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Introduction: Volumetric Arc Radiotherapy (VMAT) is an advanced technique. Calculations of VMATplans are not so accurate even with State-of-Art dose calculation algorithms due to their complexity.Hence pre-treatment patient specific Quality Assurance (QA) of each VMAT plan is required. In thepresent study Electronic Portal Imaging Device (EPID) based portal dosimetry system was used forpre-treatment patient specific QA. Material and Methods: A total of 50 patients were chosen inthis study. Verification plans of each patient were calculated for portal dosimetry then executed onthe EPID system to measure the spatial distribution of radiation dose. Calculated and measured dosedistribution were compared to evaluate Gamma Index (GI) passing criteria of Dose Difference (DD)of 3% and Distance–to-Agreement (DTA) of 3mm, Area Gamma (γ% ≤1) >95%, Average Gamma(gAve)

Earlier we have reported mercury-induced alterations in functional dynamics of buck spermatozoa through free radicals-mediated oxidative stress and spontaneous acrosome reaction. Based on our earlier findings, we aimed to investigate the effect of mercury exposure on motility, kinematic patterns, DNA damage, apoptosis and ultra-structural alterations in goat spermatozoa following in vitro exposure to different concentrations (0.031–1.25 µg/ml) of mercuric chloride for 15 min and 3 h. Following exposure of sperm cells to 0.031 µg/ml of mercuric chloride for 3 h, livability and motility of sperms was significantly reduced along with altered kinematic patterns, significant increase in per cent necrotic sperm cells and number of cells showing DNA damage; and this effect was dose- and time-dependent. Contrary to up-regulation of Bax gene after 3 h in control group, there was significant increase in expression of Bcl-2 in mercury-treated groups. Transmission electron microscopy studies revealed rifts and nicks in plasma and acrosomal membrane, mitochondrial sheath, and collapsed mitochondria with loss of helical organization of mitochondria in the middle piece of spermatozoa. Our findings evidently suggest that mercury induces necrosis instead of apoptosis and targets the membrane, acrosome, mid piece of sperms; and the damage to mitochondria seems to be responsible for alterations in functional and kinematic attributes of spermatozoa.

Strong-field ionization induces various complex phenomena like bond breaking, intramolecular hydrogen migration, and bond association in polyatomic molecules. The H-atom migration and bond formation in CH3OH induced by intense femtosecond laser pulses are investigated using a Velocity Map Imaging (VMI) spectrometer. Various laser parameters like intensity (1.5 × 1013 W cm−2–12.5 × 1013 W cm−2), pulse duration (29 fs and 195 fs), wavelength (800 nm and 1300 nm), and polarization (linear and circular) can serve as a quantum control for hydrogen migration and the yield of Hn+ (n = 1–3) ions which have been observed in this study. Further, in order to understand the ejection mechanism of the hydrogen molecular ions H2+ and H3+ from singly-ionized CH3OH, quantum chemical calculations were employed. The dissociation processes of CH3OH+ occurring by four dissociative channels to form CHO+ + H3, H3+ + CHO, CH2+ + H2O, and H2O+ + CH2 are studied. Using the combined approach of experiments and theory, we have successfully explained the mechanism of intramolecular hydrogen migration and predicted the dissociative channels of singly-ionized CH3OH.

One of the major problems in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) is the use of machine learning model as a black box, even though it might be helpful in a few cases but understanding the internal structure and the operating mechanism will assist the user to tweak the variables in a more efficient and productive manner. In this paper we have introduced the working of an artificial neural network (ANN) by taking the example of a three layered neural network. The entire mathematics behind the working of neural network along with the different evaluation metrics required to assess the performance of the model are discussed in this paper. We have also created a custom neural network from scratch and compared it with the keras based model on three different datasets - susy dataset, cardiovascular dataset, churn dataset. The results obtained demonstrates that the overall performance of both the models are almost identical which gives an idea that it is possible to train a neural network from scratch without the use of any framework.

Library and information science (LIS) professionals play a pivotal role in providing qualitybased services to the users. Owing to adoption of new emerging technologies in library and their characteristics of disruptiveness, library professionals are facing issues related to gaining skills and competencies in the digital environment. The present article highlights the information communication technology (ICT) skills of library professionals of eastern state university libraries of Uttar Pradesh. In addition, it focuses on the significance of differences in competencies amongst professionals. For carrying out study, the research approach was used as a survey method to collect data. Questionnaires were distributed to all working LIS professionals to evaluate their skills and competencies in digital era. The findings of the study have revealed that majority of the library professionals were facing problems, in some form or the other, in developing the required skills and competencies. They possessed only the basic skills of ICT application and significant differences amongst LIS professional were found in the level of ICT skills and competencies.

