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Graphene has intriguing electrical, mechanical, thermal and biological properties that are being investigated for use in composites, modern electronics, membranes, and in the industry. Also, graphene has huge biological applications. Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) is a widely used bio-polymer effective for various biomedical applications. As a filler in this polymer matrix, graphene oxide (GO), reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs) can be used to improve various properties of the matrix. They are also beneficial for bio-applications like drug delivery, the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the antimicrobial properties of nanocomposite films. Here we synthesize a series of polymer nanocomposites taking GO, RGO and Ag NPs as a filler by the solution mixing method and explore the comparative biological application of such composites. We choose Ag NPs as it has the superior potential for multiple drug resistance. X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared and scanning electron microscope studies are used to describe how nanocomposites are formed. Energy-dispersive X-ray and dynamic mechanical analyzer analyses were also done to check elemental percentage in nanocomposite films and mechanical properties, respectively. To check several fruitful applications, antimicrobial properties, ROS generation and in-vitro drug release study of nanocomposite films with the loading of Ketorolac Tromethamine were also performed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydro-meteorological parameters significantly influence groundwater storage in unconfined aquifers. Although the unconfined aquifer is closer to the surface, the dry conditions have an impact on the water level. The relationship between the hydro-meteorological parameters and the unconfined groundwater level (GWL) has not received much attention or study. Hence, the impact of hydro-meteorological parameters (e.g. rainfall (RF), air temperature (T), and potential evapotranspiration (PEV)) on the GWL is studied over West Bengal, India. The region is categorized into four zones (zone-1, zone-2, zone-3, and zone-4), considering the geo-hydrological scenario. GWL raised by ≈ 1.63 m, 3.51 m, 3 m, and 2.24 m owing to the RF of ≈ 880 mm, 953 mm, 1083 mm, and 1593 mm during monsoon in zone-1, zone-2, zone-3, and zone-4, respectively. The groundwater table is 6.9 m, 95.2 m, 22.3 m, and 80.2 m in the respective zones during winter. The groundwater flows seasonally from zone-2 to zone-1 and zone-3 and, similarly, from zone-4 to zone-3 and zone-1. In zone-1, as RF increased in monsoon, the shallow GWL occurred, and PEV caused water loss. PEV and T have a dependency on deeper GWL in other seasons. PEV and T are critical factors in zone-2's GWL depletion in all seasons. Winter, pre-monsoon, and post-monsoon showed a correlation between the deeper GWL and PEV and T in zone-3 and zone-4. When sufficient RF occurred, the deeper GWL enhanced to a shallower GWL. In monsoon, recharge of the unconfined aquifer occurred owing to RF. The deeper GWL developed in post-monsoon because of lower RF and increased PEV and T. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this research paper was to find out the major governing factors controlling fluoride enrichment in groundwater resources in the Jaipur region of India. Chemical analysis of collected water samples revealed that 36% of the collected groundwater samples exhibit fluoride concentration of more than 1.5 mg/L as per BIS, 10,500 and WHO, 2017. An attempt has been made to discuss occurrence of fluoride alongside its spatial distribution in the study area with respect to geology and groundwater flow direction. Chloroalkaline indices, Gibb's plot, Piper diagram and various inter-ionic bivariant plots have been applied to recognize hydrochemical processes and dissolution trends resulting in high concentration of fluoride in groundwater. There exist five water types in the study area: Ca-HCO3, Na-HCO3, Na-Cl, Ca-Mg-Cl and Ca-Na-HCO3. Due to ion association of excess Cl− emanating from wastewater, Na-HCO3 type water finally gets changed as Na-Cl type in aquifer. In the study area, 82% of water samples enriched in F− concentration (>1 ppm) pertain to Na-Cl type. Geochemical modelling confirms that reduced Ca2+ ion activity due to oversaturation of calcite with respect to fluorite might have triggered the favourable condition for dissolution of fluoride bearing minerals leading to fluoride enrichment in groundwater. To further assess the extent of natural and anthropogenic processes, the data was subjected to multivariate statistical analysis by performing correlation analysis, principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to study some geometric properties along with the existence of a generalized weakly Ricci symmetric manifold and find out the reduced form of defining conditions of such a manifold. It is observed that every generalized weakly Ricci symmetric manifold is an almost generalized pseudo-Ricci symmetric manifold. We also find out the conditions for which a weakly Ricci symmetric manifold becomes a Ricci pseudosymmetric manifold in the sense of Deszcz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we have considered a recently reported 2-layer non-DHT-based structured P2P network. It is an interest-based system. When first reported, peers in each cluster in the architecture used to possess instances of a particular resource type only. It was defmitely a very hard restriction practically. Recently, to overcome this restriction a generalized form of the architecture has been reported in which any peer in any cluster can have more than one resource type. This generalized