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We investigate the observational properties of a hydrogen-deficient superluminous supernova (SLSN) SN 2020ank (at z = 0.2485), with the help of early phase observations carried out between $-$21 and +52 d since $g$-band maximum. Photometrically, SN 2020ank is one of the brightest SLSN ($M_{g,peak}$ $\sim$ $-$21.84 $\pm$ 0.10 mag), having fast pre-peak rising and post-peak decaying rates. The bolometric light curve of SN 2020ank exhibits a higher peak luminosity ($L_{max}$) of $\sim$(3.9 $\pm$ 0.7) $\times$ 10$^{44}$ erg s$^{-1}$ and appears to be symmetric around the peak with $L^{rise}_{max}$/e $\approx$ $L^{fall}_{max}$/e $\approx$ 15 d. The semi-analytical light-curve modelling using the MINIM code suggests a spin down millisecond magnetar with $P_i$ $\sim$2.2 $\pm$ 0.5 ms and $B$ $\sim$(2.9 $\pm$ 0.1) $\times$ $10^{14}$ G as a possible powering source for SN 2020ank. The possible magnetar origin and excess ultraviolet flux at early epochs indicate a central-engine based powering source for SN 2020ank. Near-peak spectra of SN 2020ank are enriched with the W-shaped O II features but with the weaker signatures of C II and Fe III. Using the estimated rise time of $\sim$27.9 d and the photospheric velocity of $\sim$12050 km s$^{-1}$, we constrain the ejecta mass to $\sim$7.2 $M_{\odot}$ and the kinetic energy of $\sim$6.3 $\times$ 10$^{51}$ erg. The near-peak spectrum of SN 2020ank exhibits a close spectral resemblance with that of fast-evolving SN 2010gx. The absorption features of SN 2020ank are blueshifted compared to Gaia16apd, suggesting a higher expansion velocity. The spectral similarity with SN 2010gx and comparatively faster spectral evolution than PTF12dam (a slow-evolving SLSN) indicate the fast-evolving behavior of SN 2020ank., Comment: 17 pages, 13 figures, Accepted in MNRAS, Accepted 2020 December 29. Received in original form 2020 October 06

Background Investigation of lobule-specific electric field effects of cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation (ctDCS) on overground gait performance has not been performed, so this study aimed to investigate the feasibility of two lobule-specific bilateral ctDCS montages to facilitate overground walking in chronic stroke. Methods Ten chronic post-stroke male subjects participated in this repeated-measure single-blind crossover study, where we evaluated the single-session effects of two bilateral ctDCS montages that applied 2 mA via 3.14 cm2 disc electrodes for 15 min targeting (a) dentate nuclei (also, anterior and posterior lobes), and (b) lower-limb representations (lobules VIIb-IX). A two-sided Wilcoxon rank-sum test was performed at a 5% significance level on the percent normalized change measures in the overground gait performance. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) analysis was performed on the quantitative gait parameters as response variables to the mean lobular electric field strength as the predictors. Clinical assessments were performed with the Ten-Meter walk test (TMWT), Timed Up & Go (TUG), and the Berg Balance Scale based on minimal clinically important differences (MCID). Results The ctDCS montage specific effect was found significant using a two-sided Wilcoxon rank-sum test at a 5% significance level for 'Step Time Affected Leg' (p = 0.0257) and '%Stance Time Unaffected Leg' (p = 0.0376). The changes in the quantitative gait parameters were found to be correlated to the mean electric field strength in the lobules based on PLSR analysis (R2 statistic = 0.6574). Here, the mean electric field strength at the cerebellar lobules, Vermis VIIIb, Ipsi-lesional IX, Vermis IX, Ipsi-lesional X, had the most loading and were positively related to the 'Step Time Affected Leg' and '%Stance Time Unaffected Leg,' and negatively related to the '%Swing Time Unaffected Leg,' '%Single Support Time Affected Leg.' Clinical assessments found similar improvement in the TMWT (MCID: 0.10 m/s), TUG (MCID: 8 s), and BBS score (MCID: 12.5 points) for both the ctDCS montages. Conclusion Our feasibility study found an association between the lobular mean electric field strength and the changes in the quantitative gait parameters following a single ctDCS session in chronic stroke. Both the ctDCS montages improved the clinical outcome measures that should be investigated with a larger sample size for clinical validation. Trial registration: Being retrospectively registered.

