato crops are infected by a large number of aphid-transmitted viruses resulting in yield loss and degeneration of seed stocks. These viruses are transmitted by a large number of colonizing and non-colonizing aphids. The non-colonizing aphid species are mainly responsible for the spread of non-persistent viruses like potato virus Y (PVYo). The cabbage aphid, Brevicoryne brassicae L, an important pest of cruciferous crops, is a non-colonizing aphid visiting potato crops transiently. We evaluated the relative prevalence of cabbage aphids in potato crops at four locations namely, Jalandhar (Punjab), Shimla (Himachal Pradesh), Modipuram (Uttar Pradesh) and Kalyani (West Bengal), where most of the seed and ware potato production is carried out in India. The cabbage aphids constitute an appreciable proportion (3.57% to 19.04%) of the aphid population on potato plants at these locations. The cabbage aphids were found to successfully acquire and transmit the PVYo from and to potato plants. The virus transmission efficiency came out to be 11.25%, with a relative efficiency factor (REF) of 0.13, in comparison to the peach-potato aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer). This is the first report of B. brassicae being a vector of PVYo in India. Therefore, isolation of seed potato crops from cruciferous crops or stringent management of the aphids on the latter is necessary for production of healthy seed potatoes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Down-conversion reddish-orange light emanating trivalent samarium doped aluminates-based nano-materials were successfully prepared via ecological urea-combustion approach after sintering at 550 °C. X-ray powder diffractometer revealed tetragonal symmetry with P-421m phase group. Non-uniform agglomerated particles of 40–50 nm crystal size were examined by utilizing, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy technique. Upon near-ultraviolet excitation, generated phosphors illustrate reddish-orange emanation with a high quantum efficiency (82.2%) and color purity (82.99%). Finally, high emanation performance is measured in terms of chromaticity color parameters like color coordinates (0.5380, 0.4591), 2200.38 K, correlated color temperature, and color purity (82.99%). All these results certified that the generated nano-crystals can be certainly applicable for advanced photonic appliances, signage, lasers, and warm white light-emitting diodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we designed Er3+-incorporated zincate-based nanomaterials via a rapid, low-cost, and environmentally friendly urea-combustion route. X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) profiles revealed their orthogonal crystalline structure. Electron microscopy showed nanoscale (48–70 nm) non-uniform agglomerated particles. The presence of [BaO11] and [ZnO5] structural units in the present samples was shown by Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Emission spectra yielded a characteristic peak at 551 nm, which contributed to their bright-green light. The optimal nanomaterial had 3.0 mol% of Er3+ content, and it exhibited excellent bright-green light. Exchange-type multipolar inter-linkages via cross-relaxation predominantly direct the quenching of luminescence post x = 0.03 Er3+ content, as shown by the Inokuti-Hirayama (I-H) model. The optical bandgap and Urbach energy were obtained from experimental data-fitting with Tauc's hypothesis and an empirical correlation. Excellent color-purity (87.86%) and color temperature (6916 K) with chromaticity coordinates (0.2531, 0.6106) of the optimized nanomaterial were similar to National Television Standards Committee (NTSC) and NICHIA Corporation fabricated light-emitting diode (LED) green standards. Hence, the developed nanomaterials appear to be a good candidates for generating cool-green light in high-performance blue/green/red (B/G/R) white-light-emitting diodes (wLEDs), sensors, and laser applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have shown influence of aliphatic side chain length and type on the transport properties of naphthalenediimide (NDI) materials by affecting molecular arrangement. There is lack of comparative study on the presence or absence of unsaturation in side chain and its effect on optical and electronic properties of NDI. The present work focuses on the structure–property relationship of four NDI derivatives bearing octyl (C8, OctA-NDI), hexadecyl (C16, HD-NDI), octadecyl (C18, ODA-NDI) and oleyl (C18-un, unsaturated, OLA-NDI) chain on imide-nitrogen. The self-assembling behaviour of the molecules is studied in concentrated solutions as fresh and aged samples in four different solvents by absorbance and emission spectroscopy. With increase in alkyl chain length, the aggregation behaviour is observed to increase. Very interestingly introduction of unsaturation in side chain reduces aggregation and restores the monomeric properties. Self-assembled microstructures formation was studied by scanning electron microscopy where all the four materials show different types of self-assembly formation. Finally, we compared the thermally activated electron conductivity and electron mobility of NDI derivatives, where also the side chain structure clearly influences the electron transport. Electron mobility decreases on increasing chain length from C8 to C18 and again increases in C18-un. A rationale for the structure–property relationship has been given based on the molecular packing and intermolecular π–π interactions. This study contributes significantly towards designing new NDI derivatives bearing long side chains with hampered aggregation for niche applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present investigation reports the attractive characteristics of vivid-green light-emitting Ba5Zn4Gd8O21:Er3+ nanomaterials fabricated via an eco-friendly and energy-saving solution combustion approach in detail. The Rietveld refinement technique was implemented on x-ray diffraction (XRD) data to analyze the crystallographic features. The photoluminescence emission spectrum showed an extraordinary band at 550 nm when activated under near UV (at 378 nm) light. The highest intensity emission band is attained at 2.0 mol.