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Although external (EXT) verbal cues have been shown to improve jump performance, limited research has been conducted in youth athletes. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate how different EXT verbal cue types influenced countermovement jump (CMJ) performance in youth athletes. Ten young trained female athletes (16.80 ± 0.60 years) performed the CMJ using four different EXT verbal cues including external-distal (DIST), external-proximal (PROX), analogy (ANA) and holistic (HOL) as well as a neutral cue (CON). Jump height, reactive strength index modified (RSIMOD), countermovement depth, jump time and force-time measures from eccentric and concentric CMJ subphases were measured. No significant differences between cue types were found for RSIMOD. ANA resulted in significantly higher jump height compared to CON (g = 0.37). PROX significantly increased jump time (g = 0.60), concentric time (g = 0.47) and braking time (g = 0.52), as well as significantly decreasing eccentric braking mean force (g = 0.43) and eccentric braking rate of force development (g = 0.59) compared to CON. Countermovement depth significantly increased when using PROX (g = 0.60), HOL (g = 0.46) and ANA (g = 0.51) compared to CON. These results suggest that compared to a neutral cue, EXT verbal cues result in similar CMJ performance in trained youth athletes. However, PROX verbal cues appear to result in reduced performance in many CMJ force-time measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yttrium (Y) and cobalt (Co) co-doped bismuth ferrite (BFO) nanopowders were synthesized by the sol–gel method. The purity of the phase of the samples was confirmed by the X-ray diffraction technique. Both grains and grain boundaries contribute to the electrical response of the samples. The modulus studies show that the charge carriers can perform both long- and short-range mobility. Meanwhile, the Nyquist plot analysis confirms the samples' non-Debye-type relaxation behaviour and negative temperature coefficient resistance nature. The frequency-dependent AC conductivity obeys the power law A ω s at a higher frequency. AC conductivity increases from 1.300 × 10–5 to 8.463 × 10–4 S m–1, increasing Y and Co contents in the BFO sample. The temperature dependence of the AC conductivity suggests the presence of different conduction processes for all the samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The iPSC-derived 3D models are considered to be a connective link between 2D culture and in vivo studies. However, the sensitivity of such 3D models is yet to be established. We assessed the sensitivity of the hiPSC-derived 3D spheroids against 2D cultures of neural progenitor cells. The sub-toxic dose of Sodium Arsenite (SA) was used to investigate the alterations in miRNA-proteins in both systems. Though SA exposure induced significant alterations in the proteins in both 2D and 3D systems, these proteins were uncommon except for 20 proteins. The number and magnitude of altered proteins were higher in the 2D system compared to 3D. The association of dysregulated miRNAs with the target proteins showed their involvement primarily in mitochondrial bioenergetics, oxidative and ER stress, transcription and translation mechanism, cytostructure, etc., in both culture systems. Further, the impact of dysregulated miRNAs and associated proteins on these functions and ultrastructural changes was compared in both culture systems. The ultrastructural studies revealed a similar pattern of mitochondrial damage, while the cellular bioenergetics studies confirm a significantly higher energy failure in the 2D system than to 3D. Such a higher magnitude of changes could be correlated with a higher amount of internalization of SA in 2D cultures than in 3D spheroids. Our findings demonstrate that a 2D culture system seems better responsive than a 3D spheroid system against SA exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On basis of various research reports, pyridine was found to possess a wide spectrum of pharmacological activities along with many other industrial applications. Because of its diverse applications, pyridine moiety is the centre of attraction for researchers and a large number of patents have been granted focusing on it. Several synthetic protocols such as cyclo-condensation, cyclization, cycloaddition, electrolysis, etc., were used by researchers to synthesize pyridine and analogs. Each synthetic protocol has its merits and demerits and required several types of reagents, catalysts and reaction conditions. So, there is always a need for careful analysis of reported synthetic protocols whenever researchers like to initiate research consisting of the synthesis of pyridine and its analogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was conducted to collect data regarding the various aspects of involvement of human resources in the buffalo management practices followed by farmers of Begun and Kapasan tehsils of Chittorgarh District of Rajasthan, India.This entailed a random survey of 160 buffalo rearers from eight villages of Begun and Kapasan tehsils. Our study revealed the significant role played by women of family in major rearing operations like sale of animal, milking, cleaning, feeding, care of young stock, grazing, care of sick animal, protection against external parasites, service mating/inseminationand deworming, among others. While sale of milk was largely performed by male members of family. The role of children in buffalo management was found to be of assistance to men and women to complete the operations. The buffalo rearers used village market for selling their animals and fix rate of their animals for marketing on the basis of milk yield and physical appearance. Results revealed that 66.25% respondents sold buffalo milk as such while 22.50% of respondents sold/used the milk after mixing Cow and goat milk. About 6.88 of total of total respondents utilized it for household consumption and 4.38% used buffalo milk after transforming it into various milk products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mango fruits' quality, marketability, and shelf life are significantly influenced by postharvest decay. Mango fruit disease development during storage is inhibited by fungicides. The objective of this investigation was to assess the relative effectiveness of two fungicides, azoxystrobin 18.2% + difenoconazole 11.4% SC and hexaconazole 5% SC, in mitigating postharvest deterioration of mango cv. 