Search

All total 21 F1 crosses of local landraces were evaluated along with seven parents and one check of brinjal by adopting RBD replicated twice at AICRP on Vegetable Crops, OUAT, Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The objective of the experiment was to evaluate the performance of F1 crosses for growth, flowering, fruit yield and yield attributes. Results revealed significant variations among various vegetative characters (plant height : 74.50 cm to 110.90 cm, plant spread (EW): 72.75 cm to 89.55 cm and NS :70.00 cm to 91.25cm, primary branches plant-1: 4.00 to 5.40), flowering parameters (days to 1st flowering:45.60 to 55.00 and 50% flowering: 55.00 to 66.40) and fruit yield attributes (fruit length:11.35 cm to 16.35 cm, fruit breadth :15.35 cm to 25.75 cm, fruit weight:118.40 g to 217.30g and fruits plant-1: 11.80 to 17.70). The F1 cross viz. BBSR-08-2 × Selection from BBSR-145-1(2.09 kg) recorded significantly highest fruit yield plant-1 followed by BBSR-08-2 × BBSR-10-25(1.98 kg) and BBSR-08-2 × BBSR-10-26 (1.91 kg). Thus, on the basis of per se performance, the F1 crosses viz. BBSR-08-2 × Selection from BBSR-145-1, BBSR-08-2 × BBSR-10-25 and BBSR-08-2 × BBSR-10-26 may be recommended for commercial cultivation. The parent Arka Neelanchal Shyama may be used as a parent to develop early variety in brinjal.

Field experiments were conducted at AICRP on Vegetable Crops, operating under Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India during summer season of 2017 and 2018 to find out the impact of various nutrient management practices on growth, yield attributes and yield of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.). Twelve nutrient management practices such as, T1 (Absolute Control), T2 (RDF through Fertilizer (100:60:60 NPK ha-1), T3 (½ RDF + Biofertilizer consortia (BF) i.e., Azospirillum, Azotobacter and PSB @ 4 kg ha-1 in 1:1:1), T4 (Vermicompost @ 4 tha-1), T5 (VC @ 2 tha-1+ BFs), T6 (½ RDF + VC @ 2 tha-1+ BFs), T7 (RDF+ VC @ 2 tha-1+ Biofertilizer consortia), T8 (FYM @ 20 tha-1), T9 (FYM @ 10 tha-1+ BFs), T10 (½ RDF + FYM @ 10 tha-1+ BFs), T11 (RDF+ FYM @ 10 tha-1+ BFs) and T12 (½ RDF + FYM @ 10 tha-1 + VC @ 2 tha-1+ BFs), were evaluated by adopting RBD replicated thrice. The pooled results over two years revealed significant variations among the nutrient management practices for all the characters under study. Invariably, INM practices recorded significantly better vegetative growth, earliness in flowering, fruit yield and yield attributing parameters over inorganic, organic sources, BFs and absolute control. The results revealed integrated application of ½ RDF+FYM @ 10tha-1+VC @ 2tha-1+BFs recorded significantly higher maximum vegetative growth parameters (i.e., vine length of 296.4 m with 4.1 primary branches vine-1), induced earliness in flowering (i.e., days to appearance of male flowers : 30.2, days to appearance of female flowers : 31.7, sex ratio of : 12.8, fruit yield attributing parameters (i.e., fruit girth : 15.0 cm, fruits vine-1 : 8.6, days to 1st fruit harvest : 45.3), days to final harvest : 80.1, yield i.e., marketable yield (12.6 kg plot-1, 156.0 q ha-1, 15.6 tha-1) and total fruit yield (13.9 kg plot-1, 172.2 q ha-1, 17.2 tha-1 ). Thus it may be concluded that integrated application of nutrients from inorganic, organic with soil inoculation of biofertilizer consortia not only increased significantly increased growth, flowering and fruit yield in cucumber.

Band gap energy of more than 3.5 eV for CeO2 nanostructures restricts their efficacies in visible light harvesting. But, reduction in the optical band gap and efficient separation of photogenerated charge carriers can be achieved by forming heterojunction of CeO2 with suitable narrow band gap semiconductors such as CdS and CdSe. In this way, the energy application of CeO2 nanostructured thin films can be extended to visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. For the above purpose, we deposited CeO2/CdS nanocomposite thin films on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrates by sol-gel spin coating followed by chemical bath deposition (CBD) process. The structure, phase, morphology, surface topography, as well as interface charge transfer dynamics of the nanocomposites were systematically investigated by various characterization techniques. The CeO2/CdS thin films with CdS bath deposition time of 60 min showed a polydispersity index of 0.19 with an average particle size of 8.8 nm. The observed band gap for one of the CeO2/CdS thin films was 2.19 eV which was well below the bulk band gap for CeO2. The prolongation of carrier lifetime (~8.24 μs) in CeO2/CdS thin film was established from photoluminescence decay analysis. The dominance of radiative recombination in the nanocomposite implies a reduction in the rate of non-radiative re-combinations. This situation favors the separation of more number of e--h+ pairs. The interface formed between the two phases facilitates transportation of separated carriers. An enhancement in the electrical conductivity of the CeO2 occurred when a surface CdS layer was added. A narrowed band gap, prolonged carrier lifetime, and improved electrical conductivity of CeO2/CdS films may lead to enhanced charge transportation ability. The significant values of Jsc and Voc obtained from the photoelectrochemical solar cell measurements prove that CeO2/CdS thin films are suitable for photovoltaic applications.

