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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated mucormycosis (CAM) has emerged as a formidable infection in patients with COVID-19, this study was designed to assess the QOL in patients with and its predictability for survival in CAM victims. This long term prospective observational study of 290 patients with CAM was conducted over 2 years using a standard questionnaire (the abbreviated World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire [WHO-BREF]), Karnofsky performance scale (KPS), palliative performance scale (PPS) and patient rated improvement (PRI) ranging from 0 to 9. Cut-off values of ≤ median score was considered to indicate poor QOL or poor improvement. The overall 2 year survival rate was 78.27% with mean survival time of 763.2 ± 1.2 days (Mean ± S.E) (95% CI: 760.76–765.6). The disease specific mortality was 22.1%. The overall mean QOL was 53.5(10.2) with 51% of population exhibiting poor QOL. Spearman rho correlation showed strong positive correlation between the three QOL scales and PRI (ρ-0.72, p < 0.001). On Cox regression analysis the stage, all four domains of WHO BREF, KPS, and PPS were independent predictors of long term survival in CAM patients. Approximately half of the patients with CAM had poor QOL and poor improvement. All 4 domains of WHO BREF score can be used as a predictor of long term survival in CAM patients. Early recognition is the key to optimal treatment, improved outcomes, and improved QOL in patients with CAM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Round window approach and cochleostomy approach can have different depth of electrode insertion during cochlear implantation which itself can alter the audiological outcomes in cochlear implant. Objective: The current study was conducted to determine the difference in the depth of electrode insertion via cochleostomy and round widow approach when done serially in same temporal bone. Methodology: This is a cross-sectional study conducted in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology in conjunction with Department of Anatomy and Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology over a period of 1 year. 12-electrode array insertion was performed via either approach (cochleostomy or round window) in the cadaveric temporal bone. HRCT temporal bone scan of the implanted temporal bone was done and depth of insertion and various cochlear parameters were calculated. Result: A total of 12 temporal bones were included for imaging analysis. The mean cochlear duct length was 32.892 mm; the alpha and beta angles were 58.175° and 8.350°, respectively. The mean angular depth of electrode insertion via round window was found to be 325.2° (SD = 150.5842) and via cochleostomy 327.350 (SD = 112.79) degree and the mean linear depth of electrode insertion via round window was found to be 18.80 (SD = 4.4962) mm via cochleostomy 19.650 (SD = 3.8087) mm, which was calculated using OTOPLAN 1.5.0 software. There was a statically significant difference in linear depth of insertion between round window and cochleostomy. Although the angular depth of insertion was higher in CS group, there was no statistically significant difference with round window type of insertion. Conclusion: The depth of electrode insertion is one of the parameters that influences the hearing outcome. Linear depth of electrode insertion was found to be more in case of cochleostomy compared to round window approach (p = 0.075) and difference in case of angular depth of electrode insertion existed but not significant (p = 0.529). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural drought refers to soil moisture deficit, which causes adverse effects on the crop production and economy of a nation. This work compared the capability of artificial neural network (ANN) and support vector machine (SVM) algorithm in predicting agricultural drought in the Palakkad district of Kerala, India. Also, the influence of various global climatic indices on soil moisture stress in the study area is assessed. Two models were developed to investigate the impact of global climatic indices. Model 1 considered only local meteorological variables as predictors, and model 2 included global climatic indices along with meteorological variables. The results showed that ENSO has commendable influence on the early prediction of agricultural drought in Palakkad and are more evident at higher lead times (2 to 4 months). For the first model of ANN and SVM, the R2 values at a 4-month lead range from 0.56 to 0.76 and 0.62 to 0.77, respectively. Similarly, for model 2, the R2 varies from 0.61 to 0.77 and 0.75 to 0.82 for ANN and SVM models, respectively. Further, the results indicated that the SVM model shows clear advancement in prediction over ANN especially at higher lead times, even though both show a comparable performance at 1-month lead time. The study provided useful information regarding the potential predictors of agricultural drought in the study area and suggest suitable models for the early prediction. This will support the decision makers in drought prevention and water resource management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ameloblastoma is the most common aggressive benign odontogenic tumour of the jaws. Ameloblastoma is a benign epithelial odontogenic tumour that typically arises in the mandible or maxilla. A clinical, radiographic and histopathological report is presented of a case of giant acanthomatous ameloblastoma in the left hemi mandible of a 46-year-old healthy lady. The histopathological examination of the removed specimen revealed the histopathological pattern of an acanthomatous ameloblastoma. The radiographic appearance of the lesion showed the presence of multilocular radiolucencies, which were crossing the midline, which is rarely found in ameloblastoma. Due to its rarity and lack of data, we take this opportunity to present a case of advanced acanthomatous ameloblastoma and its surgical challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work we propose Modified Tsallis Holographic Dark Energy (MTHDE) in General Relativity (GR) in the framework of Bianchi type III space-time. Einstein's field equations are solved by using a special law of variation of Hubble parameter H