'Langra' during low temperature storage. Three pathogens were found associated with postharvest decay of mango, i.e. Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Alternaria alternata , and Penicillium expansum. In comparison to untreated ones, the preharvest application of fungicide treatments provided noticeably better disease control. The foliar application of azoxystrobin 18.2% + difenoconazole 11.4% SC (0.1%) 15 days before the harvesting of fruits significantly improved fruit firmness, soluble solid content, titratable acidity, reduced the disease incidence, percentage disease index, and lesion diameter followed by the application of hexaconazole 5% SC (0.1%) compared to the control. Furthermore, it was found that pre-harvest fungicide spraying of azoxystrobin 18.2% + difenoconazole 11.4% SC (0.1%) was an effective treatment for lowering postharvest deterioration and enhancing the physio-chemical characteristics of mango fruits during low-temperature storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-class motor imagery Electroencephalography (EEG) activity decoding has always been challenging for the development of Brain Computer Interface (BCI) system. Deep learning has recently emerged as a powerful approach for BCI system development using EEG activity. However, the EEG activity analysis and classification should be robust, automated and accurate. Currently, available BCI systems perform well for binary task identification whereas, multi-class classification of EEG activity for BCI applications is still a challenging task. In this work, a hybrid residual attention ensemble voting classifier model is developed for EEG-based Motor Imagery-Brain Computer Interface (MI-BCI) task classification. The Time–Frequency Representation (TFR) of the multi-class EEG activity is generated using Transient Extracting Transform. The TFR spectrogram images are input to the designed residual attention ensemble voting classifier model for training and classification purposes. The model is evaluated using different fusion strategies viz. feature-level and score-level fusion of layers. The proposed model is evaluated on two MI-BCI datasets, BCI competition IV 2a and BCI competition III 3a, yielding the highest classification accuracies of 88.14% and 93.13%, respectively. The results obtained on a large multi-class MI-BCI dataset confirm that the proposed hybrid residual attention ensemble voting classifier model significantly outperforms the conventional algorithm and achieves significantly high classification accuracy for the feature-level fusion of layers. The developed framework aids in identifying different tasks for multi-class MI-BCI EEG activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past few decades, rapid industrialization and urbanization have severely deteriorated urban air quality. Forecasting the value of air pollutants and predicting the Air Quality Index (AQI) are crucial in improving the control measures for tackling air pollution. The current research proposes meteorological AQI and pollutants concentration-based AQI predictor. It consists of the pollutant predictor module and Air Quality Index predictor module. In this work, (a) ARIMA, ANN, RFR, XGBoost, LSTM, VAR, and ARMA are used to forecast the concentration of pollutants, (b) support vector regressor (SVR) is then used to build an AQI prediction model using forecasted air pollution concentration (in part 'a') and meteorological factors such as wind speed, temperature, and humidity, and (c) the performance of SVR with different kernel functions has been investigated. Also, the impact of considering past AQI values for predicting future AQI values has been analyzed. The dataset used in this work has been acquired from the official website of the Central Pollution Control Board, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India. The pollutant prediction models were evaluated using MAE and RMSE as the performance parameters. It has been observed that ARIMA and ANN can be used for efficient and accurate forecasting of the concentration of air pollutants. Further, it has been found that the proposed SVR model works effectively using linear kernel function (with one lookback value), with MAE being 29 and RMSE being 44.5. This proposed predictor may help people to plan their daily activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of digital hologram (DH) in optical medical images is analyzed in this paper. These analyses are done in various domains of double random phase encoding and it has been proposed. The domains are fractional Fourier, Gyrator, fractional Hartley and Fresnel. In order to use in real-time scheming, this proposal is used in many medical images such as MRI scan, X-ray and mammograms. These medical images are optically explored with the various domains of double random phase encoding (DRPE). Various encryption areas in double random phase encoding are considered with boosted confidence of security. The encryption and decryption process in various domains makes the complete chart analysis for all kinds of medical images which can be used for real-time processing. Simulation analysis and results show the legitimacy and efficiency of proposed scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Present study is related to financial analyse and marketing of fish in Meerut District of Uttar Pradesh, to analyse the budgetary, marketing channels and price spread. Sixty respondents were selected purposively for present investigation and the average size of pond was 1.40 hectare. The cost and return analysis indicated that farmers incurred