The effect of 50\% Cu doping at the Au site in the topological Dirac semimetal CaAuAs is investigated through electronic band structure calculations, electrical resistivity, and magnetotransport measurements. Electronic structure calculations a suggest broken-symmetry-driven topological phase transition from the Dirac to triple-point state in CaAuAs via alloy engineering. The electrical resistivity of both the CaAuAs and CaAu$_{0.5}$Cu$_{0.5}$As compounds shows metallic behavior. Nonsaturating quasilinear magnetoresistance (MR) behavior is observed in CaAuAs. On the other hand, MR of the doped compound shows a pronounced cusplike feature in the low-field regime. Such behavior of MR in CaAu$_{0.5}$Cu$_{0.5}$As is attributed to the weak antilocalization (WAL) effect. The WAL effect is analyzed using different theoretical models, including the semiclassical $\sim\sqrt{B}$ one which accounts for the three-dimensional WAL and modified Hikami-Larkin-Nagaoka model. Strong WAL effect is also observed in the longitudinal MR, which is well described by the generalized Altshuler-Aronov model. Our study suggests that the WAL effect originates from weak disorder and the spin-orbit coupled bulk state. Interestingly, we have also observed the signature of chiral anomaly in longitudinal MR, when both current and field are applied along the $c$ axis. The Hall resistivity measurements indicate that the charge conduction mechanism in these compounds is dominated by the holes with a concentration $\sim$10$^{20}$ cm$^{-3}$ and mobility $\sim 10^2$ cm$^2$ V$^{-1}$ S$^{-1}$.

Reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is a preferred method used to identify and quantify carotenoids. Here, we describe a straightforward, reliable, and cost-effective protocol to purify and develop individual carotenoid standards for absolute quantification of carotenoids, including selected cis-trans (geometric) isomers. Analytical techniques to extract, purify and collect individual carotenoids using an HPLC system equipped with a Diode Array Detector (DAD) and fraction collector are described. Carotenoids were separated and identified by their characteristic ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) absorption spectra and individually isolated based on their retention times using a C30 column. This chapter outlines how to prepare standard calibration curves using known quantities of purified and/or commercially available carotenoids. A series of molar extinction and slope coefficients for phytoene, phytofluene, ζ-carotene, neurosporene, pro-lycopene, all trans-lycopene, lutein, β-carotene, zeaxanthin, antheraxanthin, violaxanthin, neoxanthin, capsanthin, capsorubin and β-cryptoxanthin are defined to enable absolute quantification of their abundance in plant, animal, and bacterial tissues. Different approaches for reporting carotenoid abundance by absolute concentration, relative composition, and/or using ratios of different pigments are provided as a convenient resource for carotenoid researchers.

A vast fraction of the population of India considers agriculture as its primary occupation. The production of crops plays an important role in our country. Bad quality crop production is often due to either excessive use of fertilizer or using not enough fertilizer. The proposed system of IoT and ML is enabled for soil testing using the sensors, is based on measuring and observing soil parameters. This system lowers the probability of soil degradation and helps maintain crop health. Different sensors such as soil temperature, soil moisture, pH, NPK, are used in this system for monitoring temperature, humidity, soil moisture, and soil pH along with NPK nutrients of the soil respectively. The data sensed by these sensors is stored on the microcontroller and analyzed using machine learning algorithms like random forest based on which suggestions for the growth of the suitable crop are made. This project also has a methodology that focuses on using a convolutional neural network as a primary way of identifying if the plant is at risk of a disease or not.

Sustainability is a term that has been used with increasing frequency in the academic literature and recent multilateral policy discussions. Taking note of the crises in different countries heading for a debt trap it is necessary to look at the right combination of fiscal parameters and growth to achieve sustainability and stable development. Fiscal prudence involves exercise of good judgment, common sense, and even caution in the conduct of fiscal policies especially on the expenditure front. Fiscal consolidation is a process where government’s fiscal health is getting improved and is indicated by reduced fiscal deficit. Through some of policy measures like improved tax revenue realization and better aligned expenditure fiscal consolidation can be attainable. This paper empirically analyses the relationship between growth and debt and measures for fiscal consolidation using an empirical model. The period of study is from 1980 to 2016 and study is on central government of India.