architecture is a little bit more complex than the original one and yet efficiency of each data look-up protocol in it remains the same as in the simpler initial version of the architecture. In this paper, as a continuation of our work in this direction, we have considered security in communication in the generalized architecture. To achieve it, mainly public key-based approach has been used for the different look-up protocols ( except for multicasting) because the required number of public-private key pairs is small. However, for multicasting among the clusterheads, we have followed a hybrid approach, because number of symmetric keys required is just one independent of the size of the multicast group and only the public-private key pair of the root cluster-head is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: Congenital orofacial swellings in neonates are mainly limited to vascular malformations and neuroectodermal benign tumours. Congenital granular cell tumour (CGCT) is a rare condition affecting neonates with a prevalence rate of 6 in 1 million. Our report provides a brief review of diagnosis and management. Patient Concern: A 4-day-old female neonate was brought in with the chief complaint of a single, lobulated mass protruding from the right side of the oral cavity. The inability to achieve lip seal and suckling resulting in feeding problems was the primary concern. Diagnosis and Treatment: Surgical excision of the lesion was carried out under general anaesthesia. Resected mass was confirmed to be a CGCT upon histopathological evaluation. Outcome: One-year follow-up showed satisfactory healing with no evidence of recurrence. Take-away Lesson: Ultrasonography and other imaging modalities help in differentiating it from vascular malformations. Simple surgical excision suffices to treat the condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peer-to-peer (P2P) networks are extremely vulnerable to network security attacks due to their low budget and limited resource capabilities. In this study, we are presenting public key cryptography and digital signature-based data lookup protocol that are efficient and secured in an RC-based hierarchical structured P2P network. Utilizing RC, a modular arithmeticbased residue class, the overlay topology has been achieved. This design was chosen because it allows for minimal latency in both intra and inter-group communications. In the present study, we provide efficient schemes for public-key cryptographic security and digital signature-based authentication for existing communication protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cloud-computing capabilities have revolutionized the remote processing of exploding volumes of healthcare data. However, cloud-based analytics capabilities are saddled with a lack of context-awareness and unnecessary access latency issues as data are processed and stored in remote servers. The emerging network infrastructure tier of fog computing can reduce expensive latency by bringing storage, processing, and networking closer to sensor nodes. Due to the growing variety of medical data and service types, there is a crucial need for efficient and secure architecture for sensor-based health-monitoring devices connected to fog nodes. In this paper, we present publish/subscribe and interest/resource-based non-DHT-based peer-to-peer (P2P) RC-based architecture for resource discovery. The publish/subscribe communication model provides a scalable way to handle large volumes of data and messages in real time, while allowing fine-grained access control to messages, thus enabling heightened security. Our two − level overlay network consists of (1) a transit ring containing group-heads representing a particular resource type, and (2) a completely connected group of peers. Our theoretical analysis shows that our search latency is independent of the number of peers. Additionally, the complexity of the intra-group data-lookup protocol is constant, and the complexity of the inter-group data lookup is O(n), where n is the total number of resource types present in the network. Overall, it therefore allows the system to handle large data throughput in a flexible, cost-effective, and secure way for medical IoT systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scanning superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) fabricated on the tip of a sharp quartz pipette (SQUID-on-tip) has emerged as a versatile tool for the nanoscale imaging of magnetic, thermal, and transport properties of microscopic devices of quantum materials. We present the design and performance of a scanning SQUID-on-tip microscope in a top-loading probe of a cryogen-free dilution refrigerator. The microscope is enclosed in a custom-made vacuum-tight cell mounted at the bottom of the probe and is suspended by springs to suppress vibrations caused by the pulse tube cryocooler. Two capillaries allow for the in situ control of helium exchange gas pressure in the cell that is required for thermal imaging. A nanoscale heater is used to create local temperature gradients in the sample, which enables quantitative characterization of relative vibrations between the tip and the sample. The spectrum of the vibrations shows distinct resonant peaks with a maximal power density of about 27 nm/Hz1/2 in the in-plane direction. The performance of the SQUID-on-tip microscope is demonstrated by magnetic imaging of the MnBi2Te4 magnetic topological insulator, magnetization and current distribution imaging in a SrRuO3 ferromagnetic oxide thin film, and thermal imaging of dissipation in graphene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we have considered a recently reported 2-layer non-DHT-based structured P2P network. It is an interest-based system and consists of different clusters such that peers in a given cluster possess instances of a particular resource type. It offers efficient data look-up protocols with low latency. However, the architecture lacks in one very important aspect: it is assumed that no peer in any cluster can have more than one resource type and this could be a very hard restriction practically. Therefore, in the present work, we have addressed this issue of generalizing the architecture to overcome this restriction and have come up with effective solutions. We have modified appropriately our previously reported data look-up protocols wherever applicable in order to accommodate the idea of generalization while making sure that look-up latencies of these modified protocols remain the same. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oxidation resistance of FeCrAl based on alloying composition and oxidizing conditions is predicted using a combinatorial experimental and artificial intelligence approach. A neural network (NN) classification model was trained on the experimental FeCrAl dataset produced at GE Research. Furthermore, using the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) tool, we explore how the NN can showcase further material insights that are unavailable directly from a black-box model. We report that high Al and Cr content forms protective oxide layer, while Mo in FeCrAl creates thick unprotective oxide scale that is vulnerable to spallation due to thermal expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the effectiveness of social isolation and, in particular, contact tracing for infection management, there are a number of drawbacks, including that it is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and adhoc. Following the COVID-19 outbreak, a number of mobile technologies are emerging to combat the inefficiencies of human contact tracing. However, there is a lack of actual, transparent platform design, and the production of maps for active infection, particularly in the state-of-the-art Blockchain technology. In this paper we introduce CTChain, a blockchainbased tool that collects, organizes, and generates maps of active infections to assist public health officials in their work. Utilizing a hierarchical network architecture, a regional map for active infection is built by navigating via a cache memorystored blockchain. Our architecture continuously filters out outdated infections to produce batches of the most pertinent dynamic regional data, which may be utilized to issue timely health recommendations and temporarily seal off high-infection areas. CTChain's platform can map the active infections across three different parameters: sparse vs densely populated region, number of people in each location, and initial infection rate. We can examine infection transmission and region "popularity" on a per-region basis because of our region handler capabilities. Due to the network's widespread storage of many copies of the chain, our model is safeguarded against single points of failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Together with the thermodynamics and kinetics, the complex microstructure of high-entropy alloys (HEAs) exerts a significant influence on the associated oxidation mechanisms in these concentrated solid solutions. To describe the surface oxidation in AlCoCrFeNi HEA, we employed a stochastic cellular automata model that replicates the mesoscale structures that form. The model benefits from diffusion coefficients of the principal elements through the native oxides predicted by using molecular simulations. Through our examination of the oxidation behavior as a function of the alloy composition, we corroborated that the oxide scale growth is a function of the complex chemistry and resultant microstructures. The effect of heat treatment on these alloys is also simulated by using reconstructed experimental micrographs. When they are in a single-crystal structure, no segregation is noted for α-Al2O3 and Cr2O3, which are the primary scale-forming oxides. However, a coexistent separation between Al2O3 and Cr2O3 oxide scales with the Al-Ni- and Cr-Fe-rich regions is predicted when phase-separated microstructures are incorporated into the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the serendipitous discovery of crown ethers by Pedersen more than half a century ago and the subsequent introduction of host–guest chemistry and supramolecular chemistry by Cram and Lehn, respectively, followed by the design and synthesis of wholly synthetic cyclophanes—in particular, fluorescent cyclophanes, having rich structural characteristics and functions—have been the focus of considerable research activity during the past few decades. Cyclophanes with remarkable emissive properties have been investigated continuously over the years and employed in numerous applications across the field of science and technology. In this Review, we feature the recent developments in the chemistry of fluorescent cyclophanes, along with their design and synthesis. Their host–guest chemistry and applications related to their structure and properties are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Odontogenic keratocyst (OKC) is a common developmental odontogenic cyst affecting the maxillofacial region. They can occur in two different forms, either as solitary (non-syndromic OKCs) or as multiple OKCs (syndromic OKCs). Multiple OKCs are usually seen in association with Gorlin–Goltz syndrome or otherwise called nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome. However, approximately 5% of patients with OKC have multiple cysts without concomitant syndromic presentation. This article reports a case of multiple OKCs of orthokeratinised variant in a non-syndromic patient along with an isolated dentigerous cyst