overall average cost of Rs. 98966.82 and decreases with increase of pond size, the realized overall net profit was Rs. 140666.05 per hectare. The fish farming enterprise was found to be economically profitable and advantageous with benefit cost ratio (BCR) of 2.42. The producer's share in consumer rupee estimated and varies from 74.00 percent to 96.15 percent. Findings of the study recommends higher possibilities of integrated fish farming in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Vegetable Science is the property of Indian Society of Vegetable Science (ISVS) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The outer disc region of most spiral galaxies (approximately 50 per cent of all disc galaxies) shows warping above the galactic mid-plane and is primarily asymmetric by nature. In this work, we explore analytically the effect of the gas component on asymmetric warps in a realistic self-gravitating collision-less disc residing in a cold oblate dark matter halo's potential field. We consider the disc to be composed of gravitationally coupled stars and gas components. The quadratic eigenvalue equation describing the shape and frequency of the bending mode is formulated and solved numerically. Two stable ground-state bending modes m  = 0 and m  = 1, representing the U-shape and the mostly observed S-shaped warp in the galactic disc are superimposed linearly to generate and examine the asymmetric warps in the disc. The resulting asymmetry in warp is measured by asymmetric index (A asym) by varying physical parameters such as the mass of the gas components and the halo flattening parameter. It is shown that the gas fraction in the disc has a negligible contribution to the generation of asymmetric warp in the disc. The disc residing in a spherical dark matter halo is found to be more asymmetry than that in the counterpart oblate halo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the trend analysis of groundwater level with reference to rainfall for a period from 1979 to 2022 has been carried out for the Thar district of Jaisalmer where the annual rainfall is the minimum in the state of Rajasthan. This area has not been researched for this kind of study earlier. Rainfall data have been collected from IMD (Indian Metrological Department) Pune whereas the groundwater data have been collected from CGWB (Central Ground Water Board, Govt. of India), GWD (Ground Water Department, Govt. of Rajasthan) and India-WRIS portal, Govt. of India. The collected data have been analysed in terms of fluctuations in groundwater level. Being located in the Thar Desert, Jaisalmer is the third largest and one of the hot districts in India where water availability plays a critical role. The statistical analysis has been performed by using Microsoft excel and XLSTAT statistical software in which Innovative trend analysis (ITA), Mann-Kendall Trend analysis Test (MK test) and Sen's slope estimator have been used. It has been observed that the yearly rainfall shows significantly upward trend (p < 0.05) during the study period whereas the groundwater level has significantly decreasing trend (p = 0.044) which indicates that groundwater level is rising. ITA support the results of MK test. The climatic and geological factors including unauthorized extraction of groundwater for irrigation purposes are also responsible for groundwater level fluctuation. In order to get the optimum out of the incident rainfall in the district, it is necessary to carry out a comprehensive study considering all relevant variables using advanced technology of assessment, measurement and extraction of groundwater, consumptive use of water, artificial recharge and regular monitoring at the level of local authorities in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum L. is grown widely as an important day-to-day demand vegetable. The crop is attacked by various polyphagous insect pests like tomato fruit borer, stink bug, cabbage looper, flea beetle, aphids, whitefly, two-spotted spider mite, etc., and oligophagous insects like leaf-miner, five-spotted hawkmoth, etc. To combat the damage and yield loss, various chemical insecticides were sprayed on tomatoes under field conditions. The residual pattern of insecticides like chlorantraniliprole, thiamethoxam, flubendiamide, and deltamethrin residues was studied following applications of chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC (Coragen) @ 30 g a.i./ha, thiamethoxam 25% WG (Actara) @ 50 g a.i./ha, flubendiamide 39.35 M/M SC (Fame) @ 48 g a.i./ha and deltamethrin 2.8% EC (Decis 100) @ 12.5 g a.i./ha using Reverse Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (RP-HPLC). Fruit samples were collected at 0 (1 h after application), 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 days and at harvest time. All the residues of insecticides such as chlorantraniliprole (0.09 mg kg− 1), thiamethoxam (0.03 mg kg− 1), flubendiamide (0.02 mg kg− 1), and deltamethrin (0.01 mg kg− 1) were persisted up to 5th day. There were no residues found at harvest time. The residues of chlorantraniliprole and deltamethrin persisted up to 3rd day of spraying whereas the residues of flubendiamide and thiamethoxam were not detected on the same day in the soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A self-gravitating, differentially rotating galactic disc under vertical hydrostatic equilibrium is supported by the vertical pressure gradient force against the gravitational collapse. Such discs are known to support various bending modes, for example warps, corrugation, or scalloping (typically, higher order bending modes) of which m  = 1 bending modes (warps) are the most prevalent ones in galactic discs. Here, we present a detailed theoretical analysis of the bending instability in realistic models of disc galaxies in which an exponential stellar disc is under vertical equilibrium and residing in a cold rigid dark matter halo. A quadratic eigenvalue equation describing the bending modes is formulated and solved for the complete eigen spectrum for a set of model disc galaxies by