Background: The emergence of Candida albicans strains resistant to fluconazole (FLZ) had raised interest on combining other antifungals with FLZ. In vitro and clinical studies had indicated synergistic interaction between terbinafine and FLZ against strains resistant to FLZ and improved therapeutic efficacy. Objective: Formulation and evaluation of fixed dose combination (FDC) tablets of terbinafine HCl (TH) and FLZ for avoidance of resistance and improved therapeutic efficacy against C. albicans infections. Method: The compatibility of TH and FLZ together and with excipients was determined by FTIR spectroscopy. A UV-visible spectroscopic Q-absorbance ratio method was developed and validated for linearity, accuracy, precision, LOD and LOQ for simultaneous estimation of TH and FLZ. The FDC tablets was prepared by wet granulation using hydroxy propyl cellulose (1%, 2%, 3%, 4% and 5%) as binder and evaluated for pre-compression and post-compression parameters. Result and Discussion: The TH and FLZ were compatible together and with excipients used in FDC. The linearity range was found to be 0.5-3.0 µg/ml and 80-400 µg/ml for TH and FLZ, respectively. Percent RSD was less than 2% indicating good accuracy and precision for proposed method. The hardness and disintegration time of tablets increased and friability decreased with increased binder concentration. Formulation F2 and F3 showed more than 80% drug release within 30 minutes. Conclusion: The TH and FLZ were compatible and can be formulated as a FDC tablet. The UV-Visible spectrophotometric method developed for simultaneous estimation was simple, accurate and sensitive. Keywords: Terbinafine, Fluconazole, Q-absorbance, Fixed Dose Combination, Candida albicans

Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) is a zoonotic chronic endemic infectious disease caused by Leishmania donovani infection and a well-studied model for intracellular parasitism. Guanylate binding proteins (GBPs) are induced by interferons (IFNs), and play a crucial role in cell autonomous immunity and the regulation of inflammation. Guanylate-binding protein 1 (GBP1) has been shown vital for the host immune response against various pathogens. However, the role of GBP1 during VL is undefined. In the present study, we have investigated the role of GBP1 in Leishmania donovani infection using in vitro model. For that, knock down of the Gbp1 gene was carried out in both PMA differentiated human monocyte cell line THP-1 and mouse macrophages RAW264.7 cell line using siRNA based RNA interference. Infection of these cell lines revealed a high parasite load in knock down cells at 24 and 48h post infection as compared to control cells. A significant increase was observed in the level of different cytokines (IL-4, IL-10, IL-12b, IFN-γ, TNF-α) and chemokines (CXCL9, CXCL 10, and CXCL 11) in GBP1 knock down cell lines after post-infection. In GBP1 knock down cells the expression level of IFN effector molecules (iNOS and PKR) was found to be elevated in THP1 cells and remained almost unchanged in RAW264.7 cells after Leishmania donovani infection as compared to the control cells. Moreover, interestingly, the level of MAPK activated ERK1/2, and p38 MAPK were considerably induced by the parasite in knock down cells as compared to control after 24 h post-infection. This study, first time reported the involvement of GBP1 in Leishmania donovani infection by modulating the level of important cytokines, chemokines, IFN effector molecules, and MAP kinases.

The places, population, and flora and fauna are at stake because of climate change. Natural resources regulate the economic, social, and cultural lives. Water is a basic need in everyday life, and its cycle is inextricably linked with climate change. The main concern is the changing scenario of the water resources and the factors supporting the condition of water scarcity. Forest resources have a very high value as a maximum of the national population, and the whole tribal community is dependent on the forest resources. Moreover, water itself plays a vital role directly or indirectly to affect the climate change on the oceans including warming, sea-level rise, changes in ocean currents pattern, coastal flooding, ocean acidity, and sea ice. These effects can, in turn, lead to significant changes in regional climate, climate pattern, and human migration. This chapter discusses climate change, its indicators and its impact on natural resources, especially on water, ocean, and forest resources. Moreover, the impact of climate change on water resources is the fundamental concern in this chapter. The industrialization leads to the emergence of employment, economic growth, development, and high living standards, but along with this the climate change poses a fundamental threat to ecology and environment because of the exploitation of the natural resources recklessly.