associated with impacted teeth in one of the quadrants. Simultaneous occurrence of dentigerous cyst along with multiple OKCs may be coincidental. Impacted teeth must be radiographed and evaluated histopathologically to rule out varied lesions and associated complications with them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study is aimed to prospectively evaluate neurological alteration subsequent to zygomatic complex fracture. Objective: To evaluate recovery of neurosensory deficit in unilateral zygomatic complex fracture cases. Materials and Methods: 30 Cases with unilateral zygomatic complex fracture having neurosensory deficit were divided into three Groups based on their Management. Gp-I Cases were managed with indirect reduction without fixation. Gp-II cases were managed with open reduction and internal fixation and no surgical intervention in Gp-III cases. Neurosensory function was assessed with light touch, two point discrimination, brush directional stroke and response to thermal stimuli in the infraorbital nerve region. Results: Neurosensory changes were evaluated preoperatively, postmanagement after 1 week, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months. Recovery in Group II was better than in Group I, however, it was statistically insignificant. Recovery in Group I was better than in Group III, however, the comparative recovery was statistically insignificant. Recovery in Group II was statistically significant than in Group III. Conclusion: It was observed that in most of the cases, neurosensory deficit recovered within 6 months. Recovery was better in the cases where patients were managed with open reduction and internal fixation. On the basis of the current study, it is recommended that in such cases where there is significant displacement or rotation of fractured fragments, direct reduction and internal fixation should be performed to achieve early return to normal form, function, and decompression of the nerve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ever-increasing interest in multicomponent alloys over the last decade is attributed to their intriguing structural properties. Nonetheless, these materials do hold potential where novel functional properties, such as high specific heat at extremely low temperatures, are required for applications, such as the cryogenic regenerator bed, that have been predominantly dependent on rare earth metals and lead. Given the enormous design space of alloy compositions, spanning over half a trillion possible compositions, and consisting of three to six principal elements, machine-learning and data-guided methods are the emergent techniques to address such materials discovery challenges. Here, we implement a gradient boost regressor to estimate the specific heat capacity of these alloys, but more importantly to understand the key material descriptors driving the predictions. The mean lattice constant and the valence electron concentration are the most impactful descriptors, since they directly influence vibrational frequencies and electron–phonon coupling, both of which are crucial material features for specific heat of multicomponent alloys. Additionally, our workflow also establishes the need for an extensive and homogeneous dataset to enable accurate ML-based predictions for material properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 is an infectious disease, which has adversely affected public health and the economy across the world. On account of the highly infectious nature of the disease, rapid automated diagnosis of COVID-19 is urgently needed. A few recent findings suggest that chest X-rays and CT scans can be used by machine learning for the diagnosis of COVID-19. Herein, we employed semi-supervised learning (SSL) approaches to detect COVID-19 cases accurately by analyzing digital chest X-rays and CT scans. On a relatively small COVID-19 radiography dataset, which contains only 219 COVID-19 positive images, 1341 normal and 1345 viral pneumonia images, our algorithm, COVIDCon, which takes advantage of data augmentation, consistency regularization, and multicontrastive learning, attains 97.07% average class prediction accuracy, with 1000 labeled images, which is 7.65% better than the next best SSL method, virtual adversarial training. COVIDCon performs even better on a larger COVID-19 CT Scan dataset that contains 82,767 images. It achieved an excellent accuracy of 99.13%, at 20,000 labels, which is 6.45% better than the next best pseudo-labeling approach. COVIDCon outperforms other state-of-the-art algorithms at every label that we have investigated. These results demonstrate COVIDCon as the benchmark SSL algorithm for potential diagnosis of COVID-19 from chest X-rays and CT-Scans. Furthermore, COVIDCon performs exceptionally well in identifying COVID-19 positive cases from a completely unseen repository with a confirmed COVID-19 case history. COVIDCon, may provide a fast, accurate, and reliable method for screening COVID-19 patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterogeneity in lithological and structural characteristics results in variation of specific yield (Sy) value in spatial domain. It also depends upon degree of saturation of aquifer. This imparts temporal variation in Sy value in an aquifer. Bonasuria micro-watershed of Damodar river-basin in India is selected to undertake the study of estimation of temporal variation in Sy based upon monthly ground water budgeting for three non-monsoon months. Sy value gradually changes with progression of summer months. Average specific yield value has been estimated as 0.002593 in March and 0.001446 in April. Determined specific yield values indicate low water storage capacity of the shallow aquifer system. This highlights the need of efficient water