varying their physical properties such as disc scale-height, and dark matter halo mass. It is shown that the vertical pressure gradient force can excite unstable bending modes in such a disc as well as large scale discrete modes. Further, it is shown that the unstable eigen modes in a thinner disc grow faster than those in a thicker disc. The bending instabilities are found to be suppressed in discs dominated by massive dark matter halo. We estimate the growth time-scales and corresponding wavelength of the m  = 1 unstable bending modes in Milky Way like galaxies and discuss its implication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the morph-cultural variability of Alternaria alternata, a fungus that causes leaf spot disease in ber plants in Eastern Uttar Pradesh. The study analyzed six different isolates of A. alternata and found significant variation in terms of mycelial growth, colony appearance, sporulation, and conidial characteristics. The findings provide valuable information for understanding the variability of A. alternata populations and can help in developing strategies to manage the disease. The study also highlights the presence of new races of the pathogen in the region, indicating the need for further research. [Extracted from the article]

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is an autosomal dominant syndrome predisposing affected individuals to gastrointestinal (GI) cancers through a high burden of polyposis. Colorectal cancer rates reach 100% by the age of 45, making early colectomy a mainstay of treatment. While most patients undergo colectomy at an early age, ongoing screening and surveillance of the upper gastrointestinal tract and rectal pouch must continue throughout adulthood. Endoscopic therapy of gastric, duodenal, ampullary and rectal pouch polyps is critical to reduce morbidity and cancer related mortality. Management of these lesions is not uniform, and is dependent on their location, size, histology, and risk of malignant potential. Medical therapies targeting pathways that reduce the malignant progression of pre-cancerous lesions have been studied for many years. While studies on the use of aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) in chemoprevention have shown encouraging results in Lynch syndrome and primary colorectal cancer, the potential benefits of these medications have not been duplicated in FAP cohorts. While data remains limited on chemoprevention in FAP, a number of randomized trials are currently underway examining targeted therapies with the potential to slow the progression of the disease. This review aims to provide an in-depth review of the literature on current endoscopic options and chemopreventive therapies targeting FAP. While the endoscopic management has robust data for its use, chemoprevention in FAP is still in its infancy. The complementary use of chemopreventive agents and endoscopic therapy for FAP patients is quickly becoming a growing and exciting area of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insect pollination plays a pivotal role in maintaining sustainable and profitable agriculture practices with limited environmental disturbance. This research was conducted to assess the diversity of floral visitor insects and their foraging and behavioral activities over two seasons. In addition, we determined the impact of insect pollination on the qualitative and quantitative parameters of sweet orange (cvs. Early Gold, Rhode Red, and Trovita). During seasons 1 and 2, seven insect species, including six Hymenopterans and one Dipteran, visited the sweet orange flowers and collected nectar and/or pollen. During the two seasons, the highest mean number of flowers visited (per min) by various floral visitor insects was recorded for Xylocopa tenuiscapa Westwood and the lowest for Nomia sp. The time spent (s/flower) was the highest in Nomia sp. and lowest in X. tenuiscapa. The fruit set, fruit yield, fruit weight, number of seeds/fruit, and total soluble solids (TSS) content were considerably higher with open pollination during the two seasons than with pollinator exclusion. In both seasons the highest fruit set, number of seeds/fruit, fruit weight, and fruit yield were noted in cv. Early Gold. To summarize, the quality and quantity of fruit production of sweet oranges were influenced by insect pollination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical Solar Reflectors (OSRs) combine low solar radiation absorption (α) and high broadband infrared emissivity (ε) and are applied to the external surface of spacecraft for its thermal management. Bulk glass OSR tiles are the incumbent, but ultra-lightweight and thin-film flexible OSR coatings are raising considerable interest for both space and terrestrial radiative cooling applications. In this work, a genetic algorithm combined with a transfer matrix method is used for the design and optimization of multimaterial thin-film OSRs for broadband radiative cooling. The algorithm simultaneously optimizes the spectral performance of the OSR at two parts of the wavelength spectrum, solar (0.3–2.5 μm) and thermal infrared (2.5–30 μm). The designed optimized OSR structure consists of 18 alternating layers of three materials, SiN, SiO2, and Ta2O5, on top of an Al mirror backreflector, with a total thickness of only 2.088 μm. The optimized multilayer stack contributes distributed Bragg reflections that reduce the residual solar absorption below that of an uncoated Al mirror. The optimized OSR is demonstrated experimentally on a 150 mm (6 in.) Si wafer and on a flexible polyimide substrate using a production level reactive sputtering tool. The fabricated thin film OSR shows good thermal-optical property with α = 0.11 and ε = 0.75 and achieves a net cooling power of 150.1 W/m2 under conditions of one sun total solar irradiance in space. The ultrathin coating fabricated using hard inorganic materials facilitates its integration onto flexible foils and enables large-scale manufacture of low-cost OSRs for broadband radiative cooling applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermoluminescence (TL) glow curves of CaSO4:Dy phosphor were analyzed using a recently formulated simplified general one-trap (GOT) equation. The phosphor's activation energy (E) and frequency factor (s) were in the range of 1.014–1.421 eV and 109 to 1011 s−1, respectively. Furthermore, the analysis of the TL curve in the new simplified GOT equation provided information on the behavior of the empty traps and how they influence the retrapping process. The analysis of the TL curve in the simplified GOT equation shows that about 32–65% of the empty traps of the main dosimetric peak of CaSO4:Dy phosphor participate in the retrapping process, which is an essential requirement of a dosimetric peak. This vital information was missing in the previously reported TL analysis of the CaSO4:Dy phosphor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LaNiO3 (LNO) and NdNiO3 (NNO) thin films have been prepared by nebulized spray pyrolysis on (001)-oriented LaAlO3 (LAO) and SrTiO3 (STO) substrates. The stoichiometric nitrate precursor in deionized water was spray pyrolyzed at ~ 300 °C. All films were given annealing treatment at different temperatures to tune the electrical transport behavior. The surface morphology of these films, in general, consists of granular and locally epitaxial regions. Films with electrical transport properties resembling those of similar films prepared by more sophisticated methods like pulsed laser deposition and sputtering are obtained at the annealing temperature range ~ 900–950 °C. High-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) and glancing incidence XRD bring out the single-phase nature. The films on STO show a small amount of in-plane tensile strain, while those on LAO are under small compressive strain. Annealing at a higher temperature (~ 1000 °C) enhances the tensile strain slightly while the compressive strain is lowered. Such behavior has been attributed to oxygen deficiency. The LNO films on STO and LAO show fairly good metallic behavior, and the electrical transport in the former is described in terms of a model represented by ρ T = ρ 0 - a T 0.5 + b T . In contrast, the electrical resistivity of the LNO/LAO film is described by ρ T = ρ 0 - a T 0.5 + b T + c T 2 . Annealing at high temperatures promotes the insulating state in all the LNO films. The NNO films on LAO substrates show a paramagnetic metallic state which is followed by a metal insulator transition (MIT) on lowering the temperature. The MIT shifts to higher temperatures in 1000 °C annealed films. In contrast, the NNO/STO films show insulating behavior throughout, and annealing at higher temperatures further strengthens the insulating state. The insulator state shows a small polaron hopping kind of transport represented by ρ T = A T e E A / k B T with temperature-dependent activation energies in the range of 100–55 meV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canopy architecture is one of the most critical components influencing photoassimilation, yield and quality of fruit crops; thus, it is logical to optimize suitable canopy form with high light interception efficiency. In this study, the effectiveness of three forms of canopy architecture viz., open centre, Y trellis and espalier were assessed, under high density planting system of mango (833 plants ha− 1). Y trellis facilitated better availability of photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) in upper (793 µmol m− 2 s− 1) and lower canopy layers (487 µmol m− 2 s− 1) by exhibiting moderate interception of photosynthetic active radiation (PAR). Y-trellis also manifested relatively higher photosynthetic activity (6.07 µmol CO2 m− 2 s− 1 and 5.24 µmol CO2 m− 2 s− 1), stomatal conductance (0.194 µmol H2O m− 2 s− 1 and 0.172 µmol H2O m− 2 s− 1), carbohydrate and protein content in upper and lower canopy layers. On the other hand, espalier system demonstrated high rate of PAR interception and low photosynthetic activity. Mango canopy with Y-trellis and open centre forms provided better results in terms of flowering intensity and fruit yield. Fruits from Y-trellis exhibited relatively better colour attributes, sucrose and β-carotene content. Alternatively, soluble solid contents, citric acid, carbohydrate and protein content were unaffected with the training systems. It was evident from PCA biplots that Y-trellis had close proximity with light intensity, photosynthetic characteristics, flowering intensity, yield, and fruit quality attributes. Moreover, path coefficient analysis indicated that PPFD, iPAR and photosynthetic rate (Pn) were the most important predictors for determining flowering in mango. The findings of the present study demonstrate that optimized canopy architecture is instrumental for effective utilization of radiation energy for higher flowering intensity, yield and fruit quality in mango. Economic assessment of training system indicated that Y-trellis was more feasible system when cultivation was aimed to maximise the profit with no restriction on investment. However under capital constraint situation open centre system was more profitable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Prävention und Gesundheitsförderung is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article presents a design method for a miniaturized, Circularly Polarized (CP), concentric ring-shaped monopole on-chip antenna for 24 GHz short-range application. The proposed antenna covers a 22{29 GHz automotive radar spectrum with a resonance at 24 GHz. Taking a simple circular ring-shaped patch as the reference antenna, this study introduces a small gap in the closed-loop structure that helps provide the required travelling wave current distribution to realize the CP property. Then, a smaller circular ring is incorporated inside the reference antenna to improve the antenna performance in terms of the CP characteristics. Finally, the proposed antenna is tuned to obtain the CP characteristics in the desired band ranging from 23.2 GHz to 27 GHz with 3{dB with Axial Ratio (AR) bandwidth of 3.8 