The experiment was conducted at Department of Vegetable Science, College of Agriculture, OUAT, Bhubaneswar, Odisha during Rabi 2017-18 to find out the efficacy of lime and micronutrients (Boron and Zinc) on production of quality heads with higher benefit cost (BC) ratio in broccoli variety “Palam Samridhi”. The experiment was laid out in split plot design with lime (with or without) as main plot while 7 levels of micronutrients (Boron and Zinc) in sub-plot replicated thrice. The results revealed that, invariably lime application increased better head quality (viz; TSS-7.060Brix, ascorbic acid- 94.70 mg 100g-1, protein-1.48% and total sugar-1.73%) with higher BC ratio (1.80) than treatment without lime (viz; TSS-6.60Brix, ascorbic acid- 86.86 mg 100g-1, protein-1.34% and total sugar-1.62% and BC ratio-1.72), irrespective of micronutrients. Similarly, combined foliar spray with borax @ 0.2% and ZnSO4 @ 0.5% recorded good quality heads (viz; TSS-7.030 Brix, ascorbic acid- 97.25 mg 100g-1, protein-1.70% and total sugar-1.79%) and higher BC ratio than rest of other treatments, irrespective of lime. Invariably, foliar spray of micronutrients were recorded better head quality (viz; TSS-7.030Brix, ascorbic acid- 97.25 mg 100g-1, protein-1.70% and total sugar-1.79%) with higher BC ratio (1.85) than corresponding soil application of micronutrients (viz; TSS-6.950Brix, ascorbic acid- 90.77 mg 100g-1, protein-1.66% and total sugar-1.73% and BC ratio-1.73). It may be concluded that soil application of lime with combined foliar spray of borax @ 0.2% and ZnSO4 @ 0.5% not only produced good quality heads but also higher profits in broccoli var. “Palam Samridhi” in acidic soil.

Heirloom golden tomato fruit varieties are highly nutritious as they accumulate tetra-cis-lycopene, which has a higher bioavailability and recognised health benefits in treating anti-inflammatory diseases compared to all-trans-lycopene isomers found in red tomatoes. We investigated if photoisomerization of tetra-cis-lycopene occurs in roots of the goldentangerineMicro-Tom variety (tangmic), and how this affects root to shoot biomass, mycorrhizal colonization, abscisic acid accumulation, and responses to drought.tangmicplants grown in soil under glasshouse conditions displayed a reduction in height, number of flowers, fruit yield, and root length compared to wild type (WT). Soil inoculation withRhizophagus irregularisrevealed fewer arbuscules and other fungal structures in the endodermal cells of roots intangmicrelative to WT. The roots oftangmichyperaccumulated acycliccis-carotenes, while only trace levels of xanthophylls and abscisic acid were detected. In response to a water deficit, leaves from thetangmicplants displayed a rapid decline in maximum quantum yield of photosystem II compared to WT, indicating a defective root to shoot signalling response to drought. The lack of xanthophylls biosynthesis intangmicroots reduced abscisic acid levels, thereby likely impairing endomycorrhiza colonisation and drought-induced root to shoot signalling.Research HighlightsPhotoisomerization of prolycopene to lycopene is limited in root plastids.Roots oftangerinereveal an important tissue sink to store micronutrients such as prolycopene.Roots oftangerinelack ABA and show impaired mycorrhizal colonization.Thetangerineplant is drought sensitive and has a smaller biomass as well as reduced yield.

Hafnium oxide (HfO2) nanoparticulate powders were synthesized via a single step sol gel route using citric acid and ethylene glycol as chelating agent and polymerizing agent, respectively. In order to burn off the volatile components and produce crystalline HfO2 nanoparticles, the powders were calcined at moderately high temperatures ranging from 500 to 800 °C for 1 h each. The crystal structures of the nanoparticles were ascertained by powder X-ray diffraction. The nanocrystals in powder form had monoclinic structure and preferred orientation of the nanocrystals along (−111) direction was evident. The morphologies of the HfO2 nanopowders were studied by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM). Morphologies of the nanopowder were observed to change with calcination temperatures. The optical properties of the HfO2 nanoparticles were evaluated by UV–Vis Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS). A small change in the band gap energy of HfO2 nanoparticles was observed with a change in the calcination temperature. In order to study the electrical and gas sensing properties of HfO2 nanoparticles, the powders were pressed into pellets with 12.0 mm diameter and 1.5 mm thickness. Gas sensing properties of HfO2 pellets were investigated by exposing them to formaldehyde gas inside closed chambers. The sensitivity of HfO2 towards formaldehyde gas initially increased with an increase in the calcination temperature due to increased porosity and decreased resistance of the HfO2 pellet. The HfO2 powder calcined at 700 °C showed highest sensitivity of 91.2% towards 264 ppm formaldehyde gas. The sensitivity declined with further increase in the calcination temperature because the HfO2 pellet became less porous thereby. Selectivity of the HfO2 sensor was tested with three volatile organic compound gases: acetone, ethanol and formaldehyde. Highest response was recorded for the formaldehyde gas.

