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Pulse pressure (PP) has been linked to an increased risk of extent of coronary atherosclerosis and cardiovascular events. This study aimed to investigate the contribution of aortic PP on cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) progression, and cardiovascular events after heart transplantation (HTx).A total of 330 HTx patients (mean age 49 ± 25 years, 70.0% male) undergoing routine serial coronary intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) studies and had invasive aortic PP were enrolled. The median time from HTx to first IVUS was 13.6 months. CAV progression was assessed by IVUS as the changes (Δ) in plaque volume divided by the segment length (PV/SL), adjusted for the time between IVUS (median, 3.99 years; interquartile range, 1.99-7.20 years), and was defined as ΔPV/SL ≥0.50 mmRecipient age, recipient sex, and renal dysfunction were independent determinant of high aortic PP (≥ 50 mmHg). High aortic PP was an independent determinant of CAV progression [odds ratio, 1.72; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.01-2.93; p = 0.045]. Both high aortic PP (HR 1.46, 95% CI 1.01-2.11, p = 0.044) and high baseline CAV grade on angiogram (≥1, HR 1.50, 95% CI 1.03-2.21, p = 0.037) were independently associated with MACEs over 12 years.In post-HTx patients, high aortic PP was significantly associated with plaque progression. Both aortic PP and CAV grade are independently associated with MACE during long-term follow-up. These findings suggest that arterial stiffness and CAV can be important predictors of MACEs.

We have previously described the use of sirolimus (SRL) as primary immunosuppression following heart transplantation (HT). The advantages of this approach include attenuation of cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV), improvement in glomerular filtration rate (GFR), and reduced malignancy. However, in some patients SRL may cause significant proteinuria. We sought to investigate the prognostic value of proteinuria after conversion to SRL. CAV progression and adverse clinical events were studied. CAV progression was assessed by measuring the Δ change in plaque volume (PV) and plaque index (PI) per year using coronary intravascular ultrasound. Proteinuria was defined as Δ urine protein ≥300 mg/24 h at 1 year after conversion to SRL. Overall, 137 patients were analyzed (26% with proteinuria). Patients with proteinuria had significantly lower GFR (P = .005) but similar GFR during follow-up. Delta PV (P < .001) and Δ PI (P = .001) were significantly higher among patients with proteinuria after adjustment for baseline characteristics. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed higher all-cause mortality (hazard ratio 3.8; P = .01) with proteinuria but similar risk of CAV-related events (P = .61). Our results indicate that proteinuria is a marker of baseline renal dysfunction, and that HT recipients who develop proteinuria after conversion to SRL have less attenuation of CAV progression and higher mortality risk.

Water limiting condition creates imbalance or deficiency of growth regulators in plant, which leads toward reduce crop yield. The present investigation entitled “Influence of growth regulators on growth, phenological traits and yield attributes of wheat [Triticum aestivum L.] under restricted irrigation condition” was conducted during the Rabi season during 2017-18 and 2018-19 at Students’ Instructional Farm, Nawabganj, Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur-208002 (U.P.), India in randomized block design with three replications and exogenous application of growth regulators with control wheat plants viz., Control, GA3 20 ppm, GA3 40 ppm, Alar 100 ppm, Alar 200 ppm, ABA 25 ppm, ABA 50 ppm, SA 50 ppm, SA 100 ppm, Kinetin 5 ppm and Kinetin 10 ppm on wheat variety (K1317) under restricted irrigation condition. Crop growth and yield attributes were assess during the experimentation. Study revealed that crop reduced growth and yield in term of plant height at maturity stage, number of leaves plant-1 at all observation stage, days to anthesis, days to maturity, main spike length and grains weight plant-1 under restricted irrigation, while, these parameters were improved with application of growth regulators. Maximum crop growth and yield traits were recorded with application of growth regulators GA3 40 ppm as compare to other treatments.