proposed by Berman which yields constant deceleration parameter (DP). Interestingly, for the two different constant values of deceleration parameter, we have obtained two different cosmological models. The model 1 behaves like a quintessence dark energy model whereas model 2 behaves like a cosmological constant model. A correspondence between model 1 and quintessence scalar field is established. The quintessence dynamics of the potential and scalar field are reconstructed which illustrates the accelerating phase of the Universe. Various parameters like deceleration parameter, Hubble parameter, anisotropy parameter, equation of state (EOS) parameter, etc. for both the cosmological models are thoroughly discussed. The results obtained are found to be consistent with the recent observations on the present-day Universe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe the first case of juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma receiving blood supply from caroticotympanic artery which resulted in catastrophic bleeding intraoperatively. The patient was an 12-year-old boy with a Radkowski stage 3B JNA. We utilized preoperative embolization of feeders from external carotid artery though the surgeon failed to excise the tumor completely due to uncontrollable bleeding from the tumor. On retrospective analysis of angiography only the culprit feeder found. Tumor was excised in the second surgery conducted a week later. Although selective embolization of ICA branches are described in literature the data are sparse and so is the management of such cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existence of nontrivial weak solutions of the anisotropic problem with variable exponent and Robin boundary conditions is the focus of this research. We obtain the existence of solutions using the Mountain pass theorem and the Ekeland variational principle as well as the theory of the anisotropic variable exponent Sobolev space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficiency of two micromechanical models (the incremental self-consistent (ISC) and modified Eshelby–Mori–Tanaka (EMT)) is evaluated, in predicting the effective electroelastic properties of unidirectional piezoelectric polymer composites with an orthotropic polymeric matrix, especially at high volume fractions of reinforcement. The effective electroelastic properties of PZT-7A/PVDF composites were obtained using both the models and they were compared with those found using a representative volume element (RVE)-based finite-element (FE) model. Composites with two different types of connectivity and four different types of reinforcement geometry (spherical, ellipsoidal, circular cylindrical, and elliptic cylindrical) were considered. Our analysis showed that, in general, better results predicted the modified EMT model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Vagal schwannomas are well-documented, but cervical sympathetic chain schwannomas (CSCS) are rare, with most knowledge from case reports. This study aims to identify radiological predictors of misdiagnosis and factors guiding surgical approaches based on tumor size and extent.An ambispective analysis was conducted on 21 cases of CSCS, examining preoperative data, intraoperative findings and the questionnaire to identify the potential predictors. Tumors were classified into three types based on their relationship with the carotid sheath, and this classification was correlated with vessel ligation and postoperative neural outcomes.An excellent agreement was found between radiologist on new classification system(Kappa:0.89). Tumor classification revealed a diverse distribution, with 6 cases identified as Type 1, 6 as Type 2, 5 as Type 3, and 4 as Type 3S. The necessity of external carotid artery (ECA) ligation correlated with the tumor type. Type 3 tumors required ECA ligation in 50% of cases, while Type 1 and Type 2 tumors predominantly involved vascular preservation. Postoperative complications included vagal palsy in 28.5% of cases and first bite syndrome in 71.4%.Accurate preoperative planning and a novel staging system can enhance surgical outcomes and reduce postoperative complications as validated by our study.Methods: Vagal schwannomas are well-documented, but cervical sympathetic chain schwannomas (CSCS) are rare, with most knowledge from case reports. This study aims to identify radiological predictors of misdiagnosis and factors guiding surgical approaches based on tumor size and extent.An ambispective analysis was conducted on 21 cases of CSCS, examining preoperative data, intraoperative findings and the questionnaire to identify the potential predictors. Tumors were classified into three types based on their relationship with the carotid sheath, and this classification was correlated with vessel ligation and postoperative neural outcomes.An excellent agreement was found between radiologist on new classification system(Kappa:0.89). Tumor classification revealed a diverse distribution, with 6 cases identified as Type 1, 6 as Type 2, 5 as Type 3, and 4 as Type 3S. The necessity of external carotid artery (ECA) ligation correlated with the tumor type. Type 3 tumors required ECA ligation in 50% of cases, while Type 1 and Type 2 tumors predominantly involved vascular preservation. Postoperative complications included vagal palsy in 28.5% of cases and first bite syndrome in 71.4%.Accurate preoperative planning and a novel staging system can enhance surgical outcomes and reduce postoperative complications as validated by our study.Results: Vagal schwannomas are well-documented, but cervical sympathetic chain schwannomas (CSCS) are rare, with most knowledge from case reports. This study aims to identify radiological predictors of misdiagnosis and factors guiding surgical approaches based on tumor size and extent.An ambispective analysis was conducted on 21 cases of CSCS, examining preoperative data, intraoperative findings and the questionnaire to identify the potential predictors. Tumors were classified into three types based on their relationship with the carotid sheath, and this classification was correlated with vessel ligation and postoperative neural outcomes.An excellent agreement was found between radiologist on new classification system(Kappa:0.89). Tumor classification revealed