Zinc oxide (40–100 nm size) nanocrystals were successfully grown on the surface of an organic polymer (cellulose) by a low-cost solution casting method. Zinc precursor (zinc nitrate hexahydrate) concentration was varied from 25–75 mM, to synthesize several sets of ZnO-cellulose nanocomposite (ZCNC). The morphology and size of the nanocrystals were studied by a field emission scanning electron microscope and due to variation in the precursor concentration, a significant change in the surface density of the nanocrystals was observed. The maximum surface density was perceived at a precursor concentration of 50 mM. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface areas of the ZCNCs were estimated by the nitrogen adsorption–desorption method, and a maximum surface area of 2.861 m2/g was observed. The structure, as well as composition of the nanocomposite, were studied by X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive X-rays analysis, respectively. The electrical properties of the composite were studied by current–voltage measurement while the photoresponse was recorded by time resolve photocurrent measurement. The photocurrent of the ZCNC sensor device increased from 6.783 × 10−8 to 4.91 × 10−6 A under UV illumination. The UV response (IUV/IDark) and sensitivity of the device were 72.38 and 7138, respectively. Also, the photocurrent rise time and decay time were 8 s and 9 s, respectively. The enhanced photoresponse with short response time observed for the ZnO-cellulose nanocomposite may lead to the fabrication of inexpensive ultraviolet sensors.

Stilbenes are phytoalexins expressed by plants to avoid/resist certain biotic and abiotic stresses. This study was envisioned to determine the interrelationship between stilbenes producing ability of peanut genotypes and Aspergillus colonization level. Stilbenes were induced in peanut cotyledon in vitro by soaking in water, cutting them into thin slices, and subsequently challenging them with Aspergillus flavus. Fungal colonization was then measured in the cotyledon slices. The results showed major differences in fungal colonization levels between the control (seed without stilbene induction) and stilbenes-induced seeds. This finding was further validated using twenty peanut genotypes to ensure the relationship between stilbenes producing ability of the seed and fungal colonization level. The result showed that of the 20 genotypes tested, seeds of genotypes K1504, K1620 and K1632 showed minimal fungal colonization compared to control seed (without stilbenes induction), while genotypes DRT40, Kadiri-7, Narayani, DRT43 and Tirupati-3 showed no fungal colonization. The differences in stilbenes content and composition of cotyledon slices was determined by HPLC to assess genetic differences in their stilbenes producing ability. Comparative evaluation of these data showed that the genotypes that showed no fungal colonization expressed significantly higher amounts of stilbenes compared to genotypes which expressed relatively lower amounts of stilbenes. Overall, these data suggest that the genotypes expressing high amounts of stilbenes were able to mitigate fungal colonization while the genotypes expressing relatively lower amounts of stilbenes sustained fungal colonization, which indicates that this technique may be useful for screening breeding population to identify genotypes capable of avoiding Aspergillus colonization and aflatoxin contamination.

Background and Aim: One of the most common human skeleton fractures is middle shaft clavicular fracture. it had been traditionally treated non operatively. The present study was undertaken to study the part of surgical treatment in fresh displaced or communited clavicular fracture. Materials & Methods: A total of 25 patients with midshaft clavicular fractures were included in the study. All the patients were planned to be treated with locking compression plates and screws. Results:Of the total 25 patients; 20 patients had direct injury to the clavicle as the cause of the fracture whereas 5 patients had indirect injury to the clavicle. The functional outcome of the treatment: 85% had excellent outcome, 10% had good functional outcome and 5% had fair outcome. Conclusion: This study shows rigid fixation with locking compression plate and screws for fresh displaced or comminuted middle third clavicle fracture gives immediate pain relief and prevents the development of shoulder stiffness and non union

Background and Aim: The fracture of the clavicle has been treated conservatively for years as non-union of clavicle fracture is rare, shown as low as 0.12-08% with conservative treatment. Mal-union was considered to be of radiographic importance. This study aims to compare the patient’s oriented outcome after non-operative with operative treatment for fracture clavicle. Material and Methods: This is a prospective observational study conducted in the department of Orthopedics at tertiary care institute for the period one year. Total 60 patients of displaced fracture of clavicle (AO B1 & B2) were divided into two groups that is operative and non-operative. Operative patients were discharged after 3 days. The non-operative cases were discharged same day. The operated cases were called for suture removal after 10 days and movements were started gradually as per the pain permitted. Results: Of all 60 patients the age varied between 18-70 years with mean age was 35.5 years. The non-operative groups 22 were males and 8 were females while in operative group 25 were male and 5 were females. Average time taken for union in non-operative cases was 16.5 weeks, whereas in operative group it was 10.40 weeks. Overall in non-operative patients 19 were satisfied, 6 were partially satisfied and 5 were not satisfied, in operative group 25 were satisfied while 5 were unsatisfied. Conclusion: Though operative treatment is better in terms of early mobilization, union, absence of mal-union, cosmetically well accepted, it has its own complication which should also be taken into consideration while choosing between the two modalities. Seeing at satisfaction level in patient related to functional outcome the conservative treatment plays a vital role in poor patients. Keywords: clavicle, fracture, mal-union, satisfaction