management for sustainable development of the area. Present study indicates that this can be achieved through storing the effluent seepage going out of the micro- water shed system as base flow. By constructing appropriate water storage structure at the mouth of the water shed and diverting the same back to the aquifer through suitable means is expected to rejuvenate the aquifer system. Holistically this intervention will lead towards development of sustainable dry-season agricultural practices in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Filippi syndrome is a sporadic craniodigital syndrome with autosomal recessive inheritance characterized by microcephaly, dysmorphic face, prenatal and postnatal growth failure, syndactyly of fingers and toes, and varying degrees of mental retardation. Approximately 30 cases have been reported in the literature so far. This study aims to report and document a case of a 13-yearold girl with classical features of Filippi syndrome who had, in addition, a shovel-shaped maxillary permanent central incisor. We believe this dental finding could represent an uncommon feature observed in only a subset of patients with Filippi syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we have considered a recently reported 2-layer non-DHT-based structured P2P network. We have first proposed a bandwidth efficient inter-cluster broadcast protocol for the architecture assuming that the layer-1 tree is a complete one. The protocol does not generate any duplicate packet. However, when the layer-1 tree is an incomplete one, the proposed protocol will generate only one duplicate packet per broadcast packet and the number of such duplicate packets is independent of the number of peers in the architecture. In either case, complexity of broadcasting is O(d) in terms of overlay hops, d being the number of levels of the tree; so, it is independent of the total number of peers present in the architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Performance of a peer-to-peer system is commonly assessed by the ease of scalability it offers, level of fault tolerance it can handle and querying latency it results. Especially for a P2P system meant for file sharing, efficient search mechanism is crucial. Such efficiency of file querying is noticeably improved when participating peers are grouped based on their shared interests. Peers when clustered by their geographic proximity can also yield better search latency. Current works use both location proximity and common interest as the basis for clustering and these works take advantage of both the methodologies. This survey talks about various P2P proximitybased clustering models and common-interest based network formulations and to the best of our knowledge there does not exist any survey paper that considers the topic which we have considered in our present work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present results from a stochastic cellular automata (CA) model developed and employed for examining the oxidation kinetics of NiAl and NiAl+Hf alloys. The rules of the CA model are grounded in diffusion probabilities and basic principles of alloy oxidation. Using this approach, we can model the oxide scale thickness and morphology, specific mass change and oxidation kinetics as well as an approximate estimate of the stress and strains in the oxide scale. Furthermore, we also incorporate Hf in the grain boundaries and observe the "reactive element effect", where doping with Hf results in a drastic reduction in the oxidation kinetics concomitant with the formation of thin, planar oxide scales. Interestingly, although we find that grain boundaries result in rapid oxidation of the undoped NiAl, they result in a slower-growing oxide and a planar oxide/metal interface when doped with Hf. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we have considered a recently reported 2-level non-DHT-based structured P2P network. It is an interest-based architecture. Residue Class (RC) based on modular arithmetic has been used to realize the overlay topology. Such an architecture has been the choice because it offers low latency in both inter or intra group communications. In the present work, we have proposed efficient ways to make these already existing communication protocols secured. In addition, we have extended these protocols further to include anonymity as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we have considered an existing non-DHT based structured P2P network. It is an interest-based system. At the heart of the architecture, there exists a tree like structure, known as Pyramid Tree, even though it is not a conventional tree. A node on the tree represents a cluster of peers with common interest. There is no limit on the size of such clusters. Residue Class based on modular arithmetic has been used to realize the structure of a cluster. It has been shown that overlay diameter of each such cluster is just one (one overlay hop). Thus, each cluster is a completely connected network. Therefore, theoretically any peer in such a cluster is logically connected to every other peer in the cluster. However, since peers are heterogeneous in nature, therefore, in practice we have to consider their different capacities while designing any communication protocol inside the cluster. In this paper, we have addressed this issue and offered reasonably efficient solutions for broadcasting and multicasting considering peer heterogeneity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advances in periodontal plastic surgical procedures have led to achieve predictable root coverage outcomes for the recession defects. However, little has been reported and emphasised over management of palatal recession defects. The root coverage surgical