Neurological disorder such as stroke can adversely affect one’s weight-bearing symmetry leading to dysfunctional postural control. Recovery after stroke is facilitated through functionally-relevant neuroplastic modulation. Functionally-relevant cerebellum coordinates voluntary movements. Specifically, the dentate nuclei and lower limb representations (lobules VII-IX) of the cerebellum are involved in error-correction, crucial for postural control. It is postulated that cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation (ctDCS) of the dentate nuclei and lobules VII-IX can modulate postural control in chronic stroke survivors. The objectives of this work were to (1) present a refined Virtual Reality (VR)-based balance training platform (VBaT) that can measure Center of Pressure (CoP) and (2) carry out a study to understand the implication of ctDCS stimulating the dentate nuclei (PhaseD) and lobules VII-IX (PhaseL) on the postural control of chronic stroke patients when they interacted with VBaT. Also, we investigated whether hemiplegic patients (with intact cerebellum) having Basal Ganglia (BG) infarction had any differential abilities to correct postural sway from those with no BG infarction (while shifting weight to the Affected side). Results of a single-session single-blind crossover study on randomized PhaseD and PhaseL stimulation (with an intermediate resting state bipolar bilateral ctDCS) on 12 chronic hemiplegic patients on separate days indicated differentiated findings (post stimulation) on CoP-related indices. We observed an incremental effect on one’s postural control during PhaseD and inhibitory effect on the dentate nuclei during PhaseL. Clustering analysis showed that those with BG infarction demonstrated poor postural control and deficit in error correction ability irrespective of the ctDCS Phase.

The goal of this study was to compare the brain activation patterns of experienced and novice individuals when performing the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) suture with intracorporeal knot tying task, which requires bimanual motor control.Twelve experienced and fourteen novice participants completed this cross-sectional observational study. Participants performed three repetitions of the FLS suture with intracorporeal knot tying task in a standard box trainer. Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) data was recorded using an optode montage that covered the prefrontal and sensorimotor brain areas throughout the task. Data processing was conducted using the HOMER3 and AtlasViewer toolboxes to determine the oxy-hemoglobin (HbO) and deoxyhemoglobin (HbR) concentrations. The hemodynamic response function based on HbO changes during the task relative to the resting state was averaged for each repetition and by participant. Group-level differences were evaluated using a general linear model of the HbO changes with significance set at p 0.05.The average performance score for the experienced group was significantly higher than the novice group (p 0.01). There were significant cortical activations (p 0.05) in the prefrontal and sensorimotor areas for the experienced and novice groups. Areas of statistically significant differences in activation included the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC), the right precentral gyrus, and the right postcentral gyrus.Portable neuroimaging allowed for the differentiation of brain regions activated by experienced and novice participants for a complex surgical motor task. This information can be used to support the objective evaluation of expertise during surgical skills training and assessment.

Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) is a training module designed to provide basic surgical skills. During skill training of the FLS "suturing and intracorporeal knot-tying" task – the most difficult among the five psychomotor FLS tasks, learning from errors is one of the basic principles of motor skill acquisition where appropriate contextual switching of the brain state on error is postulated. This study investigated changes in the brain state following an error event based on the fusion of simultaneously acquired functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and electroencephalography (EEG) signals. Here, human error processing is postulated to differentiate experts from novices based on the differences in the error-related chain of mental processes. Thirteen right-handed novice medical students and nine expert surgeons participated in this study. Error-related microstate analysis was performed using 32-channel EEG data at a high temporal resolution. Six microstate prototypes were identified from combined EEG data from experts and novices during the FLS task. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) found that the proportion of the total time spent in different microstates during the 10 sec error epoch was significantly affected by the skill level (p

Transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) can exert cerebrovascular effects, but the mechanisms are unclear. Long-term (≥3min) transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can also change the extracellular ion concentrations that can modulate neuronal excitability. An increase in interstitial K+ can modulate the neurovascular system's sensitivity via Kir channels in the astrocytes and the mural cells.To gain a mechanistic understanding of the tES effects on neurovascular coupling (NVC), we used a physiologically constrained multi-compartmental model (having nested pathways) for modal analysis to study the dynamic properties of the system for the output changes in blood vessel circumference and their natural frequencies in the frequency domain. Then, we used the open-source rsHRF toolbox and the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)-tDCS dataset to show the effects of anodal tDCS on hemodynamic response function (HRF) in the grey matter and at three regions of interest in the grey matter underlying anodal electrode (FC5), cathodal electrode (FP2), and an independent site remote from the electrodes (PZ). A canonical HRF model and a Finite Impulse Response (FIR) model captured the anodal tDCS effects on the temporal profile of the HRF. The modal analysis characterized the tES's vascular effects through neuronal and non-neuronal pathways, where stable modes were found for the smooth muscle cell compartment in the 0Hz-0.05Hz range.Our study showed tDCS onset effects on the neurovascular coupling (and HRF) for verum and sham tDCS conditions that were different from the no tDCS condition, which questions the validity of the placebo. Therefore, it is crucial to avoid fitting a common HRF for the whole brain, and disentangling the tES effect on the HRF is critical to the fMRI-tES studies. Future studies also need to address the trade-off between bias (in canonical HRF) and variance (in FIR HRF) that can be achieved by applying a mechanistic grey-box model.

Modified starch based composites were prepared with bentonite/organobentonite for their potential use as carriers for pesticide delivery. Soluble starch was esterified with dicarboxylic acid chlorides. Mean degree of substitution of modified starches varied from 0.101 to 0.353. Composites were prepared by solution intercalation method using these esterified starches and bentonite or cetyltrimethylammonium bentonite as filler materials. TEM analysis of composites showed well exfoliated/intercalated structures. Atrazine as a model pesticide was encapsulated in them and encapsulation was found to be 83.52–92.83%. These composites were also found to be acted as controlled release matrices for atrazine and release pattern was diffusion controlled. As compared to the commercially available wettable powder formulation, the composites were able to release encapsulated atrazine in water for a longer period. The research showed that the prepared composites could be further investigated as carriers for controlled release formulations of pesticides to minimize dose and number of applications.

In order to provide stability of anthocyanin, a powerful antioxidant, encapsulant was made by utilizing two biopolymers that can be used further for the targeted release due to its intrinsic structure. Present study was carried out to encapsulate anthocyanin in coacervate employing pectin and chitosan. Entrapment efficiency of anthocyanin was evaluated in coacervates prepared in nine different combinations employing three concentration each of pectin (40, 50 and 60 mg mL−1) and chitosan (5, 6 and 7 mg mL−1) in presence of CaCl2. The developed formulation was characterised by FT-IR, XRD and SEM techniques, which clearly depicts ionic interaction between chitosan and pectin. Release pattern of anthocyanin from the coacervate followed Korsmeyer-Peppas model. The n-values calculated from the curves suggested a quasi-Fickian diffusion pattern pH 1.7 and 4.0. However, at pH 7.0, the behaviour of release was presumed to be an anomalous or case-II transport. In-vitro study revealed that bioaccessibility (%) of coacervated formulation (24.3 ± 0.5) was significantly higher than crude extract (12.2 ± 1.0) as well as purified anthocyanin crystals (18.9 ± 0.7). Better bioaccessibility of coacervated anthocyanin provided important information about its potential use in functional foods.