Leishmania donovani pathogenicity is closely linked to its ability to live and replicate in the hostile environment of macrophages. All protozoan parasites, including Leishmania, are unable to synthesize purines de novo, and nucleoside diphosphate kinases (NDKs) are enzymes required to preserve the intracellular nucleoside phosphate equilibrium. For some pathogens, secretion of ATP-utilizing enzymes into the extracellular environment aids in pathogen survival via P2Z receptor mediated, ATP-induced death of infected macrophages. Here, Leishmanaia donovani nucleoside diphosphate kinase (LdNDKb) was cloned, expressed and purified by Ni

The present numerical study explores an unsteady double-diffusive convection phenomenon for different fluids (air at $$17^\circ \text {C}$$ , water at $$17^ \circ \text {C}$$ , and ethylene glycol $$50\%$$ at $$44^ \circ \text {C}$$ ) under the influence of uniform magnetic field induced along the horizontal direction. Temperature and solute vary exponentially at left solid wall, whereas right-solid wall maintains lower temperature and solute. Furthermore, horizontal walls are insulated and impermeable. After transferring flow equations into stream function vorticity form, an iterative second-order finite difference based method along with successive over-relaxation (SOR) technique has been utilized to solve them. New types of visualization techniques are used to explore the heat and mass flows, known as heat and mass lines visualization techniques. In-house CFD (computational fluid dynamics) code was developed to solve the flow governing equation used after validation with experimental and numerical benchmarks results available in the literature. The influence of various forces (viscous, buoyancy, and electromagnetic) and different type of diffusivity (momentum, thermal, and mass) on flow structure, heat, and mass flows inside the enclosure in addition to local and overall heat and mass transfers have been discussed. Results showed that solute mixing could be minimized by raising the Lewis number and thus direct mass transfer maximize. When Rayleigh number increases from $$10^3$$ to $$10^4$$ and $$10^4$$ to $$10^5$$ enhancement in overall heat transfer are about $$112\%$$ and $$117\%$$ , respectively, whereas overall mass transfer has been enhanced by $$116\%$$ and $$94\%$$ . As Hartmann number increases from $${\text {Ha}}=0$$ to $${\text {Ha}}=20$$ , there is a significant fall in the overall heat and mass transfers by $$29\%$$ and $$15\%$$ , respectively. It can be concluded that direct heat and mass transfer can be optimized by imposing a magnetic field of suitable strength.

Two-color strong-field photoionization of two diatomic molecules (N2, CO) is studied using a velocity map imaging (VMI) spectrometer. The fundamental frequency, along with the second harmonic (800 + 400 nm) at different phases, with the two different polarization schemes viz, orthogonal and parallel, is employed for measuring the ion yields and photoelectron momentum distributions. The yield of the parent ion and its charged fragments as a function of the phase difference between the two-color field has been studied thoroughly, and the results are presented here. The correlation trends of the parent ion with their fragments as a function of the relative phase are discussed. It is observed that the ionized CO and its fragments have different correlation trends at different polarization schemes. Additionally, the photoelectron momentum distribution of N2 and CO due to orthogonal two-color (OTC) and parallel two-color (PTC) is performed in order to understand the modulation of electron dynamics as a function of phase between 800 nm and 400 nm. Further, the asymmetry parameter as a function of electron momenta due to the two-color fields has been estimated and discussed.

A simple, efficient, sustainable and economical method for the oxidation of alcohols and amines has been developed based on chloride, a sea abundant anionic catalyst for the practical synthesis of a wide range of carboxylic acids, ketones and imines. Oxidation of aromatic alcohols was carried out using NaCl (20 mol%) as the catalyst, NaOH (50 mol%) and aq. TBHP (4 equiv.) as the oxidant in 55–92% isolated yields. Oxidation of aromatic amines to imines was achieved by using only 20 mol% of NaCl and aq. TBHP (4 equiv.) in 32–93% isolated yields. The chlorine species formed during the reaction as the active oxidation catalyst has been identified as ClO2− for alcohols and ClO−/ClO2− for amines by control experiments. This method is mostly free from chromatographic purification, which makes it suitable for large-scale synthesis. We have scaled up to 30 gram scale the synthesis of carboxylic acids and imines in good yields and have also carried out efficiently this new method using filtered sea water as the solvent and catalyst.

In molecular photoemission, the analogue of the celebrated Young's double slit experiment is coherent electron emission from two equivalent atomic centers, giving rise to an interference pattern. Here multi-slit interference is investigated in inner-valence photoionization of propane, n- butane, isobutane and methyl peroxide. A more complex pattern is observed due to molecular orbital delocalization in polyatomic molecules, blurring the distinction between interference and diffraction. The potential to extract geometrical information is emphasized, as a more powerful extension of the EXAFS technique. Accurate reproduction of experimental features is obtained by simulations at the static Density Functional Theory level.