ZnO nanoparticles were grown on cellulose fiber surfaces with different precursor concentrations by a simple aqueous chemical method. The morphology and structure of the ZnO-cellulose nanocomposites were studied by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, respectively. The ultraviolet sensitivity of the nanocomposites was observed by current-voltage measurement followed by time-resolved photocurrent study A ZnO-cellulose nanocomposite synthesized at 37.5 mM concentration of zinc nitrate hexahydrate had a higher UV sensitivity with faster response. Due to UV illumination, the photocurrent of the nanocomposite pellet increased from 2.251 × 10-8 A to 1.11 × 10-6 A in 8 s. The ON to OFF ratio (IUV/IDark) for this sample was found to be 49.31.

Circular and rectangular Cr islands of nanometre size and monoatomic height exhibit an impromptu long range order on locally stepped Au(111) surface with narrow terraces. The circular islands are detached from the {100} microfaceted Au(111) step edges and nucleate between a pair of discommensuration lines of the herringbone reconstruction on ≈ 9.5 nm wide terraces. In contrast, the rectangular islands are attached to the {111} microfaceted step edges and are formed on even narrower terraces of ≈ 6 nm width. Both types of islands prefer the hcp region of the substrate as the nucleation centre. Cr deposition at elevated temperatures such as 470 K results in formation of triangular islands and spiral dislocations on wide substrate terraces. Interestingly however, at higher coverages of 3–4 ML, huge elongated ridges that are 90–260 nm in length, 10–20 nm in width and up to almost 3 nm height are observed. These ridges occur primarily along 1 1 ¯ 0 > direction, with the rest forming at an angle of 60 or 120° with respect to this direction.

The Heirloom Golden tangerine tomato fruit variety is highly nutritious due to accumulation of tetra-cis-lycopene, that has a higher bioavailability and recognised health benefits in treating anti-inflammatory diseases compared to all-trans-lycopene isomers found in red tomatoes. We investigated if photoisomerization of tetra-cis-lycopene occurs in roots of the MicroTom tangerine (tang

Background Despite the recent emergence of plasmid-mediated colistin resistance, the epidemiology and mechanisms of colistin-resistant Enterobacterales (CORE) infections remain poorly understood. Methods A case–case–control study was conducted utilizing routine clinical isolates obtained at a single tertiary health system in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Patients with CORE isolates from January 1, 2016, to March 31, 2017, were matched 1:1 with patients with colistin-susceptible Enterobacterales (COSE) and uninfected controls. Multivariable logistic regression was used to compare clinical and microbiologic features of patients with CORE and COSE to controls. A subset of available CORE isolates underwent whole-genome sequencing to identify putative colistin resistance genes. Results Of 16 373 tested clinical isolates, 166 (0.99%) were colistin-resistant, representing 103 unique patients. Among 103 CORE isolates, 103 COSE isolates, and 102 uninfected controls, antibiotic exposure in the antecedent 90 days and age >55 years were predictors of both CORE and COSE. Of 33 isolates that underwent whole-genome sequencing, a large variety of mutations associated with colistin resistance were identified, including 4 mcr-1/mcr-1.1 genes and 4 pmrA/B mutations among 9 Escherichia coli isolates and 5 mgrB and 3 PmrA mutations among 8 Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates. Genetic mutations found in Enterobacter species were not associated with known phenotypic colistin resistance. Conclusions Increased age and prior antibiotic receipt were associated with increased risk for patients with CORE and for patients with COSE. Mcr-1, pmrA/B, and mgrB were the predominant colistin resistance–associated mutations identified among E. coli and K. pneumoniae, respectively. Mechanisms of colistin resistance among Enterobacter species could not be determined.