procedures used for coverage of palatal recession defect are technically challenging in terms of accessibility and graft coverage. The purpose of this report is to describe a surgical technique used to manage deep- wide palatal recession defect. The technique uses partly deepithelialised palatal graft that is designed to approximately fit the defect site. This is employed for prolonged protection of the underlying healing process. This case report is unique in terms of treatment of deep (9.0 mm), wide (6.0 mm) palatal recession defect and its long- term follow- up for 18 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: The epidemiology, clinical profile and outcome of paediatric candidemia vary considerably by age, healthcare settings and prevalent Candida species. Despite these differences, few comprehensive studies are undertaken. This nationwide study addresses this knowledge gap. Methods: 487 children who contracted ICU‐acquired candidemia at 23 Indian tertiary care centres were assessed for 398 variables spanning demography, clinical characteristics, microbiology, treatment and outcome. Results: Both neonates (5.0 days; range = 3.0‐9.5) and non‐neonatal children (7.0 days; range = 3.0‐13.0) developed candidemia early after ICU admission. Majority of neonates were premature (63.7%) with low birthweight (57.1%). Perinatal asphyxia (7.3%), pneumonia (8.2%), congenital heart disease (8.4%) and invasive procedures were common comorbidities, and antibiotic use (94.1%) was widespread. C tropicalis (24.7%) and C albicans (20.7%) dominated both age groups. Antifungal treatment (66.5%) and removal of central catheters (44.8%) lagged behind. Overall resistance was low; however, emergence of resistant C krusei and C auris needs attention. The 30‐day crude mortality was 27.8% (neonates) and 29.4% (non‐neonates). Logistic regression identified admission to public sector ICUs (OR = 5.64), mechanical ventilation (OR = 2.82), corticosteroid therapy (OR = 8.89) and antifungal therapy (OR = 0.22) as independent predictors of 30‐day crude mortality in neonates. Similarly, admission to public sector ICUs (OR = 3.62), mechanical ventilation (OR = 3.13), exposure to carbapenems (OR = 2.18) and azole antifungal therapy (OR = 0.48) were independent predictors for non‐neonates. Conclusions: Our findings reveal a distinct epidemiology, including early infection with a different spectrum of Candida species, calling for appropriate intervention strategies to reduce candidemia morbidity and mortality. Independent factors identified in our regression models can help tackle these challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal being the most abundant natural resource is used worldwide and shows graphite-like clusters. Here, for the first time, we report an innovative and cost-effective oxidative functionalization approach, followed by an acid-free and oxone oxidant-assisted solvothermal synthesis of graphene quantum dots from coal. This method involving the oxidative functionalization of coal was performed through the heat treatment of nitric acid, followed by an acid recovery process. Indeed, the solvothermal method used was entirely free from the utilization of strong acids, and involved a simple, eco-friendly, and salt-free purification process with a high production yield (∼45%). Due to the synergistic synthesis technique, our developed GQDs were found to exhibit a strong blue photoluminescence (PL) characteristic with a significantly high quantum yield (∼14.42%). High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) images indicated that the nanocrystalline GQDs had a uniform and narrow particle-size distribution in the range of 2.5–5 nm. The anticancer efficacy of the as-synthesized GQD nanomaterial was validated through cellular morphological pattern analysis and DAPI-staining images of neuroblastoma cells and breast cancer cells. In addition, the alteration of the mitochondrial membrane potential was scrutinized using JC-1 micrographs. Interestingly, the RITC-tagged GQDs showed cellular internalization within breast cancer cells. The robust functionality, luminescence stability, nanosecond lifetime, biocompatibility, and low toxicity of our developed GQDs suggest they could be promising probes for cancer therapeutic applications. This study unveils new opportunities for the sustainable production of GQDs with novel attributing features due to the easily availability of the raw materials, their cost-effective production, and fascinating photoluminescence property. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Trigeminal neuralgia is a painful disease that has been afflicting mankind since time immemorial. The etiology and pathophysiology have been widely studied but poorly understood. There are well-documented researches analyzing ultrastructural changes in trigeminal root specimens obtained following microvascular decompression surgery. However, there are no studies evaluating microscopic changes following peripheral neurectomy. Purpose: The present study examined microscopic changes in inferior alveolar neurovascular bundle in trigeminal neuralgia patients of mandibular division with no underlying cause. Materials and Methods: The biopsy specimens were obtained from peripheral neurectomy of 11 trigeminal neuralgia patients' refractory to anti-neuralgic medications. The autopsy specimens from 10 cadavers were used as control. The specimens were subjected to histopathological examination by hematoxylin and eosin, Masson trichrome and Luxol fast blue stains. Results: All biopsy specimens reported luminal occlusion of small vessels, medial degeneration and intense mononuclear inflammatory infiltrate. Focal myelin digestion chambers were observed in large and small axons. No pathological alterations of either