Plants face biotic and abiotic stresses during their entire life cycle, which leads to the loss in crop productivity. It has been shown that a relatively shorter exposure to heat stress, called priming, results in better adaptation of plants under subsequent stresses, which plants may face. While rice plants in nature often encounter high temperature stress conditions, the strategies to cope with those are poorly understood. We identified the involvement of microRNA pathways in the adaptation to heat stress (HS) at the physiological and molecular levels. It was observed that osa-miR169 levels are altered after HS and in response to light conditions. Its expression was also regulated by heat priming during anthesis and effectively responds to the successive exposure to high temperature stress during grain filling in rice. Osa-miR169 targets nuclear factor Y (NF-Y). We propose that osa-miR169: NF-Y regulatory module may be important for HS memory induced during high temperature priming and thus may serve to integrate stress responses with light regulated development. The future study in this direction will be useful to understand how plants acclimatize to the changing environment and thus help in generating stress tolerant crops.

In this paper, the controllability of fuzzy solutions for first order nonlocal impulsive neutral functional differential equations is explored using the Banach fixed point theorem. We utilized the concepts of the fuzzy set theory, functional analysis, and the Hausdorff metric. In the conclusion, an illustration is given to bolster the hypothesis.

Rice plants often encounter high temperature stress, but the associated coping strategies are poorly understood. It is known that a prior shorter exposure to high temperature, called thermo-priming, generally results in better adaptation of the plants to subsequent exposure to high temperature stress. High throughput sequencing of transcript and small RNA libraries of rice seedlings primed with short exposure to high temperature followed by high temperature stress and from plants exposed to high temperature without priming was performed. This identified a number of transcripts and microRNAs (miRs) that are induced or down regulated. Among them osa-miR531b, osa-miR5149, osa-miR168a-5p, osa-miR1846d-5p, osa-miR5077, osa-miR156b-3p, osa-miR167e-3p and their respective targets, coding for heat shock activators and repressors, showed differential expression between primed and non-primed plants. These findings were further validated by qRT-PCR. The results indicate that the miR-regulated heat shock proteins (HSPs)/heat shock transcription factors (HSFs) may serve as important regulatory nodes which are induced during thermo-priming for plant survival and development under high temperatures.

Obesity and associated metabolic disorders are heading up with an alarming rate in developing nations. One of highly sought solution for metabolic disorders is to identify natural molecule with an ability to reduce obesity and increase insulin sensitivity. Coelogin (CLN) is a phenanthrene derivative isolated from the ethanolic extract of Coelogyne cristata. In our constant efforts to identify novel anti-dyslipidemic and anti-adipogenic compounds using CFPMA (common feature pharmacophore model using known anti-adipogenic compounds) model, predicted possible anti-adipogenic activity of CLN. In vitro results showed significant inhibition of adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 and C3H10T1/2 cell by CLN. It arrests the cell cycle in G1 phase of interphase and inhibits mitotic clonal expansion to regulate adipogenesis. CLN elicits insulin sensitizing effect in mature adipocytes. During extracellular flux assessment studies, it increases oxidative respiration and energy expenditure in adipocytes. In vivo, CLN reversed HFD-induced dyslipidemia as well as insulin resistance in C57BL/6 mice. It promoted the expression of genes involved in improved mitochondrial function and fatty acid oxidation in eWAT. CLN restored energy expenditure and increased the capacity of energy utilization in HFD fed mice. Taken together, the study indicated beneficial effects of CLN in combating obesity-associated metabolic complications.

Strong-field ionization induces various complex phenomena like bond breaking, intramolecular hydrogen migration, and bond association in polyatomic molecules. The H-atom migration and bond formation in CH3OH induced by intense femtosecond laser pulses are investigated using a Velocity Map Imaging (VMI) spectrometer. Various laser parameters like intensity (1.5 × 1013 W cm-2-12.5 × 1013 W cm-2), pulse duration (29 fs and 195 fs), wavelength (800 nm and 1300 nm), and polarization (linear and circular) can serve as a quantum control for hydrogen migration and the yield of Hn+ (n = 1-3) ions which have been observed in this study. Further, in order to understand the ejection mechanism of the hydrogen molecular ions H2+ and H3+ from singly-ionized CH3OH, quantum chemical calculations were employed. The dissociation processes of CH3OH+ occurring by four dissociative channels to form CHO+ + H3, H3+ + CHO, CH2+ + H2O, and H2O+ + CH2 are studied. Using the combined approach of experiments and theory, we have successfully explained the mechanism of intramolecular hydrogen migration and predicted the dissociative channels of singly-ionized CH3OH.