Piezocatalyst Ba2TiMnO6 nanosheets (BTMO NS) were successfully synthesized using a hydrothermal process. Two-dimensional (2D) BTMO NS exhibited an outstanding piezocatalytic performance as compared to other piezocatalysts for rhodamine B organic contaminant degradation using ultrasonic vibrations. The piezocatalytic output of the BTMO nanosheets approached approximately 99% after 180 minutes with a degradation rate of 0.022 min−1. Our experimental findings suggest that BTMO experiences a simple flexing deformation that can lead to an increased piezoelectric potential of 10.2 volts. In addition, the free surface carrier content is increased due to the existence of sufficient surface oxygen vacancies (VO), which can often be powered by piezoelectric potential and afterwards are engaged in the production of radical species throughout the piezocatalytic process. The hydroxyl radical (˙OH) forms an active site and originates primarily from the conversion of superoxides (˙O2−). This work provides a clear discription of the piezocatalytic process, and it also elucidates a viable approach for wastewater treatment using novel piezocatalytic material.

A theory has been evolved for obtaining anharmonic properties of oxides having face centered cubic crystal symmetry using long-range Coulomb and short-range Born-Mayer potentials starting from the nearest-neighbour distance and hardness parameter. The fourth order elastic constants are obtained for oxides of Cd, Co, Fe, Nb, Ni, Te, Ti and Zr at elevated temperature. The room temperature data are utilized for obtaining the first order pressure derivatives of second and third order elastic constants, the second order pressure derivatives of second order elastic constants and partial contractions of these oxides. The results are presented and discussed.

To study molecular diversity and genomic heritage of the Meitei community of Manipur using 20 autosomal gene loci markers.Blood samples were collected from 120 unrelated, healthy individuals of the Meitei population following ethical standards. DNA was extracted using the Phenol chloroform organic extraction method and amplified using the PowerPlexThe studied population showed Observed Heterozygosity (HAll the studied loci showed a high degree of matching probability and paternity index of 2.83 × 10

The effect of few monovalent salts (NaCl, NH4Cl, and GdmCl) as additives, according to the Hofmeister series on the growth of methane gas hydrates, has been studied using experiments as well as mol...

A theory has been evolved for obtaining anharmonic properties of oxides having face centered cubic crystal symmetry using long-range Coulomb and short-range Born-Mayer potentials starting from the nearest-neighbour distance and hardness parameter. The second order elastic constants are obtained for oxides of Cd, Co, Fe, Nb, Ni, Te, Ti and Zr at elevated temperature. The room temperature data are utilized for obtaining the first order pressure derivatives of second order elastic constants, the second order pressure derivatives of second order elastic constants and partial contractions of these oxides. The results are presented and discussed.

Himalayan musk deer (Moschus leucogaster) is considered endangered by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and is under Schedule-I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, because of its illicit hunting for musk as well as habitat loss. The present study aims to study the summer range habitat suitability of this important Himalayan ungulate in Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS) of Western Himalaya, India. The study integrated ground presence point locations of the species with satellite data-derived variables in a binomial multiple logistic regression (BMLR) model to analyse its suitability status in KWS. Moist temperate forest (323.38 km2) was found to be the dominant vegetation type, followed by sub-alpine forest (128.24 km2) and alpine pasture (119.51 km2) in KWS. It was found that 7.39% (72.04 km2) of the study area is highly suitable, followed by 14.73% (143.68 km2), 13.43% (131.02 km2) and 64.44% (628.46 km2) area as suitable, moderately suitable and least suitable, respectively, for the species. The results also revealed that 71.59% (51.57 km2) of the highly suitable habitat occurs in sub-alpine forest, 18.41% (13.26 km2) in alpine pasture and 5.63% (4.06 km2) in alpine scrub. It was found that the vegetation type/land use was the most significant variable for habitat suitability assessment of the Himalayan musk deer in KWS. The BMLR model could successfully predict the potential summer range habitat of the species (Relative Operating Characteristics curve = 0.85). The findings of this study could be of immense use in the management of this Wildlife Sanctuary for better protection and conservation of the Himalayan musk deer.