Aim of the work To describe the clinical profile and subtypes of spondyloarthritis (SpA) patients from a tertiary care center in North-Eastern India. Patients and method This cross-sectional study was conducted from a tertiary care hospital in Northeast India including 34 patients. Diagnosis of SpA was based on the European Spondyloarthropathy Study group (ESSG) criteria. Results 34 cases were 26 (76.5%) males and 8 (23.5%) females. The male to female ratio was 3.2:1. The mean age of the patients was 45 ± 20.2 years. 21 (61.8%) belonged to the age group 21–40 years. The mean age at onset was 28.4 ± 11.4 years while the disease duration was 5.4 ± 5.1 years. Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) was the most common subtype (n = 19,56%), followed by reactive arthritis (ReA)(n = 5,15%) and undifferentiated (UdSpA)(n = 5,15%). Psoriatic arthritis (PsA)(n = 4,12%) and juvenile SpA (n = 1,3%) made up rest of the cases. The most common articular manifestations were peripheral arthritis (88.2%) followed by low back pain (73.5%) and enthesitis (50%). There was evidence of sacroiliitis in 20 (58.8%) patients of which 19 had AS and 17 (85%) were bilateral. The HLAB27 was done in 14 with AS and one with Juvenile SpA; 10(73.7%) were positive. Conclusion The commonest SpA encountered was AS with a notable male preponderance among patients. Peripheral arthritis was a common clinical presentation in all subtypes of patients. As diagnosing SpA can be challenging, it is recommended that the physicians have a high index of suspicion. Early diagnosis and knowledge of the pattern of the disease might contribute to more favorable treatment outcomes.

Neurovascular-based imaging techniques such as functional MRI (fMRI) may reveal signs of consciousness in clinically unresponsive patients but are often subject to logistical challenges in the intensive care unit (ICU). Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is another neurovascular imaging technique but low cost, can be performed serially at the bedside, and may be combined with electroencephalography (EEG), which are important advantages compared to fMRI. Combined NIRS–EEG, however, has never been evaluated for the assessment of neurovascular coupling and consciousness in acute brain injury. We explored resting-state oscillations in eight-channel NIRS oxyhemoglobin and eight-channel EEG band-power signals to assess neurovascular coupling, the prerequisite for neurovascular-based imaging detection of consciousness, in patients with acute brain injury in the ICU (n = 9). Conscious neurological patients from step-down units and wards served as controls (n = 14). Unsupervised adaptive mixture-independent component analysis (AMICA) was used to correlate NIRS–EEG data with levels of consciousness and clinical outcome. Neurovascular coupling between NIRS oxyhemoglobin (0.07–0.13 Hz) and EEG band-power (1–12 Hz) signals at frontal areas was sensitive and prognostic to changing consciousness levels. AMICA revealed a mixture of five models from EEG data, with the relative probabilities of these models reflecting levels of consciousness over multiple days, although the accuracy was less than 85%. However, when combined with two channels of bilateral frontal neurovascular coupling, weighted k-nearest neighbor classification of AMICA probabilities distinguished unresponsive patients from conscious controls with > 90% accuracy (positive predictive value 93%, false discovery rate 7%) and, additionally, identified patients who subsequently failed to recover consciousness with > 99% accuracy. We suggest that NIRS–EEG for monitoring of acute brain injury in the ICU is worthy of further exploration. Normalization of neurovascular coupling may herald recovery of consciousness after acute brain injury.

Background Moringa pods are known for their nutritional and health benefits. The cultivation of this crop receives frequent pesticide applications. In the absence of risk assessment data, maximum residue limits of pesticides in this crop are considered at the default level (0.01 mg/kg). However, there exists scarcely any validated method for pesticide residue analysis in this matrix. Objective This study was undertaken to develop and validate a multiresidue method for the simultaneous analysis of multi-class pesticides in moringa pods by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS), and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Method The homogenized sample (10 g) was extracted with acetonitrile (10 mL). The extract was cleaned by dispersive solid-phase extraction using a combination of 50 mg primary secondary amine, 5 mg graphitized carbon black, and 25 mg C18 sorbents, and was directly analyzed by LC-MS/MS. Another portion of the extract was reconstituted in ethyl acetate before GC-MS/MS analysis. The method was validated as per the SANTE/12682/2019 guidelines using GC-MS/MS (180 pesticides) and LC-MS/MS instruments (203 pesticides). Results The method provided a satisfactory analysis of the targeted pesticides with good calibration linearity (r2>0.99), high precision (RSD Conclusions The method offered a large-scale analysis of multi-class pesticides with high accuracy, and precision at 10 ng/g, and higher levels. The method performance complied with the regulatory requirements, and thus, can be implemented in routine testing purposes. Highlights The study reports a validated method for large-scale multiresidue analysis of pesticides in moringa matrix for the first time. The method provided a high throughput analysis of multi-class pesticides with satisfactory selectivity, sensitivity, accuracy, and precision.