Author(s): Sreedhar, SA; Rossi, A; Nayak, J; Anderson, ZW; Tang, Y; Gregory, B; Hashimoto, M; Lu, DH; Rotenberg, E; Birgeneau, RJ; Greven, M; Yi, M; Vishik, IM | Abstract: The lamellar cuprate superconductors exhibit the highest ambient-pressure superconducting transition temperatures (Tc), and after more than three decades of extraordinary research activity, continue to pose formidable scientific challenges. A major experimental obstacle has been to distinguish universal phenomena from materials- or technique-dependent ones. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measures momentum-dependent single-particle electronic excitations and has been invaluable in the endeavor to determine the anisotropic momentum-space properties of the cuprates. HgBa2CuO4+δ (Hg1201) is a single-CuO2-layer cuprate with a particularly high optimal Tc and a simple crystal structure, yet there exists little information from ARPES about the electronic properties of this model system. Here we present an ARPES study of doping-, temperature-, and momentum-dependent systematics of near-nodal dispersion anomalies in Hg1201. The data reveal a hierarchy of three distinct energy scales: a subgap low-energy kink, an intermediate-energy kink near 55 meV, and a peak-dip-hump structure. The first two features are attributed to the coupling of electrons to Ba-derived optical phonons and in-plane bond-stretching phonons, respectively. The nodal peak-dip-hump structure appears to have a common doping dependence in several single-layer cuprates and is interpreted as a manifestation of pseudogap physics at the node. These results establish several universal phenomena, both in terms of connecting multiple experimental techniques for a single material and in terms of connecting comparable spectral features in multiple structurally similar cuprates.

Cadmium sulfide nanoparticulate powders were synthesized by a simple one-step hydrothermal synthesis route. The structures, as well as phase of the nanoparticles, were analyzed by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). The morphology and compositional details of the CdS nanopowders were confirmed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and electron dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, respectively. The optical properties were investigated by UV-Visible diffused reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The average crystallite size of the nanoparticles was estimated to be 9.89 nm. From optical reflectance data, an energy gap equal to 2.35 eV was found. The strong luminescence peak observed around 449 nm implies its application as blue phosphor. The electrical conductivity of the CdS nanoparticles under illumination was also probed. The conductivity observed puts forward the efficacy of CdS nanoparticles as an energy harvesting material in solar cells.

The rising economic and environmental costs of mineral fertilizers associated with lower nutrient use efficiency, and the need to respond the limitations of N fertilization under residue retained condition of conservation agriculture (CA) motivate the research for alternative N placement methods. The third principle of CA, i.e., residue retention on the soil surface hinders the right placement of split applied nitrogen (N). To address this issue, we assessed the impact of three N placement methods, i.e., NPM1: both the N splits were surface band placed, NPM2: the first split of N was sub-surface point placed and second N split (late vegetative stage) was surface band applied, and NPM3: both the N splits were sub-surface point placed, under 4-long-term tillage and residue management (+R) options, i.e., permanent raised bed (PB+R), zero-till flat (ZT+R) conventional till flat (CT+R) and first time zero till flat sowing of the crop on last 10-year fallow land (FZT+R), in an on-going long-term study (since 2008) in maize for three consecutive years (2018–2020). Results showed that sub-surface point placement of both the N splits (NPM3) increased maize grain yield by 4.7, 7.0 and 6.0% (3-years mean basis) compared to NPM2, under CA-based PB, ZT, and FZT plots, respectively. The peak growth rate in the CA-based PB+R plot was advanced by 4-days with a 9.2% higher growth rate compared to CT+R. Similarly, the peak growth rate in NPM3 was 20% higher than NPM1 plots. The changes in soil properties under CA altered the crop growth behavior, while sub-surface point placement of split applied nitrogen (N) increased the grain N content and altered the peak growth rate of maize. The variability in maize grain yield was best described by cob length and number of cobs in long-term tillage and by cob length in N management plots. The cob length and grains per cob were increased by 4.8–8.7 and 8.6–12.8% under CA-based plots compared to CT+R, respectively. The amount of vegetative stage accumulated N remobilized to maize grain was 21.2% higher under PB+R compared to CT+R plots, while the N remobilization in NPM3 was 22.9% higher compared to NPM1 plots. Similarly, the contribution of reproductive stage N uptake to grain was 9–12% higher in CA-NPM3 compared to CT-NPM1 plots. Further, the early and vigorous growth of maize resulted in a higher accumulation of N and its remobilization to the grains in CA-based and N point placed plots. The sub-surface point placement of N (NPM3) resulted in a 12.8, 14.5 and 9.2% higher benefit-cost ratio compared to NPM1 plots in 11th (2018), 12th (2019) and 13th (2020) years of experimentation, respectively. Therefore, the present study visualizes the impact of a decade-long CA and efficient N management on crop growth behavior, N uptake and remobilization and crop productivity and water use efficiency. This study provides evidence to popularize this technology in the CA-systems of Indo-Gangetic Plains and other similar agro-ecologies.

Using first-principles calculations based on density functional theory, we have studied the X-ray absorption spectra (XAS) and X-ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism (XMCD) spectra of Co 2 PtGa and Mn 2 PtGa alloys. Using relativistic calculations, we have estimated and analyzed the contribution of the orbital and spin moments to the total magnetic moment for the transition metal atoms, Pt, Co and Mn. It has been observed that while the ratio of orbital and spin magnetic moments of Pt atom in Co 2 PtGa in cubic phase is substantial, this is an order of magnitude lower in Mn 2 PtGa. On the other hand, this difference reduces drastically in case of the martensite phase. This signifies the crucial role of the neighborhood in determining the magnetic properties of these materials. Further, the XAS and XMCD spectra at the L 2 , 3 edges of different constituent atoms in various materials have been analyzed. The results (peaks and shoulders present in these XAS and XMCD spectra) have been corroborated with the atom-projected unoccupied density of states of the respective materials.