Rivers are considered a significant source of fresh water and are vital for society’s sustenance and well-being. Due to rapid urbanization and industrialization, these precious natural resources are being degraded. Melting of Himalayan glaciers and ice is the foremost source of water supply in the Indo Gangetic plains. Also, all major river systems of northern India originate from the Himalayas. The quality of river water in the Himalayas is worsening over the years because of changes in sediment balance, vegetation, land use land cover (LULC) accompanied by anthropogenic activities, inadequately structured sewerage, and drainage system, dumping of treated or untreated effluents, etc. The Himalayan glacial system serves an essential role in creating the headwater streams of the important Himalayan Rivers. Some of which flows across the national boundaries and some through the states of India. This chapter discusses the physical and chemical water quality parameters of some of the Himalayan Rivers in Uttarakhand. The total 11 parameters are taken into account to get insight into the water quality of a few selected rivers in Uttarakhand because of the scarcity of data on the Himalayan River’s water quality. Water quality parameters deliberate in this chapter specify that the water quality of Himalayan River is still good. However, developmental and other activities taking place in and along the rivers pose a threat to it.

Electron dynamics in atoms and molecules occur on attosecond (10\(^{-18}\) s) timescale while nuclear dynamics take picosecond (10\(^{-12}\) s) to femtosecond (10\(^{-15}\) s) duration. Science at these timescales is known as ultrafast science. The advent of femtosecond laser and modern experimental techniques made it possible to chase the nuclear and electron dynamics in atoms and molecules, resulting in an avenue for controlling molecular reactions. A new nonlinear phenomenon involving the interaction of intense laser light with atoms known as high harmonic generation has been discovered, which has given birth to attosecond science. Attosecond light pulses have allowed probing and controlling the electron dynamics on their natural time scales in atomic and molecular systems. It is even possible to make molecular movies using modern electron or ion imaging techniques in conjunction with femtosecond and attosecond light pulses. Several experimental techniques have been developed and used in ultrafast sciences in the last 2–3 decades which has facilitated the study of ultrafast molecular reactions. In this chapter, a description of the key experimental techniques of ultrafast science is presented.

Over the past two decades, there are multiple techniques introduced for enhancing the LIBS signal strength in order to improve the sensitivity and precision of the LIBS measurements. The purpose of this book chapter is to provide an overview of the basic components of the LIBS system and the different experimental strategies employed for enhancing the LIBS signal strength with a special emphasis on Nanoparticle Enhanced Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (NELIBS). The NELIBS is a relatively new technique for enhancing the LIBS signal intensity and improving its sensitivity and detection limit. The considerable signal enhancement with minimal sample preparation has increased the popularity of this technique in analytical chemistry. Our recent observations on LIBS signal enhancement using colloidal silver nanoparticles (10 nm) on brass sample have been described here. A Q-switched Nd: YAG laser operating at a wavelength of 1064 nm, pulse duration = 7 ns with 90 mJ/pulse energy, was used as a common irradiation source for both LIBS and NELIBS measurements. Both spectra were recorded in a similar experimental condition and then compared to estimate the signal enhancements. A clear enhancement of spectral intensities up to 4-times has been observed in the case of NELIBS compared to conventional LIBS. The temporal evolution of the NELIBS plasma has also been investigated, and the results are presented here.

Polymer dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs) are materials for next-generation optoelectronic devices. In this work, free-standing optical diffusers based on PDLC are formed by liquid crystals (LCs) and cellulose acetate polymer network. The micron and submicron-sized liquid crystal droplets embedded in the matrix of cellulose acetate biopolymer act as scattering particles, leading to an efficient diffused transmission of the incident laser beam. By optimizing the concentration of LC and polymer, the optical characterizations of the fabricated PDLC films reveal an ultrahigh haze value ( ≈ 99 %) and broad angular distribution of transmitted light with the full width of half maxima up to 114°. The film fabricated with 55 wt % LC results in a light transmitted profile similar to the ideal light diffusing surface with Lambertian distribution. Furthermore, the technique employed to develop the films offers a straightforward and inexpensive fabrication process of light-diffusing films for a high-performance foldable optoelectronic device.