OBJECTIVE Aging is associated with a decline in cognitive and motor performances, which are a part of geriatric syndromes. Since aging is associated with morphological changes in the cerebellum and cerebellar morphology is a good predictor of cognitive and motor performances, so the study of cerebellar role in age-related decline in performance is necessary. Cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation (ctDCS) has been proposed to study and facilitate the cerebellar function. However, lobule-specific dosing has not been investigated in healthy aging. This is important because the same electrode montage across different individuals for ctDCS (called the "one-size-fits-all" approach) can lead to inter-individual differences in the lobule-specific dosing of the electric field (EF). These differences can be due to the inter-individual variability and age-related changes in the cerebellar structure. To investigate such lobule-specific dosing differences in healthy aging, we modeled the lobular EF distribution across groups of 18 to 89 years for a commonly used "one-size-fits-all" ctDCS montage. MATERIALS AND METHODS A fully automated open-source pipeline performed age-group specific computational modeling of EF using 18 age-appropriate human brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) templates. The 18 age-appropriate human brain MRI templates were obtained from a database found online at https://jerlab.sc.edu/projects/neurodevelopmental-mri-database/. We extracted the EF magnitude (called EF strength) across the 28 cerebellar lobules based on a spatially unbiased cerebellar atlas. We investigated the aging effects on various measures of specificity including the ratio of the mean lobular EF at the lobules beneath the active electrode (ipsilateral [right] lobules VIIIa, VIIIb, IX) divided by the mean EF across both the targeted (ipsi) and the contralateral (contra) cerebellar hemisphere. RESULTS Two-way ANOVA showed that the lobules as well as the age group (and their interaction term) had a significant effect (p

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to establish the regression equation based upon a set of samples prepared through structured design of experiment and form a prediction model for prediction of the areal density gram per square meter (GSM) of the embroidered fabrics and study the influence of basic input parameters. Design/methodology/approach Embroidery samples are prepared taking input parameters as GSM of the base fabric, linear density of the embroidery thread and stitch density of the embroidery design. Three levels of values are identified for each of the input parameters. Taguchi and Box-Behnken experiment design principles are used to prepare two sets of samples. Linear multiple regression is used to determine the prediction equations based upon each of the two sets and the combined set as well. Prediction equations are statistically verified for the prediction accuracy. Also, surface curves are prepared to study the influence of embroidery parameters on the GSM. Findings It is found that all the three prediction models developed in this study can predict with a very satisfactory level of accuracy. However, the regression equation based upon the data set prepared according to Taguchi experiment design is emerged as the prediction model with highest level of prediction accuracy. Corresponding equation coefficients and several three-dimensional surface curves are used to study the influence of embroidery parameters and it is found that the stitch density is the most influential input parameter followed by stitch length and the GSM of base fabric. Research limitations/implications This can be used to assess the GSM of embroidered fabrics before starting the actual embroidery process. So, this model can help the embroidery designers significantly to pre-estimate the GSM of the embroidered fabrics and select the design parameters accordingly. Also, this model can be a useful tool for estimation of thread consumption and thread cost in embroidery. Practical implications The input parameters used here are very basic parameters related to design and materials, which can be easily available. And also, a simple linear multiple regression is used to make the prediction equation simple and easy to use. So, this model can help the embroidery designers or garment designers to select/adjust the embroidery parameters and thread parameters accordingly in the planning and designing stage itself to ensure that the GSM of embroidered fabrics remains within desirable range. Also, this prediction model developed hereby may be a very useful tool for estimation of the consumption and cost of embroidery threads. Originality/value This paper presents a very fundamental study to reveal the effect of embroidery parameters on the GSM, through development of regression equations. It can help future researchers in optimizations of input parameters and forming a technical guideline for the embroidery designers for selection of the design parameters for a desired GSM of embroidered fabric.