This study presents the macro-level probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) of Madhya Pradesh using the classical Cornell-McGuire method. It investigates the seismic hazard of the region using two different source models—one covering seismogenic sources within 200 km (19–28° N and 72–84° E), and another within 300 km (16–32° N and 69–88° E) from the peripheral boundaries of Madhya Pradesh. It also proposes a new hybrid model that combines the above two models using a logic-tree approach and produces hazard maps and response spectra (bedrock level) for the seven smart cities proposed under the Smart City Mission of the Government of India. Finally, the study’s results are compared with the standard recommendations by IS 1893–2016 (Part-1) and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA 2010). PSHA is performed using an updated earthquake catalog between 1800 and 2020 compiled from various national and international resources. Standardization of catalog is performed in terms of homogenization of magnitudes to moment magnitudes (Mw), zone-wise catalog division, and declustering using Gardner and Knopoff (1974) algorithm. It utilizes the logic tree approach to address the uncertainties associated with source modeling, source characterization, and selection of ground-motion prediction equations (GMPEs). Ground accelerations corresponding to different parts of the study region are calculated by dividing the region into a 0.2° rectangular grid in orthogonal directions. This study presents the PGA maps for the entire region for the return periods of 475 and 2475 years (equivalent to 10% and 2% probability of exceedance in 50 years, respectively) and first-hand response spectra (bedrock level) for the seven smart cities corresponding to spectral accelerations, SA (T), for periods of 0.1 s, 0.2 s, 0.5 s, 1 s and 2 s on stable firm rock site condition (Vs30 as 760 m/sec) based on the 200 km, 300 km, and hybrid source models. The study finds the 200 km source model's results in fair agreement with the national recommendations, whereas the 300 km source model's results higher than the national recommendations. The results from this study shall render a great help to city planners for designing new structures and also in retrofitting the existing structures.

A field experiment on chickpea was conducted at Agriculture Farm of Mahatma Gandhi Chitrakoot Gramodaya Vishwavidyalaya, Chitrakoot, Satna (M.P.) during rabi season 2007-08 and 2008-09. Results revealed that basal application of sulphur 40 kg/ha and zinc 5 kg/ha recorded significantly superior grain and straw yield during both the years. Grain yield was also significantly improved with foliar spray of Zn 0.5 % and S 2%. Sulpur and zinc uptake by grain and straw of chickpea was recorded significantly superior under 40 kg S/ha however, it observed conspicuously higher total S and Zn uptake by chickpea (7.8 and 9.22 kg S/ha; 0.101 and 0.114 kg Zn) during two years. Basal application of zinc 5 kg/ha significantly improved S and Zn uptake by grain and straw and recorded markedly higher total S (7.3 and 8.11 kg/ha) and Zn uptake (0.108 and 0.111 kg/ha) by chickpea during both the years. Foliar spray of sulphur 2% significantly increased S uptake by grain and straw and observed numerically higher total uptake of chickpea while, zinc spray 0.5% recorded significantly greater Zn uptake by grain and straw and markedly higher total Zn uptake of chickpea. Positive fertility balance of sulphur in soil was noted in treatments with 40 kg S/ha and 20 kg S/ha however, maximum positive fertility balance was recorded in S20 x Zn0 x FS2 followed by in S40 x Zn5 x FS2. Maximum negative balance of S was noted in treatment with no sulphur application. Positive fertility balance in term of zinc availability in soil was recorded in Zn 5 kg/ha however, it was observed maximum in S0 x Zn5 x FS3 (2.34 kg/ha) followed by in S0 x Zn5 x FS2 (1.71 kg/ha). The negative fertility balance of zinc in soil was noted in treatment with no basal application of zinc in soil.

A fundamental study on hydrate formation from an equimolar CO2–CH4 gas mixture has been carried out with two focal points: accelerating the kinetics of hydrate formation and enhancing the gas separ...

Hydrogen production from water has been considered as one of the potential clean and futuristic alternates to fossil fuel. However, the development of a complete efficient system for hydrogen fuel coming from water lacks not only efficient, stable, and cost-effective generation but also off-line efficient storage. Herein, first, we present a newly designed monolithically integrated photoelectrochemical (PEC) device for hydrogen generation with a semitransparent MoOx/MoS2/FTO heterostructure as a photoanode and black 2D-MoS2/Si as a photocathode. This integrated cell eliminates the use of expensive metal (like Pt) as a counter electrode and enhances the overall stable H2 and O2 evolution, with a stable measured rate of 61 μmol/h and 28 μmol/h, respectively. The applied bias photon-to-current efficiency (ABPE) was measured to be ∼3.5% at −0.3 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). Second, we demonstrate the storage of molecular H2 as solid hydrates, where the release of hydrogen from the hydrate requires no additional energy as it is not chemically bound to water. Operating at a moderate pressure of 10 MPa, we achieved hydrates of hydrogen with a maximum storage capacity of 1.3 wt %, which could be enhanced to 3 wt % with further fine-tuning of the process. The theoretical capacity of hydrogen storage in clathrate hydrates are ∼5 wt %. This concept of monolithic generation and molecular storage of hydrogen provides a complete long-demanding efficient and stable solution for large-scale commercial applications.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive pulmonary vascular disease that negatively impacts health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The PAH-symptoms and impact (PAH-SYMPACT) questionnaire is a validated disease-specific patient-reported outcome (PRO) instrument that assesses a patient's symptoms and the impact of PAH and its treatment on well-being. We performed a single-center prospective cohort study of patients with PAH to determine the feasibility of assessing PROs in clinical practice and to determine the association between PAH-SYMPACT domains and clinical characteristics and outcomes. One hundred and ten patients completed the 1-day version of the PAH-SYMPACT questionnaire which consists of 22 Likert-scale questions that assess HRQOL across four domains: cardiopulmonary (CP) symptoms, cardiovascular (CV) symptoms, physical impact (PI), and cognitive and emotional (CE) impact. Higher scores indicate worse HRQOL. Patients were predominantly female (