% Er3+ ions, after which emission was quenched due to a dipole–dipole (d–d) inter-transmission phenomenon. Finally, the vivid-green emission had color coordinate values (0.2401, 0.4492), which were comparable to the standard coordinates of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) system, making these nanoparticles a suitable green light-emitting constituent of advanced optoelectronic devices such as lasers and near-UV-activated light-emitting diodes (i.e., white-light-emitting diodes). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel yttrium oxide-based orange-red emanative BaSrY4(1−x)Sm4xO8 (x = 1.0–6.0 mol%) nanopowder were manufactured by ecologically benign and less energy consuming urea combustion methodology. Crystal structure investigations reported the orthorhombic symmetry type with Pnma (62) phase group. Nano-range of 25–40 nm and agglomerated morphology of the developed crystal were known by performing transmission and scanning electron microscopy. EDAX (energy dispersive X-ray analysis) results traced the uniform elemental composition of the nanomaterials. The manufactured materials depicted the fine orange-red band at 607 nm via 4G5/2 → 6H7/2 typical transition. Optical investigations revealed the wide Egap (band gap) values of BaSrY3.88Sm0.12O8 (5.25 eV) and BaSrY4O8 (5.79 eV). Reliance of the glowing intensity of the manufactured nanocrystals on activator (Sm3+) amount proclaimed the BaSrY3.88Sm0.12O8 as most alluring one, reporting CIE coordinates (0.580, 0.418), 96.31% color purity, 1667 K CCT (correlated color temperature), and 54.8% quantum efficiency. These magnificent results certified the relevancy of the targeted nanocrystals as a novel auspicious agent in the manufacturing of solid-state downconverted WLEDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foxglove aphid Aulacorthum solani (Kaltenbach) is a polyphagous pest causing direct and indirect losses to crops, and potato is its important host. Its incidence and distribution have extended manifolds in potato growing regions of India especially in seed production areas. In the recent past, it has been occurring on potato in the four agroecosystems of Shimla, Jalandhar, Modipuram and Gwalior. This study determines species distribution and its viruliferous nature with respect to most predominant viruses viz., Potato virus Yo (PVYo) and Potato leafroll virus (PLRV). Adults of A. solani (prestarved) were given an acquisition feeding of 24 hr on pure culture of PVYo and PLRV, and then released on to tissue culture raised healthy potato seedlings for inoculation. These plants were allowed for expression of external visual symptoms and were PCR tested at weekly intervals for 35 days. PCR results revealed that PVYo and PLRV were first detected in plants at 2nd week after inoculation but with no visible symptoms. However, clear visual symptoms of PVYo and PLRV were witnessed during 4th week after inoculation confirming viruliferous nature of A. solani. It was further confirmed by sequencing coat protein gene of two viruses and comparing with reported sequences in the database. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, some results are concerning the existence and uniqueness of invariant point with PPF dependence of a non linear mapping for θ - φ contraction and θ - φ Suzuki contraction in the complete metric space and setting of complete metric spaces. The new feature of this work is that the domain and range space of operator are not identical in question. The results provided in this research are on PPF dependent invariant points which are broaden and expand invariant point results by Mohamed Jleli and Bassem Samet [6] and Dingwei Zheng, Zhangyong Cai and Pei Wang [5]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present prospective observational study reports the generation of new Sm3+-incorporated BaYAlZn3O7 nanomaterials via urea-combustion route. Rietveld facilitated XRPD (X-ray powder diffraction) analysis outlines the absolute hexagonal phase in the nano-crystalline powders. Photo-luminescence (PL) technique reports the intense-orange–red emission, centered at 708 nm maximum. Higher content of Sm3+ retards the PL life-time and intensity, such that x = 0.02 is the best luminance composition. Post it, luminance quenching has been ascertained, which is attributed to the exchange type inter-linkages, as affirmed via Inokuti–Hirayama and Dexter's model. Also, various radiative-possessions including decay-time (2.4876 ± 0.0311 ms), intrinsic life-time (3.4380 ms), quantum-efficiency (72.36%) and relaxation-rate (0.1111 ms−1), which reflect their better luminance-potentiality, have been evaluated. Color-coordinates (0.5299, 0.4670) for the same phosphor have realized their intense-orange radiance, which are proximate to those (0.570, 0.420) illustrated via AMBER