Background: Maladaptive neuroplasticity related learned response in substance use disorder (SUD) can be ameliorated using non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS); however, inter-individual variability needs to be addressed for clinical translation. Objective: Our first objective was to develop a hypothesis for NIBS for learned response in SUD based on competing neurobehavioral decision systems model. Next objective was to conduct computational simulation of NIBS of cortico-cerebello-thalamo-cortical (CCTC) loop in cannabis use disorder (CUD) related dysfunctional “cue-reactivity” – a closely related construct of “craving” that is a core symptom. Our third objective was to test the feasibility of our neuroimaging guided rational NIBS approach in healthy humans. Methods: “Cue-reactivity” can be measured using behavioral paradigms and portable neuroimaging, including functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and electroencephalogram (EEG), metrics of sensorimotor gating. Therefore, we conducted computational simulation of NIBS, including transcranial direct current stimulation(tDCS) and transcranial alternating current stimulation(tACS) of the cerebellar cortex and deep cerebellar nuclei(DCN), of the CCTC loop for its postulated effects on fNIRS and EEG metrics. We also developed a rational neuroimaging guided NIBS approach for cerebellar lobule (VII) and prefrontal cortex based on healthy human study. Results: Simulation study of cerebellar tDCS induced gamma oscillations in the cerebral cortex while tTIS induced gamma-to-beta frequency shift. Experimental fNIRS study found that 2mA cerebellar tDCS evoked similar oxyhemoglobin(HbO) response in-the-range of 5x10-6M across cerebellum and PFC brain regions (=0.01); however, infra-slow (0.01–0.10 Hz) prefrontal cortex HbO driven(phase-amplitude-coupling, PAC) 4Hz, ±2mA (max.) cerebellar tACS evoked HbO in-the-range of 10-7M that was statistically different (=0.01) across those brain regions. Conclusion: Our healthy human study showed the feasibility of fNIRS of cerebellum and PFC as well as fNIRS-driven ctACS at 4Hz that may facilitate cerebellar cognitive function via the frontoparietal network. Future work needs to combine fNIRS with EEG for multi-modal imaging.

A simultaneous broadband analysis of X-ray data obtained with XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observatories for the asynchronous polar source CD Ind is presented. The spin folded lightcurve in soft 0.3-3.0 keV band shows single broad hump-like structure superimposed with occasional narrow dips, indicating a single-pole accretion model with a complex intrinsic absorber. Lack of strong modulation in folded lightcurve above 3 keV reveals that emission from corresponding zone of post-shock region (PSR) remains in view throughout the spin phase. The broadband spectrum is modelled with a three-component absorbed plasma emission model and absorbed isobaric cooling flow model, both of which fit the data well with similar statistical significance. Presence of partial covering absorber is evident in the spectra with equivalent column density $\sim7\times10^{22}\;\text{cm}^{-2}$ and a covering fraction of $\sim 25\%$. Strong ionised oxygen K$_{\alpha}$ line emission is detected in the spectra. We notice spectral variability during spin phase 0.75-1.05, when there is a considerable increase in column density of overall absorber (from $\sim 1 \times 10^{20}\;\text{cm}^{-2}$ to $\sim 9 \times 10^{20}\;\text{cm}^{-2}$). We required at least three plasma temperatures to describe the multi-temperature nature of the PSR. The shock temperature $\sim 43.3_{-3.4}^{+3.8}$ keV, represented by the upper temperature of the cooling flow model, implies a white dwarf mass of $\sim 0.87^{+0.04}_{-0.03}\;M_{\odot}$. The iron K$_{\alpha}$ line complex shows a strong He-like and a weak neutral fluorescence line. We could not unambiguously detect the presence of Compton reflection in the spectra, which is probably very small and signifying a tall shock height., Comment: 10pages, 7figures, 3tables, accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS)