Zinc–air batteries proffer high energy density and cyclic stability at low costs but lack disadvantages like sluggish reactions at the cathode and the formation of by-products at the cathode. To resolve these issues, a new perovskite material, CaCu3Ti4O12 (CCTO), is proposed as an efficacious electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution/reduction reactions to develop zinc–air batteries (ZAB). Synthesis of this material adopted an effective oxalate route, which led to the purity in the electrocatalyst composition. The CCTO material is a proven potential candidate for energy applications because of its high dielectric permittivity (ε) and occupies an improved ORR-OER activity with better onset potential, current density, and stability. The Tafel value for CCTO was obtained out to be 80 mV dec−1. The CCTO perovskite was also evaluated for the zinc–air battery as an air electrode, corresponding to the high specific capacitance of 801 mAh g−1 with the greater cyclic efficiency and minimum variations in both charge/discharge processes. The highest power density (Pmax) measured was 127 mW cm−2. Also, the CCTO based paper battery shows an excellent performance achieving a specific capacity of 614 mAh g−1. The obtained results promise CCTO as a potential and cheap electrocatalyst for energy applications.

Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is a spectrum of lymphoid conditions frequently associated with the Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) and the use of potent immunosuppressive drugs after solid organ transplantation. PTLD remains a major cause of long-term morbidity and mortality following heart transplantation (HT). Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a key pathogenic driver in many PTLD cases. In the majority of PTLD cases, the proliferating immune cell is the B-cell, and the impaired T-cell immune surveillance against infected B cells in immunosuppressed transplant patients plays a key role in the pathogenesis of EBV-positive PTLD. Preventive screening strategies have been attempted for PTLD including limiting patient exposure to aggressive immunosuppressive regimens by tailoring or minimizing immunosuppression while preserving graft function, anti-viral prophylaxis, routine EBV monitoring, and avoidance of EBV seromismatch. Our group has also demonstrated that conversion from calcineurin inhibitor to the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor, sirolimus, as a primary immunosuppression was associated with a decreased risk of PTLD following HT. The main therapeutic measures consist of immunosuppression reduction, treatment with rituximab and use of immunochemotherapy regimens. The purpose of this article is to review the potential mechanisms underlying PTLD pathogenesis, discuss recent advances, and review potential therapeutic targets to decrease the burden of PTLD after HT.

Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors have been shown to reduce proliferation of lymphoid cells; thus, their use for immunosuppression after heart transplantation (HT) may reduce post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) risk. This study sought to investigate whether the sirolimus (SRL)-based immunosuppression regimen is associated with a decreased risk of PTLD compared with the calcineurin inhibitor (CNI)-based regimen in HT recipients. We retrospectively analyzed 590 patients who received HTs at two large institutions between 1 June 1988 and 31 December 2014. Cox proportional-hazard modeling was used to examine the association between type of primary immunosuppression and PTLD after adjustment for potential confounders, including Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) status, type of induction therapy, and rejection. Conversion from CNI to SRL as primary immunosuppression occurred in 249 patients (42.2%). During a median follow-up of 6.3 years, 30 patients developed PTLD (5.1%). In a univariate analysis, EBV mismatch was strongly associated with increased risk of PTLD (HR 10.0, 95% CI: 3.8–26.6; p < 0.001), and conversion to SRL was found to be protective against development of PTLD (HR 0.19, 95% CI: 0.04–0.80; p = 0.02). In a multivariable model and after adjusting for EBV mismatch, conversion to SRL remained protective against risk of PTLD compared with continued CNI use (HR 0.12, 95% CI: 0.03–0.55; p = 0.006). In conclusion, SRL-based immunosuppression is associated with lower incidence of PTLD after HT. These findings provide evidence of a benefit from conversion to SRL as maintenance therapy for mitigating the risk of PTLD, particularly among patients at high PTLD risk.