a diverse distribution, with 6 cases identified as Type 1, 6 as Type 2, 5 as Type 3, and 4 as Type 3S. The necessity of external carotid artery (ECA) ligation correlated with the tumor type. Type 3 tumors required ECA ligation in 50% of cases, while Type 1 and Type 2 tumors predominantly involved vascular preservation. Postoperative complications included vagal palsy in 28.5% of cases and first bite syndrome in 71.4%.Accurate preoperative planning and a novel staging system can enhance surgical outcomes and reduce postoperative complications as validated by our study.Conclusion: Vagal schwannomas are well-documented, but cervical sympathetic chain schwannomas (CSCS) are rare, with most knowledge from case reports. This study aims to identify radiological predictors of misdiagnosis and factors guiding surgical approaches based on tumor size and extent.An ambispective analysis was conducted on 21 cases of CSCS, examining preoperative data, intraoperative findings and the questionnaire to identify the potential predictors. Tumors were classified into three types based on their relationship with the carotid sheath, and this classification was correlated with vessel ligation and postoperative neural outcomes.An excellent agreement was found between radiologist on new classification system(Kappa:0.89). Tumor classification revealed a diverse distribution, with 6 cases identified as Type 1, 6 as Type 2, 5 as Type 3, and 4 as Type 3S. The necessity of external carotid artery (ECA) ligation correlated with the tumor type. Type 3 tumors required ECA ligation in 50% of cases, while Type 1 and Type 2 tumors predominantly involved vascular preservation. Postoperative complications included vagal palsy in 28.5% of cases and first bite syndrome in 71.4%.Accurate preoperative planning and a novel staging system can enhance surgical outcomes and reduce postoperative complications as validated by our study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of the melting heat on the hydromagnetic convective Cu–H2O nanofluid flow over a stretching plate was investigated. The effects of viscous dissipation and Joule heating, involved in the energy equation, were considered. The primary equations were reduced to the ordinary differential equations with the use of suitable similarity transforms. The reduced equations were solved using the shooting technique by the fourth-order Runge– Kutta scheme. A detailed investigation is exemplified by diagrams and tables for various values of opposite factors. The results of calculations were compared with the corresponding literature data obtained for specific situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 pandemic, which has exhibited a wide clinical spectrum and an unexpected surge in mucormycosis cases, understanding various biomarkers’ roles becomes pivotal. As mucormycosis leads to clinical morbidity and mortality through angioinvasion and thromboembolism, unveiling the correlation between these markers and disease progression can shed light on the reasons behind mucormycosis’s emergence as an epidemic, especially following the second wave of COVID-19. This long term ambispective observational study, conducted from May 2020 to July 2023, aimed to assess specific biomarkers as predictors of severity in COVID-19-associated mucormycosis (CAM). Biomarkers measured included ESR, CRP, D-dimer, IL-8, PCT, serum ferritin, and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) at different time points. Data analysis employed descriptive statistics, repeated measure ANOVA, Spearman correlations, ROC curve analysis, and logistic regression. Of 290 patients, 198 completed the 2-year follow-up. Elevated baseline biomarker levels significantly decreased with treatment initiation. CRP and NLR emerged as significant predictors of severe CAM, with odds ratio 2.926 (95% CI 1.466–4.360) and 2.203 (95% CI 0.863–1.040) respectively. Factors influencing CAM progression included age, CRP, and NLR, while all biomarkers independently predicted mortality. A death prediction model using CRP, PCT, D-dimer, NLR, and IL-8 demonstrated exceptional performance, with a sensitivity of 83.1% and specificity of 100%. Elevated inflammatory markers in CAM patients showed a decline with treatment, with NLR and CRP proving crucial for predicting severity. Serial monitoring of IL-8, CRP, PCT, NLR, D-dimer, and ferritin provides insights into disease progression and prognosis. The study underscores the importance of biomarker assessment in managing CAM, especially in the context of the unpredictable clinical spectrum of COVID-19 and the subsequent mucormycosis surge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An MHD boundary layer flow of upper-convected Maxwell (UCM) nanofluid over an extending surface has been studied in the current literature. The most recent double diffusive heat flux model proposed by Cattaneo and modified by Christov has been incorporated into the energy equation instead of the conventional Fourier model in the governing equation of the flow. Homogeneous and heterogeneous chemical reaction is incorporated in the fluid system with heat generation due to the homogeneous chemical reaction and chemical reaction dependent thermal intake capacity of nanoparticles. After an arduous numerical calculation, the impact of numerous germane factors on the heat and mass relocation characteristics of flow has been illustrated through charts and graphs, and the consequences have been explained with proper reasoning. In every graph and table, we compare the outcomes for the conventional Fourier law and the Cattaneo–Christov law. To measure the relation of the flow regulator factor with the flow performance, we introduce correlation coefficients and coefficients of determination and present them with proper charts. It is observed that the correlation is high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sialic acids are negatively charged carbohydrates that cap the glycans of glycoproteins and glycolipids. Sialic acids are involved in various biological processes including cell–cell adhesion and immune recognition. In dendritic cells (DCs), the major antigen-presenting cells of the immune system, sialic acids emerge as important regulators of maturation and interaction with other lymphocytes including T