We present the design and performance of the GROWTH-India telescope, a 0.7 m robotic telescope dedicated to time-domain astronomy. The telescope is equipped with a 4k back-illuminated camera giving a 0.82-degree field of view and sensitivity of m_g ~20.5 in 5-min exposures. Custom software handles observatory operations: attaining high on-sky observing efficiencies (>~ 80%) and allowing rapid response to targets of opportunity. The data processing pipelines are capable of performing PSF photometry as well as image subtraction for transient searches. We also present an overview of the GROWTH-India telescope's contributions to the studies of Gamma-ray Bursts, the electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational wave sources, supernovae, novae and solar system objects., 17 pages, 8 figures, Accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journal

Red emitting α-CsPbI3 nanocrystals are highly phase sensitive to ambient exposure, and B-site doping with suitable cations is adopted as one of the most feasible approaches for their phase stabilit...

Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) is a prerequisite for board certification in general surgery in the USA. In FLS, the suturing task with intracorporeal knot tying is considered the most complex. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) has been shown to facilitate FLS surgical skill acquisition where 2mA tDCS for 15min with the anode over F3 (10/10 EEG montage) and cathode over F4 has improved performance score in an open knot-tying task. Since PFC has a functional organization related to the hierarchy of cognitive control, we performed functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to investigate PFC activation during the more complex FLS suturing task with intracorporeal knot tying. We performed fNIRS-based analysis using AtlasViewer software on two expert surgeons and four novice medical students. We found an average cortical activation mainly at the left medial PFC across the experts, while the average cortical activation across the novices was primarily at the left pars opercularis of the inferior frontal gyrus and ventral premotor cortex, inferior parietal lobule, and supramarginal gyrus. Here, the average cortical activation across the novices included not only the cognitive control related brain regions but also motor control complexity related brain regions. Therefore, we investigated the feasibility to stimulate motor complexity related PFC regions using ROAST software and identified a 4x1 high-definition (HD) tDCS montage.Clinical Relevance—This shows the feasibility of fNIRS-guided tES to individualize electrode montage that may facilitate FLS surgical training in our future studies.

Background Type 2 diabetes (T2D), a multifactorial disease influenced by host genetics and environmental factors, is the most common endocrine disease. Several studies have shown that the gut microbiota as a close-up environmental mediator influences host physiology including metabolism. The aim of the present study is to examine the compositional and functional potential of the gut microbiota across individuals from Denmark and South India with a focus on T2D. Many earlier studies have investigated the microbiome aspects of T2D, and it has also been anticipated that such microbial associations would be dependent on diet and ethnic origin. However, there has been no large scale trans-ethnic microbiome study earlier in this direction aimed at evaluating any “universal” microbiome signature of T2D. Methods 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplicon sequencing was performed on stool samples from 279 Danish and 294 Indian study participants. Any differences between the gut microbiota of both populations were explored using diversity measures and negative binomial Wald tests. Study samples were stratified to discover global and country-specific microbial signatures for T2D and treatment with the anti-hyperglycemic drug, metformin. To identify taxonomical and functional signatures of the gut microbiota for T2D and metformin treatment, we used alpha and beta diversity measures and differential abundances analysis, comparing metformin-naive T2D patients, metformin-treated T2D patients, and normoglycemic individuals. Results Overall, the gut microbial communities of Danes and Indians are compositionally very different. By analyzing the combined study materials, we identify microbial taxonomic and functional signatures for T2D and metformin treatment. T2D patients have an increased relative abundance of two operational taxonomic units (OTUs) from the Lachnospiraceae family, and a decreased abundance of Subdoligranulum and Butyricicoccus. Studying each population per se, we identified T2D-related microbial changes at the taxonomic level within the Danish population only. Alpha diversity indices show that there is no significant difference between normoglycemic individuals and metformin-naive T2D patients, whereas microbial richness is significantly decreased in metformin-treated T2D patients compared to metformin-naive T2D patients and normoglycemic individuals. Enrichment of two OTUs from Bacteroides and depletion of Faecalibacterium constitute a trans-ethnic signature of metformin treatment. Conclusions We demonstrate major compositional differences of the gut microbiota between Danish and South Indian individuals, some of which may relate to differences in ethnicity, lifestyle, and demography. By comparing metformin-naive T2D patients and normoglycemic individuals, we identify T2D-related microbiota changes in the Danish and Indian study samples. In the present trans-ethnic study, we confirm that metformin changes the taxonomic profile and functional potential of the gut microbiota.