Nanoparticles show the multidisciplinary versatile utility and are gaining the prime place in various fields, such as medicine, electronics, pharmaceuticals, electrical designing, cosmetics, food industries, and agriculture, due to their small size and large surface to volume ratio. Biogenic or green synthesis methods are environmentally friendly, economically feasible, rapid, free of organic solvents, and reliable over conventional methods. Plant extracts are of incredible potential in the biosynthesis of metal nanoparticles owing to their bountiful availability, stabilizing, and reducing ability. In the present study, the aqueous leaf extract of Buchanania lanzan Spreng was mixed with 0.5 mM silver nitrate and incubated at 70°C for 1 h and synthesized a good quantity of AgNPs. The synthesized AgNPs were characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry (XRD), dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The maximum absorption of UV-visible spectra was obtained in the range of 420–430 nm. Furthermore, SEM and TEM results inferred that the size of the particles were 23–62 nm, spherical, crystalline, uniformly distributed, and negatively charged with the zeta potential of −27.6 mV. In addition, the antifungal activities of the AgNPs were evaluated against two phytopathogenic fungi Rhizoctonia solani and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici in vitro using poison food techniques on PDA media. The maximum rate of mycelia inhibition was found in 150 ppm concentration of AgNPs against both phytopathogenic fungi.

The expanding use of continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices (CF-LVADs) for end-stage heart failure warrants familiarity with the physiologic interaction of the device with the native circulation. Contemporary devices utilize predominantly centrifugal flow and, to a lesser extent, axial flow rotors that vary with respect to their intrinsic flow characteristics. Flow can be manipulated with adjustments to preload and afterload as in the native heart, and ascertainment of the predicted effects is provided by differential pressure-flow (H-Q) curves or loops. Valvular heart disease, especially aortic regurgitation, may significantly affect adequacy of mechanical support. In contrast, atrioventricular and ventriculoventricular timing is of less certain significance. Although beneficial effects of device therapy are typically seen due to enhanced distal perfusion, unloading of the left ventricle and atrium, and amelioration of secondary pulmonary hypertension, negative effects of CF-LVAD therapy on right ventricular filling and function, through right-sided loading and septal interaction, can make optimization challenging. Additionally, a lack of pulsatile energy provided by CF-LVAD therapy has physiologic consequences for end-organ function and may be responsible for a series of adverse effects. Rheological effects of intravascular pumps, especially shear stress exposure, result in platelet activation and hemolysis, which may result in both thrombotic and hemorrhagic consequences. Development of novel solutions for untoward device-circulatory interactions will facilitate hemodynamic support while mitigating adverse events. © 2021 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 12:1-37, 2021.

A new perovskite material, CaCu3Ti4O12 (CCTO), is proposed as an efficacious electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution/reduction reactions for the development of zinc-air batteries (ZAB). Synthesis of this material adopted an effective oxalate route, which led to the purity in the electrocatalyst composition. The CCTO material is a proven potential candidate for energy applications because of its high dielectric permittivity (ε) and occupies an improved ORR activity with better onset potential, current density, and stability. The CCTO perovskite was also evaluated for the zinc-air battery as an air electrode, corresponding to the high specific capacitance of 1165 mAh g-1 with the greater cyclic efficiency and minimum variations in both charge/discharge processes. The highest power density (Pmax) measured was 32 mW cm-2. The OCV (Open Circuit Potential) obtained was 1.44 V for the as-developed battery. Also, the CCTO based paper battery shows an excellent performance achieving a specific capacity of 947.79 mAh g-1. The obtained results promise CCTO as a potential and cheap electrocatalyst for application in energy applications.

Zinc-air batteries proffer high energy density and cyclic stability at low costs but lack disadvantages like sluggish reactions at the cathode and the formation of by-products at the cathode. To resolve these issues, a new perovskite material, CaCu