cells. Many aspects of how sialic acids regulate DC functions are not well understood and tools and model systems to address these are limited. Here, we have established cultures of murine bone marrow-derived DCs (BMDCs) that lack sialic acid expression using a sialic acid-blocking mimetic Ac53FaxNeu5Ac. Ac53FaxNeu5Ac treatment potentiated BMDC activation via toll-like receptor (TLR) stimulation without affecting differentiation and viability. Sialic acid blockade further increased the capacity of BMDCs to induce antigen-specific CD8+ T cell proliferation. Transcriptome-wide gene expression analysis revealed that sialic acid mimetic treatment of BMDCs induces differential expression of genes involved in T cell activation, cell-adhesion, and cell–cell interactions. Subsequent cell clustering assays and single cell avidity measurements demonstrated that BMDCs with reduced sialylation form higher avidity interactions with CD8+ T cells. This increased avidity was detectable in the absence of antigens, but was especially pronounced in antigen-dependent interactions. Together, our data show that sialic acid blockade in BMDCs ameliorates maturation and enhances both cognate T cell receptor–MHC-dependent and independent T cell interactions that allow for more robust CD8+ T cell responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we investigate the dynamics of Bianchi type VI0 space-time in the framework of f(R, T) theory of gravity where R stands for Ricci scalar and T stands for the trace of the stress energy-momentum tensor with Modified Renyi Holographic Dark Energy (MRHDE). With the specific choice of the functional f(R, T) = f1(R) + f2 (T) = μ1R+ μ2T where f1(R) and f2 (T) are arbitrary functions of R and T respectively and μ1 and μ2 are two parameters, we have obtained the exact solutions of the model by considering the energy density of MRHDE and by using a law of variation for the Hubble parameter H. It is found that our model leads to the accelerated expansion of the Universe. The EOS parameter ωDE > -1 DE indicates that our cosmological model behaves like a quintessence dark energy model which is consistent with the recent observations. A correspondence between MRHDE and quintessence dark energy is established. The quintessence dynamics of the potential and scalar field are reconstructed, which illustrates the late-time cosmic acceleration. All physical parameters are calculated and discussed graphically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We used modified holographic Ricci dark energy to find anisotropic LRS Bianchi type I cosmological model in five-dimensions based on Lyra geometry. The exact solutions of the Einstein field equations were obtained by using hybrid expansion law (HEL). We have investigated the interacting and noninteracting dark energy and dark matter. It is found that at late times the equation of state parameter (EOS) for non-interacting case behaves like a cosmological constant whereas it behaves like phantom dark energy for interacting model. Some cosmological parameters and stability of the models are discussed. The physical and geometric aspects of the models have been analysed. They are consistent with the recent observational results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the content of Cd, Pb, Cr, and Ni in the soils of intensive vegetable growing areas of the Brahmaputra valley, North East India, to assess their status and detect any buildup of metals due to long-term and continuous application of agrochemicals and organic manures. The content of heavy metals was determined in eighty composite surface soil samples (0–20 cm) collected from eight different locations of the valley having a history of more than forty years of vegetable production. This finding is novel as no comprehensive investigation has been done till date in respect of the content of heavy metals in the intensive vegetable growing areas of Brahmaputra valley. The locations are considered free from any pollution caused by industrial effluent or urbanization processes. The investigational data showed that the content of Cd, Pb, Cr, and Ni in the soils ranged from 0.43 to 3.24, 6.00 to 22.90, 3.00 to 15.24, and 3.30 to 14.30 mg kg−1, respectively. The overall mean values of the heavy metals showed a decreasing order of Pb (14.79 mg kg−1) > Cr (8.87 mg kg−1) > Ni (8.37 mg kg−1) > Cd (1.43 mg kg−1). The findings of the study indicated significant enrichment of the metals in the surface soils over the local background values of the elements measured in the C horizon. Though the concentrations of Pb, Cr, and Ni of the soils were well below the reference levels used in different countries, Cd showed distinctly higher value with maximum enrichment level. The soils were categorized as slightly to moderately polluted based on different pollution indices. Based on the ecological risk index, soils were in the low-risk category, but in respect of Cd, most of the soils fell under the moderately risky category. Multivariate analysis suggested the predominance of lithogenic influence on the content of Pb, Ni, and Cr while Cd content bears a distinct signature of the anthropogenic source. The buildup of Cd in the studied soils is a matter of critical concern and needs proper monitoring and management strategies to avoid any potential detrimental effect on soil, crop, and human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brazil is the first producer of sugarcane ethanol, considered a green and renewable biofuel. However, for each liter of ethanol, 10–15 L of vinasse—liquid rich in organic matter and minerals—are generated. For this reason, this project aimed to assess the anaerobic digestion performance in a 4.5 L UASB reactor fed with vinasse containing 30 g L−1 and 41.2 g L−1 of chemical oxygen demand (COD). Increasing the COD concentration increased the liters of methane produced per grams of COD reduced from 0.19 to 0.25 and did not reduc e the macronutrients concentration of the effluent, that can be used as biofertilizer. Based on this experiment results for 30 g of COD L−1, a study case was conducted considering an average ethanol plant in the state of Sao Paulo, that produces 192 million liters of ethanol and 2.4 billion liters of vinasse per harvest season. Anaerobic digestion can increase the energy generation of this plant by 6%, avoiding 57,600 tons of COD to be applied in the field, and providing an effluent with enough potassium to fertilize more than 30,000 ha of sugarcane fields. Therefore, biogas and biofertilizer from vinasse can make the sugarcane ethanol greener. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a high-dielectric separator, a wide variety of polymers like poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and its co-polymer such as poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) are commonly employed due to having modifiable electrical properties with impregnating suitable dopants in the fabrication of a high-performance charge storage device. In this report, improvement of efficiency has been studied by tuning the doping concentration of triturated material like ultra-low-density copper sulphate (ULDCS) within PVDF-HFP matrix and found a massive increment in β phase (β%), dielectric constant (εr) and ac conductivity (σac) with ∼ 2.3, ∼ 56 and ∼ 21 fold (at 100-Hz frequency), respectively, at a critical percentage of 10-ml doping compared to the pristine polymer matrix. One crucial factor like dielectric leakage has been taken into account intensely with reduction of ∼ 2.6 times at 100-Hz frequency with respect to the pristine one to obtain excellent behaviour of the separator. These extremely desirable properties can make the sample a very promising candidate to be used as a high-dielectric separator of an extraordinary charge storage device. In this context, a super-charge storage device has been fabricated using our synthesized high-dielectric material as a separator, and the device performance is amplified to a greater extent. Generation of high potential up to 3.77 V with high rate of retentivity (∼ 88.86%) is the key function of our device, and the efficiency of the device has also been verified by lighting up to 25 light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for 10 min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sagdeev pseudo-potential technique and the analytic theory developed by Das et al. [J. Plasma Phys.78, 565 (2012)] have been used to investigate the dust ion acoustic solitary structures at the acoustic speed in a collisionless unmagnetized dusty plasma consisting of negatively charged static dust grains, adiabatic warm ions, nonthermal electrons, and isothermal positrons. The present system supports both positive and negative potential solitary waves at the acoustic speed, but the system does not support the coexistence of solitary structures of opposite polarity at the acoustic speed. The system also supports negative potential double layer at the acoustic speed, but does not support positive potential double layer. Although the system supports positive potential supersoliton at the supersonic speed, but there does not exist supersoliton of any polarity at the acoustic speed. Solitary structures have been investigated with the help of compositional parameter spaces and the phase portraits of the dynamical system describing the nonlinear behavior of the dust ion acoustic waves at the acoustic speed. For the case, when there is no positron in the system, there exist negative potential double layer and negative potential supersoliton at the acoustic speed, and, for such case, the mechanism of transition of supersoliton to soliton after the formation of double layer at the acoustic speed has been discussed with the help of phase portraits. The differences between the solitary structures at the acoustic speed and the solitary structures at the supersonic speed have been analyzed with the help of phase portraits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new type of limited volume heating system (LVH) is designed for the enhancement of the efficiency of conventional hydrothermal method to obtain additive free long nanowires (NWs). In LVH system, the period of chemical reaction is enhanced due to the supply of fresh chemicals by the convection of precursors between different temperature zones. In this work, the performance of the LVH system is investigated by synthesizing an array of long zinc oxide (ZnO) NWs as a case study. Morphological characterizations revealed the formation of long NWs of different dimension with growth temperatures, precursor concentrations and growth durations. The length of the NWs is greatly influenced by the variation in growth time and temperature, whereas their diameter was controlled by changing precursor concentration. The growth of NWs is along (002) direction as revealed by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy studies. In this technique, the length of the NWs is increased upto five times in comparison to those grown by conventional global heating (CGH) method and thereby proving an enhanced performance of LVH system without any additives. Further, photoresponse behavior of the LVH grown long ZnO NWs is evaluated for ultraviolet detection, where photoresponse of 1.7 s and recovery time of 0.8 s is observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under certain conditions, ultra high diluted triturated material achieve nanodimension. This nanoparticle aspect of the materials has been used in various technical applications. The electrical properties of the polymer, Poly (vinylidene fluoride), commonly used as dielectric separator in high charge storage multilayer capacitor, get improved when doped with these triturated material. We have reported here how these effects get further increased by changing the doping concentration. With incorporation of 2 ml of triturated copper acetate salt, there are ~ 14.0, ~ 2.74, ~ 9.0 fold increment in β-phase, dielectric constant and ac conductivity respectively compared to the undoped polymer matrix. This is also associated with significant decrease (~ 66%) in tangent loss. Doping of these nanomaterials in the highly insulating matrix of the polymer is an effective way to fabricate composites with tunable dielectric behavior, making them a promising candidate in electronic industry. A device, using our material as separator have been designed and observed that the charge storing ability of the composite persists for more than 24 h. After 1 h of charging, maximum recorded voltage using our fabricated system is 2.034 V, whereas electrode separator system of commercial Li-polymer ion mobile battery can store 0.566 V. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) films with n- and p-type conductivity are considered to be important for potential use in next generation devices. Laser physical vapor deposition is used in the present work to deposit undoped, niobium (Nb)-doped and tungsten (W)-doped films on sapphire (Al2O3), silicon oxide (SiO2)-n-Si and silicon oxide (SiO2)-p-Si substrates maintained at 600 °C. The films are characterized for the nature of charge carriers, composition, lattice orientation and phonon signature. Results from Seebeck and Hall measurements corroborate to show that all films on sapphire and SiO2-n-Si are n-type whereas films on SiO2-p-Si are p-type with a higher activation energy for conduction. The reasons for the difference in nature of conductivity in the films are investigated. Sulfur deficient films are predominantly n-type; however, the presence of adsorbed oxygen and molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) in the films on SiO2-p-Si is found to be responsible for p-type conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluation of growth and yield for twelve selected hybrids from two recombination breeding programmes was conducted in a clonal nursery trial at Tripura (North East India). Girth, increment in girth and yield based on test tapping as well as under ethephon stimulation were evaluated. Based on mean girth and girth increment, 99/5/9, 99/3/61, 99/1/15 and 98/46 were identified as vigorous clones. Test tap yield in the peak season was highest for reference clone RRIM 600 followed by 98/46 Hybrid clones 99/5/9, 99/3/61 and 99/5/35 also had test tap yield above the grand mean in both peak season and summer season. Assessment of intra-clonal variability through boxplot analysis revealed that among the promising clones 98/46, 99/3/61 and 99/5/9 had a lower range in girth, while 98/46 and 99/5/9 had better uniformity in yield. Significant yield-girth correlation was observed within clones in the second year of test tapping. Hybrid clones were classified based on mean and proportion of trees in the above average category. Clones 99/3/61, 99/5/9 and 98/46, belonging to the high girth and high yield categories, recorded higher mean yield than the grand mean over three years oftest tapping, were comparable with RRIM600 and identified as potential clones for further evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a set-valued minimax programming problem (MP) is considered. The Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) sufficient optimality conditions are established for the problem (MP) via contingent epiderivative under generalized cone convexity assumptions. Mond-Weir ( MWD), Wolfe ( WD) and mixed ( MD) types duality are constructed for the problem (MP) and desired duality theorems between them are established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HfTiO dielectric thin films were deposited on Si (100) substrates by RF reactive co-sputtering with the variation in RF power of Ti target. The compositional, morphological, structural and optical properties of HfTiO films with various Ti concentration were systematically investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Field emmission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy techniques respectively. The electrical properties of the co-sputtered thin films were studied by capacitance-voltage and current density-voltage measurements. The XRD study has shown the enhancement in the the crystalline property of HfTiO film up to 60 W of Ti target power and amorphous like behaviour was observed for higher RF power. The Ti content in HfTiO was calculated from the XPS measurements, where the Ti content was found to be increased with rise in RF power. FESEM micrographs depict the increase in grain size upto the RF power 60 W. The Raman spectrum of the HfTiO film has shown that the major generated phase was titanium-substituted monoclinic phase of HfO. The flatband voltage (V) and oxide charge density (Q) were extracted from the high frequency (1 MHz) C-V curve. The D has a minimum value for the film deposited at 60 W RF power of Ti target. The leakage current density of the HfTiO films was found to be minimum for the RF power 60 W. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calcium copper titanate (CCTO) thin films were deposited on p-type silicon substrate by RF magnetron sputtering at various RF powers. Post deposition annealing was carried out for all the samples at 950 °C for 1 h in air atmosphere. Various types of surface morphology have been observed for CCTO thin films with the variation of RF power. The evolution of polycrystalline structure of the CCTO thin films was confirmed by XRD studies. The FTIR characteristic absorption band of CCTO was observed in the range of 400-700 cm. The capacitance-voltage (C-V) and current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of the films were investigated employing Al/CCTO/Si MOS capacitors. CCTO films with higher dielectric constant, lower oxide and interface charge density were obtained at higher RF power. Leakage current was also found to be minimum for RF power of 105 W. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six male Tharparkar cattle aged 2-3 years were selected for the study. The animals were acclimatized in the psychrometric chamber at thermoneutral zone (TNZ) for 15 days and then exposed to 42 °C temperature up to 23 days followed by 12 days of recovery period. Physiological responses were estimated, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated at TNZ on day 1, day 5, and day 12; after 6 h of heat stress exposure on day 16 to day 20, day 25, day 30, day 32, day 34, day 36, and day 38; and a recovery period on day 45 and day 50. The PBMCs were cultured to study the effect of thermal challenge on HSP70 messenger RNA (mRNA) expression pattern at different temperature-time combinations. The mRNA and protein expression of HSP70 in PBMCs along with serum extracellular HSP70 (eHSP70) was increased ( P < 0.05) and showed two peaks on day 17 and day 32 (2nd and 17th days of thermal challenge, respectively). The HSP70 mRNA expression was increased ( P < 0.05) in a temperature- and time-dependent manner in heat stress