blood vessel or nerve fibers were reported in autopsy specimens. Conclusion: The demyelination of inferior alveolar nerve due to pathologic vascular changes in peripheral vasculature may have a role in initiation and precipitation of trigeminal neuralgia, and hence, peripheral neurectomy has a significant role in alleviating pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Central adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) of the mandible is a rare entity arising from minor salivary glands. Their clinical and radiographic features may be similar to any odontogenic/nonodontogenic pathology, thus making their precise diagnosis wearisome. ACC is well documented for its protracted clinical course, perineural invasion, multiple recurrence rates and its propensity for distant metastases. The aim of this study is to report a rare case of primary central ACC of the mandible with an unusual presentation in terms of location, however, demonstrating the classical features of ACC in histopathology and positivity in immunohistochemistry to S100, calponin and CD117. A thorough clinical, radiographic, CT evaluation and meticulous metastatic workup along with long-term follow-up is advised in such cases. Although central ACC is extremely rare, especially in the anterior mandible, it should be included in the differentials for lesions of the mandible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The treatment of condylar fractures in oral and maxillofacial trauma, where an open reduction and internal fixation has to be done, is still a controversial note. However, when taken a decision by the surgeon to operate, there are many difficulties on the operation theatre table, reducing the proximal condylar stump and applying mini fixtures. The techniques to reduce the condylar stump are endorsed in the medical literature. We report a different technique with the use of simple armamentarium, a 24G intravenous catheter, which facilitates better visualization of the proximal segment by distracting the distal segment for open reduction and internal fixation of condylar fractures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reported here is the synthesis, solid‐state characterization, and redox properties of new triangular, threefold symmetric, viologen‐containing macrocycles. Cyclotris(paraquat‐p‐phenylene) (CTPQT6+) and cyclotris(paraquat‐p‐1,4‐dimethoxyphenylene) (MCTPQT6+) were prepared and their X‐ray single‐crystal (super)structures reveal intricate three‐dimensional packing. MCTPQT6+ results in nanometer‐sized channels, in contrast with its parent counterpart CTPQT6+ which crystallizes as a couple of polymorphs in the form of intercalated assemblies. In the solid state, MCTPQT3(.+) exhibits stacks between the 1,4‐dimethoxyphenylene and bipyridinium radical cations, providing new opportunities for the manipulation and control of the recognition motif associated with viologen radical cations. These redox‐active cyclophanes demonstrate that geometry‐matching and weak intermolecular interactions are of paramount importance in dictating the formation of their intricate solid‐state superstructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reported here is the synthesis, solid‐state characterization, and redox properties of new triangular, threefold symmetric, viologen‐containing macrocycles. Cyclotris(paraquat‐p‐phenylene) (CTPQT6+) and cyclotris(paraquat‐p‐1,4‐dimethoxyphenylene) (MCTPQT6+) were prepared and their X‐ray single‐crystal (super)structures reveal intricate three‐dimensional packing. MCTPQT6+ results in nanometer‐sized channels, in contrast with its parent counterpart CTPQT6+ which crystallizes as a couple of polymorphs in the form of intercalated assemblies. In the solid state, MCTPQT3(.+) exhibits stacks between the 1,4‐dimethoxyphenylene and bipyridinium radical cations, providing new opportunities for the manipulation and control of the recognition motif associated with viologen radical cations. These redox‐active cyclophanes demonstrate that geometry‐matching and weak intermolecular interactions are of paramount importance in dictating the formation of their intricate solid‐state superstructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the acceleration of applications that identify all the occurrences of thousands of string-patterns in an input data-stream using the Automata Processor (AP). For this evaluation, we use two applications from two fields, namely, cybersecurity and bioinformatics. The first application, called Fast-SNAP, scans network data for 4312 signatures of intrusion derived from the popular open-source Snort database. Using the resources of a single AP-board, Fast-SNAP can scan for all these signatures at 1 Gbps. The second application, called PROTOMATA, looks for all the occurrences of 1,309 motifs from the PROSITE database in protein sequences. PROTOMATA is up to 68 times faster than the state-of-the-art CPU implementation. As a comparison, we emulate the execution of the same NFAs by programming FPGAs using state-of-the-art techniques. We find that the performance derived by using the resources of a single AP-board, which houses 32 AP-chips, is comparable to that of the resources of five to six large FPGAs. The design techniques used in this paper are generic and may be applicable to the development of similar applications on the AP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Elongated styloid process results in severe cranio-facial/cervico-facial pain. The purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy of treatment outcomes using transcervical approach in the management of styloid-stylohyoid syndrome/styloid syndrome.Study design: This is a retrospective cohort study. Subjects were enrolled from out-patient clinics reporting between