GHz. It offers a maximum gain of {4.5 dBi and wide angular range coverage (HPBW > 75° in both E and H-plane). The standard CMOS process with only one level of mask (metal patterning) is used to better understand the functions of the designed antenna. Compact size (3.8 mm × 4 mm × 0.678 mm), simple design layout, and high performance make the antenna a suitable candidate for System-on-Chip (SoC) application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A survey was conducted in five districts of Nagaland viz., Dimapur, Peren, Kohima, Phek and Kiphire to know the presence of bumble bees and their diversity. A total of 93 bumble bees were collected from forest and cultivated areas. These were got identified and their flora was recorded along with their activity. Bumble bees were observed in Khonoma region in Kohima and Pfutsero in Phek district, while these were not observed in Dimapur, Kiphire and Peren district of Nagaland. Bombus orientalis Smith was the species observed, with some differences in their morphology. Morphometrics revealed difference in various studied parameters of queens and workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research which examined the trends in monsoon rainfall extremes in the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states of India over the period of 2003-2019 by analyzing the gridded rainfall dataset of the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Topics covered include the spatiotemporal variability of the extremes in the area, the variation in the total monsoon rainfall during the period, and the trends in total dry days (TDD) in the monsoon season.

Water is a natural and universal solvent that sustains life on earth. Due to industrialisation, pure water resources are exposed to contamination at an alarming rate due to various organic and inorganic substances. Dyes, with organic contaminants in particular, are very harmful to human and aquatic life due to their carcinogenic nature. The primary consumers of dyes are the textiles and printing industries which release wastewater with high concentrations of these dyes. Therefore, severe measures are needed to remove dye from wastewater. Herein, authors report a study, the first of its kind, to remove the organic contaminants, especially Fast Green dye, from wastewater using Strontium doped neodymium manganite, Nd0.6Sr0.4MnO3 (NSMO) as an adsorbent. The adsorbent NSMO was synthesized via a solid‐state reaction route. The structural and microstructural characterizations reveal that the samples are orthorhombic polycrystalline and have a dense growth of particles. To assess the efficacy of dye removal of NSMO, preliminary studies were carried out on the effects of pH variation, initial dye concentration, and contact time, followed by adsorption kinetic studies using dye in water as a contaminant. The isotherm and kinetic studies suggest that dye removal from wastewater follows the second‐order kinetics and Langmuir isotherm model. It was found that the maximum percentage removal for 100 mg/L of dye solution is close to 99 % using 0.05 g of adsorbent for 60 min. The novelty of the approach is brought out by the fact that, to date, only photocatalytic studies have been carried out on this material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fusarium wilt is one of the most severe disease of chickpea crop caused by Fusarium Oxysporum f. sp ciceri (FOC). Which is a soil born pathogen and can stay for prolonged period in soil even in absence of favourable conditions. Moreover many research reports have been observed showing a great variation in Fusarium pathogenicity among pathogen isolates from chickpea rhizosphere. Because of which identification of pathogenic and non-pathogenic strains of wilt pathogen has been a big challenge so far and, has been difficult in development and selection of resistant variety for fusarium wilt management strategies. The possible solution is to study phenotypic and pathogenic variability in the Fusarium pathogen. Therefore, in the current research FOC isolates, isolated from two districts of Bundelkhand region and studied their phenotypic and pathogenic variability. Colony characteristics of Fusarium wilt pathogen such as shape, margin, texture etc. were observed for FOC identification. To study the phenotypic and pathogenic variability, FOC isolates were categorised based on the culture pigmentation and further tested their pathogenicity. Pigmentation of FOC isolates have a wide range includes cottony white, white with ting of orange and white with violet and pale-yellow pigmentation. Macro and microconidia with resting spores (Chlamydospores) were also observed. Pathogenic variability of FOC isolates was measured by pathogenicity test on JG-62 cultivar. Total seventeen FOC isolates were studied, Out of which five FOC isolates were found highly pathogenic, whereas only one isolate was found weakly pathogenic, rest FOC isolates were moderately pathogenic. Hence our results confirmed that all the isolates of Fusarium Oxysporum f. sp. ciceri have reported great variation in their both phenotypic as well as pathogenic variability, and the results are steppingstone for further building research in breeding and management strategies of fusarium wilt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Burning of paddy straw in the field is a national issue nowadays. Many researches have been taken up for efficient utilization of paddy straw at national and international level. But the use of paddy straw for various applications is known since ancient days. The application of paddy straw varies from region to region. Therefore, an attempt has been made to collect information on the traditional uses of paddy straw and its management in the Northeastern states of India particularly Manipur. The information has been collected through review of literature and interaction with the villagers. The study revealed that the people of this region used paddy straw for different purposes such as thatching, wall construction, cattle feed, animal bedding, fuel, mulching, mushroom