White, crystalline TiO2 powder has been synthesized in a large scale by a single-step chemical reaction between oleic acid and titanium (IV) isopropoxide. The crystal structure of the powder was evaluated by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy and the BET surface area was estimated by nitrogen adsorption-desorption technique. The structure of TiO2 strongly depends on the synthesis temperature. The powder synthesized at 400 °C is purely anatase, that prepared at 600 °C is mainly rutile and those synthesized at 450 °C, 500 °C and 550 °C are mixtures of anatase and rutile TiO2. The powder synthesized at 450 °C contains 68% anatase and 32% rutile TiO2 with an effective surface area of 78 m2 g−1. The photocatalytic activity of the above powder has been studied with photodegradation of commercial 3, 4-dihydroxy benzoic acid. The recyclability of the catalyst has been tested after heat treatment of the used TiO2.

Zinc oxide-cellulose nanocomposite powder was synthesized by a simple, low cost and two step chemical method. In this work, ZnO nanorods were grown on the cellulose fibers (powder) surfaces at three different temperatures by aqueous chemical method for the fabrication of UV sensor. A very high UV sensitivity was observed for a typical ZnO-cellulose nanocomposite. The morphology, structure and optical properties of the powder were studied by scanning electron microscopy, X-rays diffraction and diffused reflectance spectroscopy, respectively. The percentage compositions of ZnO and cellulose were estimated using thermogravimetric analysis. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface areas of the ZnO-cellulose nanocomposites were estimated by nitrogen adsorption desorption process. Ultraviolet sensitivity of the ZnO-cellulose nanocomposite were studied by current-voltage measurement followed by time resolved photocurrent study. Due to illumination with ultraviolet light, the photocurrent for a typical ZnO-cellulose nanocomposite pellet increased from 2.728 × 10−8 A to 7.788 × 10−6 A in 15 s. Such a significant enhancement in the conductivity due to UV illumination shows that our ZnO-cellulose can be used for fabrication of UV sensors having ultra-high ON to OFF ratio (IUV/IDark was 285.4).

In this paper, we have discussed the design of the system that associates the Deep Convolutional Neural Network that can estimate the identity of the disease from the symptoms. Identifying the disease from plants and discovering the possibility that plant is either infected or not, will decrease the likelihood of risk due to such infection by taking appropriate steps against it. Proposed CNN is trained and build with higher precision and accuracy that associate the automatic detection of the disease from the plant leaves in preference of experienced human inspection. Designing the pure CNN that can identify the healthy plant species and infected plants with an accuracy of the 99% and which can avoid the significant loss of farmers. Proposed CNN includes the multiple layers that are trained intensely to identify the convoluted features of the images. The composition of the CNN model is done over the 35,000 training images with testing set from the same distribution with 4400 images. Detailed results are discussed in the paper.

Various ${\mathrm{Co}}_{2}$-based Heusler compounds are predicted to be half-metallic ferromagnets with Weyl points. These systems with lack of time inversion symmetry possess a momentum space Berry curvature that can introduce exotic transport properties. The present study, on epitaxially grown ${\mathrm{Co}}_{2}\mathrm{TiSn}$ films, is an approach to understand and explore this possibility. The theoretical investigation shows that the Berry curvature is significant for the total anomalous Hall effect in experimentally grown ${\mathrm{Co}}_{2}\mathrm{TiSn}$ films. The deviation between the theory and experiment is due to the influence of side jump and skew scattering mechanisms. From a theoretical point of view, the intrinsic contribution to the anomalous Hall effect originates from partially gaped nodal lines due to the symmetry reduction induced by the lack of time reversal symmetry. Furthermore, from hard x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements, we establish an electronic structure in the film that is comparable to the theoretical density of states calculations. These results provide intuitive insight into Heusler spintronics rooted in topological electronic structure.