challenge treatment as compared to control in cultured PBMCs. HSP70 expression was found to be higher ( P < 0.05) after 10 days of heat exposure (corresponds to chronic heat stress) as compared to the first 5 days of heat stress (corresponds to short-term heat stress) and control period at TNZ. The present findings indicate that HSP70 is possibly involved in heat stress adaptive response in Tharparkar cattle and the biphasic expression pattern may be providing a second window of protection during chronic heat stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In general, farmers from developing countries often use several feeding mixtures based on materials available in their vicinity resulting in a final poor-quality compost product. Human hair as a composting feed could impact on the nutrient status in prepared compost. In this study, the effect of different amount of human hair to tannery sludge, roadside pond sediment, municipal solid waste and cow dung was investigated during 70-day composting cycle. Human hair addition increased N, P and K from 1.36 to 22.85, 53.06 to 189.80 and 4.13 to 39.26%, respectively, over control. Total metal and arsenic contaminations were significantly higher than in control but lower than the Indian permissible limit. Highest amount of human hair in composting feed indicated that the germination index for tea seed ( Camellia sinensis L.) was less than 80% reflecting the possible remaining phytotoxic substances. Redundancy analysis revealed that there was a significance influence of the physico-chemical variables on bacterial community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Franciscana dolphins are the most impacted small cetacean in the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean, classified as Vulnerable A3d by IUCN. Essential (Fe, Mo, Mn, Cr, Ni, Co) and non-essential (Ag, Pb, Sn) trace elements (TEs) were measured in liver, kidney, and brain samples of by-catch Franciscana dolphins that were living in estuarine ( n = 21) and marine ( n = 21) habitats (1) to assess whether TEs posed a threat and (2) to evaluate the suitability of TEs for discriminating ecological populations of this species in Argentinean waters. Essential TEs showed little variation in tissues from both groups in agreement with levels reported for other cetaceans and suggesting that these concentrations correspond to normal physiological levels. Non-essential TEs were higher in estuarine juveniles and adults dolphins than in marine specimens. These results suggest anthropogenic sources associated with estuarine area and that Franciscana dolphins are good sentinels of the impact of the environment. The difference in the concentrations of TEs beetwen ecological populations appeared to be related to distinct exposures in both geographical areas, and it is suggested that Ag and Sn concentrations in adults are good chemical tracers of anthropogenic input of TEs. These results provide additional information for improved management and regulatory policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural and electrical properties of RF sputtered Calcium copper titanate (CCTO) thin films have been investigated. CCTO thin films were sputtered on p-type silicon (100) substrate by varying deposition pressure from 2.5 × 10 to 1 × 10 mbar without using platinum buffer layer. Post deposition annealing of all the samples were carried out at 950 °C. A correlation between morphological and electrical properties of the CCTO films was established with the variation of deposition pressure. The evolution of polycrystalline structure of the CCTO thin films was confirmed by XRD studies. The characteristic FTIR absorption peaks in the range of 400-700 cm depicted the formation of CCTO for all the samples. The films grown at higher pressure have irregular grains with the evolution of (310) peak. Electrical properties of the dielectric films were investigated by fabricating Al/CCTO/Si metal oxide semiconductor structure. The electrical properties of the CCTO films were found to be deteriorated at higher sputtering pressure. Thin films, deposited at 5 × 10 mbar, possess higher dielectric constant, lower charge density and also lower leakage current. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of melting on a steady boundary layer stagnation-point flow and heat transfer of an electrically conducting micropolar fluid toward a horizontal shrinking sheet in the presence of a uniform transverse magnetic field and thermal radiation is studied. A similarity transformation technique is adopted to obtain self-similar ordinary differential equations, which are solved numerically. The present results are found to be in good agreement with previously published data. Numerical results for the dimensionless velocity and temperature profiles, as well as for the skin friction and the rate of heat transfer are obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we establish the sufficient Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) optimality conditions for the set-valued fractional programming problem (FP) via contingent epiderivative under ρ-cone convexity. We also study the duality results of parametric (PD), Mond-Weir (MWD), Wolfe (WD) and mixed (MD) types for the problem (FP). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxygen supplemented at a concentration higher than 40-50 % for at least 2 h perioperatively is expected to reduce surgical site infections (SSI). Although supplementation of 80 % of oxygen perioperatively has shown to reduce SSI in various studies, this concentration is known to be associated with airway complications. This study was taken up to assess the efficacy of 60 %, i.e. <80 and >50 %, inspired oxygen supplemented perioperatively in reducing SSI. One hundred and eighty-eight patients who underwent elective class I and II surgeries were studied. Patients were divided equally into two groups and subgroups and matched for age, sex, type of surgeries, etc. The control group received 30 % and the study group received 60 % oxygen supplementation perioperatively for 2 h. Wounds were observed for the development of SSI. 8/94 patients in the study group and 13/94 patients in the control group developed SSI ( p < 0.01). The results indicate a relative risk of 1.62, risk difference of 