cultivation, handicraft products, extraction of substrate from straw ash and preparation of fermented beverages. This traditional knowledge on the utilization of paddy straw can provide an idea for scientific exploration for better and efficient uses in various fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During recent decades, double random phase encoding grasped more attention for researchers. To achieve nonlinearity, it had been done with random S-Box. We exhibit this involvement that DRPE system is much vulnerable in the above methodology. Concatenating anything with DRPE needs an imaginary value, wherein S-Box unsuccessful in it. Used S-Box has been reformed into various sizes. Due to this scenario, S-Box values are replicating. So, complex S-Box has been employed and proposed size of the S-Box is similar to an input image. Numerical simulations such as performance analysis, histogram analysis and 3D plot analysis have been performed out to validate the practicability and trustworthiness of traditional DRPE system with complex S-Box. Moreover, in order to check the cryptanalysis, much other analysis done such as occlusion attack, noise attack, chosen plaintext analysis and sensitivity analysis also accomplished. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a population of the acanthocephalan Corynosoma australeJohnston, 1937 (Polymorphidae) from a California sea lion Zalophus californianus (Lesson, 1828) in California using novel scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images, Energy Dispersive x-ray analysis (EDXA), and molecular analysis for the first time. The taxonomic history of C. australe is replete with accounts using only line drawings some of which proved erroneous. The distribution of ventral spines on the female trunk has been the primary distinction between C. australe and Corynosoma obtuscensLincicome, 1943, its junior synonym; being continuous in the latter but discontinuous posteriorly in the former species. The distribution of ventral spines is invariably discontinuous in males. Our redescription and SEM images help to resolve this issue further validating the synonymy. Morphological variability has been documented between our California population and others from various host species in California, South Australia, South Shetlands, and the Argentinian coast. Our SEM images document features not previously detectable in line drawings, erroneously reported or missed in previous accounts. The EDXA spectra show high levels of calcium and phosphorous and low levels of sulfur characteristic of C. australe. EDXA for other species of Corynosoma Lühe, 1904 provide support for the diagnostic distinction of C. australe. EDXA spectra were shown to be species specific and have diagnostic value in the taxonomy of the Acanthocephala. Our molecular analysis used amplification of 18S of ribosomal DNA and cytochrome c oxidase 1 (Cox1) gene. Phylogenetic analyses for Cox1 gene revealed a close relationship between Corynosoma hannaeZdzitowiecki, 1984 and C. australe. The phylogenetic trees confirmed that the isolates belonged to C. australe. The haplotype network inferred by Cox1 with C. australe sequences revealed that haplotypes clearly separated from each other and formed clusters related to samples from the Northern Hemisphere (the USA and Mexico), and the second from the Southern Hemisphere (Argentina, Brazil and Peru). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gaining attention of underutilized oat crops for both food and feed, mining of quality and yield related genes/QTLs from available germplasms of oat is need of the hour. The large family of grasses has a vast number of germplasms that could be harnessed for bio-prospecting. The selection of cross-compatible oat germplasms by molecular markers could be used for the introgression of the novel traits into the elite background of oats. The process needs a thorough study of genetic diversity to see the evolutionary relatedness among germplasms. Considering this, in the present study, the genetic diversity of 38 oat germplasms with 12 agro-morphological traits was carried out using 22 Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) markers. We found a high level of polymorphism and 158 distinctive alleles; on average 7.18 alleles per primer, further, high-yielding genotypes were identified with the help of phenotypic data and genetic diversity was analyzed by using DNA fingerprint-based principal component analysis, UPGMA dendrogram. Among these 38 germplasms; eight were identified as superior under high grain yield (OS-424, OS-403, NDO-1101, OL-10, UPO-212, OS-405, OS-6, and OS-346) and another eight germplasms were identified as superior for the high fresh weight (for fodder purpose, NDO-711, RO-19, OL-14, OL-1760/OL-11, NDO-10, UPO-212, UPO-06-1, and RO-11-1). These results suggest that germplasms that are closely related (Cross-compatible) and have good potential for desirable traits could be used for varietal development by using marker-assisted selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consequences of the variation of the particle size and external magnetic field on the magnetic and transport characteristics have been investigated in the perovskite manganite of composition Nd0.50Ca0.50MnO3. The size of the crystallites (particles) enhances from ~ 17 nm (144 nm) to ~ 25 nm (600 nm) as TS enhances from 900 to 1300 ℃, with a simultaneous increase in the orthorhombic lattice parameters. The ZFC–FC magnetization-temperature (M-T) data recorded at H = 500 Oe show the coexistence of ferromagnetic (FM) and antiferromagnetic charge–ordered (AFM-CO) phases, and the accompanying ZFC–FC divergence gives signature of a cluster glass-like phase in the lower temperature regime. The FM region close to the Curie temperature (TC) exhibits scaling of the type M = M O (T C - T) β . The value of exponent β is found to be ~ 0.491 and 0.548 at 144 nm and 600 nm particle size, respectively. The value of β is found to increase as the M-T measurement field increases; e.g., for 600 nm