Polymers are regarded as good dielectrics which are capable of storing the charge in them permanently, when subjected to a field – temperature treatment. The electret state and carrier mobility of polymers can be greatly affected by impregnating the polymer with suitable dopants. The process of doping of organic compound of low molecular weight improves the electrical conductivity of polymer due to formation of charge transfer interaction between acceptor and donor molecule. Spectroscopic techniques are used to illustrate the structural modification in pure polymer with increasing ratio of impurity. In the present investigation, Polysulfone is used as host polymer and malachite Green is used as dopant. The sample of pure and malachite green doped Polysulfone in the form of foil were prepared by isothermal immersion technique. For the preparation of pure sample 4 gm of Polysulfone was dissolved in 50 ml of Dimethyl farmamide (DMF) solvent, while for the preparation of doped sample 10,25, 50 and 100 mg Malachite Green was mixed with 4 gm of Polysulfone respectively. For the study of structural and optical characterization of these pure and doped samples, X-Ray Diffraction Spectroscopy (XRD) and UV-Visible spectroscopy techniques were used. The XRD diffractograms of pure and doped polysulfone shows both sharp as well as diffused peaks respectively correspond to the crystalline regions and amorphous regions of polymer. While considering the variation of intensity with two theta angle, it is observed that for pure sample maximum intensity is observed at 18.280, whereas for doped samples maximum intensity is observed at 18.510, 18.860, 20.360, 20.810 respectively due to the increase in doping ratio. This observation confirms the enhancement in amorphous nature of polysulfone. The UV-Visible spectroscopic study shows that the transmittance decreases as the ratio of doping is increased in pure polysulfone. The reduction in intensity of transmittance of pure sample is clearly apparent in the present case and some new peaks are also observed. This action indicates the development of Charge Transfer Complexes (CTC) between the donor and acceptor molecule, and hence signifies the improvement in electrical properties of Polysulfone polymer.

Context: Vascular tumors of infancy and childhood consist of a number of clinicopathologically distinct entities. Infantile hemangiomas (IH) constitute the bulk of these tumors. As they are seldom biopsied, we do not encounter an opportunity to study them, and this is evident from the paucity of reported cases in pathology literature from India. Clinicians and pathologists alike have traditionally tended to lump these tumors, under overly generic terms like capillary hemangioma which do little to guide proper clinical management. Aims: To delineate the morphological features that characterize IHs and outline the morphological changes seen in different phases of evolution of this tumor. Subjects and Methods: We characterized 21 cases of IHs over a period of 60-months. Mast cells were counted in 10 fi elds of high density, and mast cell density per square millimeter area was calculated. Results: Female to male ratio was 1:1.6. Head and neck were the most common region involved (71.4%). Morphological features were described. Mast cell density/square millimeter area ranged from 126.9 to 285.7. Spearman correlation coeffi cient was 0.681 (P = 0.676). Statistical Analysis: Spearman correlation coefficient was used to analyze the relationship between mast cell numbers and the age of the lesion. Conclusions: Morphological features seen on routine microscopy can easily help distinguish a lobular capillary hemangioma from an IH or a congenital hemangioma even in the absence of relevant clinical details, pointing to a need for looking beyond using a generic term of capillary hemangioma.

Spherical nanoparticles and short nanorods of ZnO nanocrystals were grown on cellulose fibers by a simple one pot aqueous chemical bath deposition technique using hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) as the surfactant. The role of surfactant on UV and humidity sensing properties of ZnO-cellulose nanocomposite (ZCN) has been investigated. The structure, morphology and composition of the ZCNs were investigated by X-rays diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis, respectively. The morphology, shape and size of the ZCN were analyzed by a transmission electron microscopy. The optical properties were investigated by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). The band gap values of the composites, obtained from DRS, were in the range of 3.22–3.24 eV. The ZCN synthesized with 0.9 wt% of HMT showed a very high response to ultraviolet (UV) light, characterized by a large increase in the photocurrent under UV illumination. Due to UV illumination, the surface photocurrent recorded from a pellet of the above nanocomposite powder increased from 7.416 × 10−7 A to 3.161 × 10−5 A in 8 s. The ON to OFF ratio of the photocurrent (IUV/IDark) was 42.624, whereas the response and recovery times were 8 s and 10 s, respectively. The humidity sensing properties of the nanocomposite powder were studied in the relative humidity (RH) range 40–90% and a sensitivity of 4.487 MΩ/%RH was recorded for the powder synthesized at optimized condition. The high ON/OFF ratio, short response and recovery time imply the importance of the material as a good UV sensor, whilst the notable sensitivity of the material promises for efficient humidity sensing applications.

The thermal excitation of electrons to higher, unoccupied states leads in certain cases to the paradox situation that the chemical potential needs to be shifted to lower energies. Here, a manipulation of Dirac fermions through the temperature dependence of the chemical potential is analyzed while maintaining sufficient insulating character in the bulk. The appearance of a bulk conduction band and consequently, a remarkable energy shift of the Dirac point is observed in ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}{\mathrm{Te}}_{2}\mathrm{Se}$ at low temperatures (20 K), compared to the high temperatures (200--300 K), as revealed by hard x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy as well as momentum-resolved photoelectron microscopy. The temperature-induced shift of the Dirac cone and the appearance of bulk bands are related to the paradoxical shift of the chemical potential. The experiments are completely reversible, i.e., repeated cooling and heating of the sample up to room temperature recovers the original spectra. Such bulk related energy shifts must be considered not only in photoelectron spectroscopy but also in analysis of other measurable physical quantities and while designing devices for applications.