the periods Jan 2016-Jan 2018.Methods & methods: Twelve patients diagnosed with styloid syndrome based on history, thorough clinical workup, and assessment were included in the study. The primary outcomes—improvement in pain and regression of chief complaints following surgery were assessed. Elongated styloid was resected using transcervical approach under general anesthesia.Results: The intra-operative lengths of the styloid process varied from 40 to 43 mm. No post-operative complications were encountered and the symptoms regressed completely after surgery in all the patients at follow-up of 6 months.Conclusions: Transcervical styloidectomy is an effective treatment for exposure and resection of the styloid process with minimal complications in patients with stylo-stylohyoid syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Objective: The aim of the systematic review was to analyse the available evidence in order to assess the efficacy of dextrose prolotherapy in improving outcomes in temporomandibular joint (TMJ) hypermobility patients as compared to placebo. Methods: An electronic search of PubMed, Scopus, CENTRAL and Google scholar databases was performed for English language papers published up to February 2018. Randomised clinical trials (RCTs) and controlled clinical trials (CCTs) comparing dextrose prolotherapy with placebo for TMJ hypermobility were included. Results: Three RCTs were included in the review. Frequency of subluxation/dislocation was reported by two trials which found no difference between dextrose and placebo. A statistical significant difference in reduction of MMO with the use of dextrose prolotherapy was seen on pooling of data (random: MD = −3.32, 95% CI −5.26 to −1.28; P = 0.0008; I2 = 0%). A statistical significant difference in pain reduction was also seen with dextrose as compared to placebo (random: MD = −1, 95% CI −1.58 to −0.42; P = 0.0007; I2 = 0%). Conclusion: Within the limitations of the study, dextrose prolotherapy may cause significant reduction in mouth opening and pain associated with TMJ hypermobility. Conclusions with regard to reduction of episodes of subluxation/dislocation cannot be drawn. There is a need of more high‐quality RCTs with larger sample size and homogenous prolotherapy protocol to draw stronger conclusions on the effect of dextrose prolotherapy in patients with TMJ hypermobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) ankylosis is one of the most disruptive maladies afflicting the masticatory system. The characteristic feature is the formation of bony mass bridging condyle with glenoid fossa. The exact pathogenesis is, however, not completely understood.Purpose: To investigate and compare histomorphometric features of ankylosed condylar specimen with normal condylar process.Materials and Methods: Group I included 17 post-traumatic unilateral TMJ ankylosis patients managed by excision of ankylosed mass and interpositional arthroplasty. Group II included 13 condylar head fracture patients managed by surgical debridement. The bony specimens of both the groups were subjected to histomorphometric examination for assessment of percentage of bone in trabeculae area (%BONE), osteocyte cell density (OSTCD), the presence of inflammation and fibrosis.Results: The mean %BONE, OSTCD, %inflammation, %fibrosis was 60.4%, 340.9 mm2, 52.9 and 58.8% in group I and 29.6%, 202.6 mm2, 31 and 0% in group II.  %BONE, OSTCD and fibrosis in cases of TMJ ankylosis were significantly higher than the controls while no significant difference was observed in the presence of inflammation.Conclusion: The persistence of joint inflammation following condylar head fracture causes aggressive reparative process leading to ankylosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper deals with the proper existence of a generalized class of recurrent manifolds, namely, hyper-generalized recurrent manifolds. We have established the proper existence of various generalized notions of recurrent manifolds. For this purpose we have presented a metric and computed its curvature properties and finally we have obtained the existence of a new class of semi-Riemannian manifolds which are non-recurrent but hyper-generalized recurrent, Ricci recurrent, conharmonically recurrent, manifold of recurrent curvature 2-forms and semisymmetric; not weakly symmetric but weakly Ricci symmetric, conformally weakly symmetric and conharmonically weakly symmetric; non-Einstein but Ricci simple; do not satisfy P ⋅ P = 0 but fulfills the condition P ⋅ P = -1/3 Q(S, P), P being the projective curvature tensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) have attracted attention as a promising material in the biomedical field because of their outstanding properties such as hydrophilicity, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and high surface area. In this work, we have prepared cellulose nanofibrils from jute fibres (JF), to develop a CNF/chitosan transdermal film for the delivery of ketorolec tromethamine (KT) where the CNFs act as an elegant nanometric carrier. The KT-loaded CNF/chitosan transdermal film matrices have been characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) reveals the successful KT loading into the CNF/chitosan transdermal film. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) study shows the different morphological features of the CNF/chitosan transdermal films. The crystalline nature of the CNF/chitosan transdermal films has been analyzed by X-ray diffraction study. Release profiles from the CNF/chitosan matrices indicate that the drug release rate is sustained with the incorporation of CNFs. We believe that this new nanocarrier may be a potential choice for transdermal drug delivery systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]