particle size, its value increases from 0.5484 to 0.7551. In the absence of a magnetic field, all the samples remain insulators. A zero-field insulator–metal transition (IMT) is conspicuously absent. The application of a magnetic field induces IMT in all the samples, and it occurs at H = 60 kOe for 900 ℃, 40 kOe for 1100 ℃, and 20 kOe for 1300 ℃ sintered samples. Such behavior brings out the softening of the AFM-CO phase with an increase in particle size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic and magnetotransport properties of a ~ 12 nm PrNiO3 (PNO) thin film deposited on (001)-oriented LaAlO3 (LAO) substrate by RF magnetron sputtering are reported. An enlargement in the out-of-plane lattice constant of the film ( a FOP = 0.389 nm) as compared to that of the target ( a c = 0.383 nm) reflects the larger in-plane compressive strain in the film. The appearance of a hump-like feature in the high-resolution ω - 2 θ scan indicates that the film may have defects like grain or twin boundaries. The film undergoes a transition from paramagnetic (PM) to antiferromagnetic (AFM) at T N ≈ 150 K . The pronounced divergence between the zero-field and field-cooled magnetization-temperature curves suggests a magnetically clustered state. At T ≪ T N , the magnetic moment is appreciably larger and resembles an AFM state. At T > T N , the film shows a very weak semiconducting behavior, which is followed by a transition to an insulating state at T < T N . A magnetic field-induced metallic state is seen just below T N and is associated with large thermal hysand teresis. The film also exhibits a negative magnetoresistance which is much larger than reported earlier in nickelates. The observed anomalous behavior could be due to the magnetic field-induced destabilization of the AFM state and spin fluctuations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An isolated population of 700 specimens initially described as Corynosoma strumosum (Rudolphi, 1802) Lühe, 1904 and currently reassigned to Corynosoma neostrumosum n. sp. was collected from one young male Caspian seal, Pusa caspica (Gmelin) in the southern land-locked Caspian Sea in April 2009. Collected worms were morphologically unique compared with those reported by other observers in open waters, especially in shape and distribution of proboscis hooks and trunk spines, dorso-ventral differences in proboscis hooks and their organization, the baldness of anterior proboscis, consistently smaller size of trunk and testes, larger eggs, the rough egg topography, epidermal micropores, and variations in the female gonopore. Molecular data from the internal transcribed spacer region of rDNA and the mitochondrial cox1 gene was also provided to supplement the morphological study of the new species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High temperature corrosion of metals and alloys can be controlled by the use of inhibitors and fuel additives. In this work three different types of coatings namely Y2O3, SnO2 and ZrO2 coatings were superficially applied on Ni base superalloy Superni 718. Accelerated corrosion testing of the uncoated as well as the coated superalloy was done in a molten salt environment (Na2SO4-60%V2O5) at 900°C for 50 cycles. Each cycle consisted of 1 hour heating in a Silicon Carbide Tube furnace followed by 20 minutes cooling in ambient air. Weight change measurements after each cycle were taken by an electronic balance having an accuracy of 0.01 mg. XRD, SEM and EPMA analyses of the exposed specimens were carried out to characterise the oxide scales. The bare superalloy showed more overall weight gain, in comparison with all the coated counterparts. It was concluded that ZrO2 was most effective in reducing corrosion rate in alloy A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deccan Traps cover about 15% (500,000 sq. km) of India's landmass, and about 82% of Maharashtra state. They deliver fluctuating hydraulic results due to their disposition as a multilayered aquifer system. The drawdown and recovery data of eight exploratory wells in Akola, Buldhana and Washim districts of western Vidarbha region in Maharashtra state were analyzed to define the aquifer characteristics in basalts. Conventional methods such as those suggested by Theis (1935), Jacob-Cooper (1946), Chow (1952) and Walton (1962) were used to estimate aquifer parameters such as transmissivity (T) and storativity (S). The advantages and limitations of these methods were critically examined from their applicability perspective. Estimated values of T ranged from 7 to 133 m2/day and those of S from 6.05×10−4 to 1.63×10−2, showing poor yields in most parts. In this study, Jacob-Cooper (1945) and Theis recovery (1935) methods were found easy to adopt and yielded rapid results compared to Theis curve matching (1935), Chow (1952) and Walton (1962) methods that typically involve either curve matching or complex computational techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present new theoretical period–luminosity (PL) and period–radius (PR) relations at multiple wavelengths (Johnson–Cousins–Glass and Gaia passbands) for a fine grid of BL Herculis models computed using mesa-rsp. The non-linear models were computed for periods typical of BL Her stars, i.e. 1 ≤ P (days) ≤ 4, covering a wide range of input parameters: metallicity (−2.0 dex ≤ [Fe/H] ≤ 0.0 dex), stellar mass (0.5–0.8), luminosity (50–300) and effective temperature (full extent of the instability strip; in steps of 50K). We investigate the impact of four sets of convection parameters on multi-wavelength properties. Most empirical relations match well with theoretical relations from the BL Her models computed using the four sets of convection parameters. No significant metallicity effects are seen in the PR relations. Another important result from our grid of BL Her models is that it supports combining PL relations of RR Lyrae and Type II Cepheids together as an alternative to classical Cepheids for the extragalactic distance scale calibration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]