0.0531 and attributable risk of 38.42 %. Hence, it may be concluded that perioperative oxygen supplementation at 60 % concentration reduces SSI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper is devoted to the analysis of MHD flow and melting heat transfer of a nanofluid over a stretching surface taking into account a second-order slip model and thermal radiation. Similarity solutions for the transformed governing equations are obtained. The reduced equations are solved numerically by applying a shooting technique using the Runge-Kutta Fehlberg method. The influences of the various involved parameters on velocity profiles, temperature profiles, concentration profiles as well as reduced skin friction coefficient, Nusselt number and Sherwood number are discussed through graphs and tables. These results show that the second-order slip flow model is necessary to predict the flow characteristics accurately in the presence of thermal radiation and melting effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we introduce the notion of power ternary semiring as a generalization of power semirings introduced by Sen and Bhuniya (Semigr Forum 82:131-140, ). The main aim of this paper is twofold. The first one is to study some properties of power ternary semirings with the help of corresponding properties of ternary semigroups. The another important aspect is-if $$S_1$$ and $$S_2$$ are isomorphic ternary semigroups, then the corresponding power ternary semirings $$P(S_1)$$ and $$P(S_2)$$ are obviously isomorphic. It is quiet natural to ask whether the converse is true, i.e. is it true that for any ternary semigroups $$S_1$$ and $$S_2$$ it holds: $$P(S_1)\cong P(S_2)$$ implies that $$S_1\cong S_2$$ ? In this paper, we try to answer this question partially. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc oxide thin films were deposited on silicon substrates by reactive RF magnetron sputtering technique. Post-deposition rapid thermal annealing of the sputtered thin films was carried out by varying temperatures, annealing duration and oxygen flow rate. The films, annealed at 1000 °C for 150 s in air ambient, have shown highest degree of crystallinity. The surface of the ZnO films, annealed for longer period, was greatly modulated with the evolution of porous surface. The films annealed in oxygen ambient have shown smoother morphology with the reduction in surface roughness. The characteristic absorption band of Zn-O became prominent due to the increase in Zn-O bond density during rapid thermal annealing process. A significant reduction of the deep level emission in the photoluminescence spectra was observed for annealed samples, whereas the near band edge ultraviolet emission was suppressed for the films annealed in oxygen ambient due to the oxygen adsorption at the film surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, hafnium oxide (HfO) thin films were deposited on p-type silicon substrate by radio frequency magnetron sputtering at various working pressure ranging from 4 × 10 to 1 × 10 mbar and Ar/O flow ratio from 1:4 to 4:1. The morphological and electrical properties of the sputtered films were investigated and a correlation between the surface and electrical properties of the HfO films was established with the variation of sputtering parameters. The evolution of monoclinic structure of the hafnium oxide thin films was observed by XRD studies. The surface of the HfO films became rough with the increase in grain size at the sputter pressure of 8 × 10 mbar and Ar/O gas flow ratio of 1:4. The formation of HfO bond was seen from FTIR spectra. The oxide charge density has a lower value for the sputter pressure of 8 × 10 mbar and Ar/O gas flow ratio of 1:4 due to the evolution of larger grains. The interface charge density was found to be minimum at a sputter pressure of 8 × 10 mbar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to analyse outcomes with adjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy (cCRT) followed by adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) in radically resected gall bladder carcinoma (GBC) in Indian patients. Methods and Materials: We retrospectively reviewed the records of GBC patients who received adjuvant cCRT after extended cholecystectomy (EC) between January 2007 and December 2011. Patterns of recurrence, disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS) and adverse prognostic factors were evaluated. Results: Thirty-two patients were analysed. At a median follow-up of 53 months, 40 % of patients had recurrence either locoregionally (12 %) or had distant metastases (28 %). The 5-year OS and DFS was 25 % and 53 %, respectively. When prognostic factors were evaluated, the median OS was 51 versus 23 months for node-negative ( n = 8) versus node-positive disease ( n = 24), not reached versus 34 months for stage 2 ( n = 4) versus for stage 3 ( n = 28), 46 versus 23 months for R0 ( n = 11) versus R1 resection ( n = 21), 51 versus 12 months ( p = 0.15) for well-differentiated ( n = 16) versus poorly differentiated tumours ( n = 8), and 10 versus 51 months for lymphovascular invasion presence ( n = 4) versus absence ( n = 28) ( p = 0.01). Conclusion: Outcome in Indian patients with cCRT followed by AC is similar to that reported in the literature. Adjuvant cCRT followed by AC improves outcomes in patients with R1 and node-positive disease. Advanced stage, nodal positivity, poor differentiation, presence of perineural invasion and lymphovascular invasion are adverse prognostic features. Further research is required with treatment intensification in patients with adverse prognostic factors to improve outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new type of generalized cone convexity is introduced in the case of set-valued optimization problem where the maps involved are contingent epiderivable. It extends the notion of $$\rho -(\eta , \theta )$$ -invexity from vector optimization to set-valued optimization. The sufficient Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) optimality conditions are investigated under the stated assumptions. We also study the duality results of Mond-Weir type (MWD), Wolfe type (WD) and mixed type (Mix D) for weak solutions of a pair of set-valued optimization problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]