LED-NSPAR 70 BS (generated via NICHIA CORP.). All the crystallographic and optical properties of the phosphor-powders, thus, vividly define their potential usage in near-ultra-violet triggered white-light-emitting diodes, digital-signs, horticulture, bio-imaging, solar-cells, lasers, and other optoelectronic appliances. Also, all the reported outcomes will certainly open an avenue for researchers to design more BaYAlZn3O7-like materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of green light-emitting Ba5Zn4Y8O21:Er3+ nanophosphors were prepared via single-step solution combustion process. PXRD-Rietveld investigation revealed that Er3+ ions are well-substituted Y3+ ions and no major change was observed in the crystalline structure of pure host matrix. Tetragonal nanoparticles with almost no agglomeration were revealed by morphological analysis. Different elements present in the prepared nanomaterials were elucidated via EDAX mapping. Photoluminescence investigation of Ba5Zn4Y8O21:Er3+ nanophosphors displayed an intense green emission peak of Er3+ ions credited to 4S3/2 → 4I15/2 transition, under NUV excitation of 379 nm. The concentration quenching occurred after 2.0 mol% concentration of the Er3+ ions in Ba5Zn4Y8O21 host, thus apprehended it an optimized concentration. CIE coordinates (x, y) of all the prepared nanocrystalline phosphors lied in the green region. Bandgap (Egap) values of the optimized sample were calculated by analysing the DR spectra of that sample which are found to be 4.0 eV for the pure host and 3.9 eV for the doped sample which lie in semiconductor range. The brief description of all these results proves the importance of synthesized nanophosphors in R-G-B (red–green–blue) PC white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an attempt to increase the nutritional attributes of gluten free muffins and its premix, amaranth flour was incorporated at various levels with black rice flour (0% as control, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50%). Moisture, crude fiber, fat, crude protein and functional properties showed a significant increase (p < 0.05) with increasing quantity of amaranth flour with maximum content in 50% substituted formulation. The results for total phenolics, flavonoid content and antioxidant activities DPPH (2, 2-Diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl) and ABTS (2, 20-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid diammonium salt) for both muffins and its premix were found appreciable for 50% substituted formulation. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) analysis revealed the change in microstructure due to addition of amaranth flour. Muffins were also evaluated on the basis of its texture, color and sensory properties and muffins with 50% amaranth and 50% black rice flour were given the highest score by the panelist and exhibited a good overall acceptability. Therefore, this combination can be used for making acceptable gluten free muffins loaded with diversified nutritional attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bilateral visual impairment includes participants with visual impairment in one eye and visual impairment/blindness in the other eye. e Presence of any existing cataract or any history of cataract surgery in either eye (Modified Wisconsin Cataract Grading System). f Among diabetic individuals. g VTDR, vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy. Bilateral visual impairment includes participants with visual impairment in one eye and visual impairment/blindness in the other eye. d Based on the WHO definition, visual impairment was defined as VA<20/60 to 20/400. The overall age-adjusted BCVA prevalence of bilateral blindness (VA< 20/200, based on the better-seeing eye) and VI (VA< 20/40 to 20/200, based on the better-seeing eye) was 0.3% [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.2-0.4] and 4.2% (95% CI 3.8- 4.5), respectively. Globally, blindness and visual impairment (VI) are estimated to affect 36 million and 400 million people, respectively. [Extracted from the article]

In India, the precious freshwater resources are becoming scarcer due to the climate change effect coupled with their inappropriate planning and management at the field level. Development of water resources and sensitization of farming community/irrigators towards effective utilization of these resources is need of the hour and it is one of the most important factors in conservation and preservation water resources for future requirements. This case study has highlighted the direct and indirect benefits derived by implementation of National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) scheme in Nawada, a village of the district East Champaran in Bihar state initiated by Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Piprakothi, East Champaran under Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Bihar. Two groups of farmers of the village was chosen to evaluate the benefits derived from this scheme. Under this scheme, tube-wells were developed to facilitate assured irrigation. This study revealed that the total savings of approximate Rs.10,000 ($140) per hectare to irrigate wheat crop three times in Rabi season was achieved over conventional irrigation system. This scheme has also resulted in other intangible benefits which included a reduction in pollution, an increase in the number of crops- rabi, kharif and zaid seasons and adequate time to carryout out other farm operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]