Following the extraction of essential oil, citrus (Mousambi, Kinnow, and Orange) peel wastes were used to produce pectin. The yield of essential oil and pectin was maximum in orange. Pectin was characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy. The degree of esterification (DE) and methoxyl content (MC) was maximum in orange whereas, the equivalent weight was maximum in Mousambi. A significant increase (61.8%) in the

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been shown to evoke hemodynamics response; however, the mechanisms have not been investigated systematically using systems biology approaches. Our study presents a grey-box linear model that was developed from a physiologically detailed multi-compartmental neurovascular unit model consisting of the vascular smooth muscle, perivascular space, synaptic space, and astrocyte glial cell. Then, model linearization was performed on the physiologically detailed nonlinear model to find appropriate complexity (Akaike information criterion) to fit functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) based measure of blood volume changes, called cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR), to high-definition (HD) tDCS. The grey-box linear model was applied on the fNIRS-based CVR during the first 150 seconds of anodal HD-tDCS in eleven healthy humans. The grey-box linear models for each of the four nested pathways starting from tDCS scalp current density that perturbed synaptic potassium released from active neurons for Pathway 1, astrocytic transmembrane current for Pathway 2, perivascular potassium concentration for Pathway 3, and voltage-gated ion channel current on the smooth muscle cell for Pathway 4 were fitted to the total hemoglobin concentration (tHb) changes from optodes in the vicinity of 4x1 HD-tDCS electrodes as well as on the contralateral sensorimotor cortex. We found that the tDCS perturbation Pathway 3 presented the least mean square error (MSE, median, Author summary Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, including transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), is increasingly being used for the neuromodulation of human brain; however, the vascular mechanisms of action have not been investigated systematically. We applied a rational computational modeling approach to human portable neuroimaging data and found that the tDCS effects in the tissues surrounding a blood vessel explained the blood volume changes, called cerebrovascular reactivity to tDCS, during the first 150 seconds of anodal HD-tDCS in eleven healthy humans. In this study, we limited our investigation to initial hemodynamics response to non-invasive brain stimulation. Future studies need to investigate the non-invasive brain stimulation effects on steady-state oscillations where transcranial alternating current stimulation may be effective in entraining beneficial oscillations. Such a mechanistic understanding from system identification of the hemodynamic responses based on portable neuroimaging can facilitate adequate delivery of the current density to the neurovascular tissue where hypoperfusion has been associated with cerebrovascular diseases, including cognitive impairment. Furthermore, low-cost wearable portable neuroimaging approach in conjunction with non-invasive brain stimulation is amenable to point of care settings including home-based therapy.

Intermittent claudication in peripheral arterial disease (PAD) may be monitored with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) of an exercising muscle and skin; however, skin NIRS data in conjunction with electromyography (EMG) of muscle activation has not been investigated. This paper presents the development of a wearable skin NIRS sensor to determine the changes in the blood oxygenation and blood volume of the skin tissue overlying the calf muscle in response to underlying muscle EMG activation during exercise. Skin NIRS sensor was based on the optode sensor configuration found using Monte Carlo-based simulations with a skin tissue model, that was compared with a state-of-the-art device frequency-domain NIRS system. A proof of concept experiment on a healthy volunteer showed promising results with future applications in monitoring critical limb ischemia in PAD during calf muscle exercise.