Search

Abstract We report multi-differential measurements of strange hadron production ranging from mid- to target-rapidity in Au+Au collisions at a center-of-momentum energy per nucleon pair of s NN $$ \sqrt{s_{\textrm{NN}}} $$ = 3 GeV with the STAR experiment at RHIC. K S 0 $$ {K}_S^0 $$ meson and Λ hyperon yields are measured via their weak decay channels. Collision centrality and rapidity dependences of the transverse momentum spectra and particle ratios are presented. Particle mass and centrality dependence of the average transverse momenta of Λ and K S 0 $$ {K}_S^0 $$ are compared with other strange particles, providing evidence of the development of hadronic rescattering in such collisions. The 4π yields of each of these strange hadrons show a consistent centrality dependence. Discussions on radial flow, the strange hadron production mechanism, and properties of the medium created in such collisions are presented together with results from hadronic transport and thermal model calculations.

Micro plasma arc welding (MPAW) is frequently used for joining thin sheets of ferrous and nonferrous materials. In this study, austenitic stainless steel 316L of 0.5 mm thin sheets are joined by using MPAW. The weld metallurgy is characterized by field electron scanning microscopy (FESEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques to evaluate different phases formation and their orientation in detail. Mechanical tests like tensile test, micro hardness test is also carried out to measure the joint quality. It is found that the weld joint is constituent of two major phases, δ-ferrite and austenite (γ), and few secondary phases like chromium carbides. The ferrite percentage in the fusion zone is higher than the as received base material. The fusion zone hardness is increased due to the presence of high amount of ferrite and carbides. The tensile fracture surface contains lots of dimples and voids, which indicates good ductility of the joint. A defect free and good joint efficiency is achieved by using MPAW.

Combining a preheating source with conventional arc welding is a promising method to study the weld quality and improvement of strength for high-strength super-alloy materials. The present research used an induction preheating source with plasma arc welding (PAW) to weld Inconel 625 thick plates. The investigation was performed at a constant induction current of 600 A, welding speed of 100 mm/min and a plasma welding current of 135 A. The induction-assisted plasma arc welding (IAPAW) demonstrated that a weld joint was possible with static induction preheating and a high plasma welding current at low welding speed. The microstructural observation showed various dendritic structures in the fusion zone (FZ). The FESEM and EDX analysis confirmed the formation of Laves phase in the interdendritic structure of the FZ. The ultimate tensile strength of the IAPAW joint reached to 658 MPa. The tensile fracture surface of the welded sample revealed a lower number of dimples, indicating the reduction of ductility. The XRD analysis was carried out at various zones and it confirmed the peak shifting towards the higher 2-theta value of the FZ.

We report on the charged-particle multiplicity dependence of net-proton cumulant ratios up to sixth order from s=200 GeV p+p collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The measured ratios C4/C2, C5/C1, and C6/C2 decrease with increased charged-particle multiplicity and rapidity acceptance. Neither the Skellam baselines nor PYTHIA8 calculations account for the observed multiplicity dependence. In addition, the ratios C5/C1 and C6/C2 approach negative values in the highest-multiplicity events, which implies that thermalized QCD matter may be formed in p+p collisions.

Background and Aim: To assess the primary caregiver burden in the patients of dementia. Dementia is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder that refers to a disease process marked by progressive cognitive impairment in clear consciousness. The morbidities associated with dementia accounts for the poor quality of life. Equally affected are caregivers of these patients. The study aims to assess the caregiver burden (CGB) and how the care of these patients affect them. This further includes sociodemographic and clinical features of the caregivers. Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2021 to May 2022 in the Department of Psychiatry, MGM medical college, Indore (M.P.) after approval from the institutional ethical committee. The study included 60 patients and 60 caregivers attending Psychiatry outpatient department (OPD). They were assessed using a semi-structured proforma consisting of socio-demographic and clinical variables. Clinical rating scale i.e., burden assessment schedule (BAS) was applied for caregivers and dementia severity rating scale (DSRS) for the patients. Pearson's and Spearman's correlation coefficient was applied with P-value < 0.05 considered as significant. Result: The study finds that the mean age of the caregiver is 55.6 ± 10.01 years and that of patient is 69.81± 0.71 years. The mean BAS score is 68.3 ± 11.77. A negative correlation is established between BAS and income of the caregiver and is statistically significant (P < .001), while a positive correlation between BAS and age, number of hospitalization, total duration of illness, and the mean of time spent with the patient during the day and is statistically significant (P < .001). Factors like low income, advancing age, and time spent with the patients in the caregivers had affected the BAS score, and the score was found to be raised. Factors related to the patients affecting the BAS score was total duration of illness and number of hospitalization. Both factors played a key role in the addressed the overall care burden among the caregivers. Conclusion: Factors such as low income, advancing age, and time spent with the patients in the caregivers had affected the BAS score, and the score was found to be raised. Factors related to the patients affecting the BAS score was the total duration of illness and number of hospitalization. Both factors played a key role in the addressed the overall care burden among the caregivers.

The strength distributions of the Isoscalar Giant Monopole Resonance (ISGMR) and Isoscalar Giant Quadrupole Resonance (ISGQR) in 142,146−150Nd have been determined via inelastic α-particle scattering with the Grand Raiden (GR) Spectrometer at the Research Center for Nuclear Physics (RCNP), Japan. In the deformed nuclei 146−150Nd, the ISGMR strength distributions exhibit a splitting into two components, while the nearly spherical nucleus 142Nd displays a single peak in the ISGMR strength distribution. A noteworthy achievement in this study is the first-time detection of overtones in the Isoscalar Giant Quadrupole Resonance (ISGQR) strength distributions within Nd isotopes at an excitation energy around 25 MeV obtained through Multipole Decomposition Analysis (MDA).

We report the first measurements of cumulants, up to 4th order, of deuteron number distributions and proton-deuteron correlations in Au+Au collisions recorded by the STAR experiment in phase-I of Beam Energy Scan (BES) program at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. Deuteron cumulants, their ratios, and proton-deuteron mixed cumulants are presented for different collision centralities covering a range of center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair sNN=7.7 to 200 GeV. It is found that the cumulant ratios at lower collision energies favor a canonical ensemble over a grand canonical ensemble in thermal models. An anti-correlation between proton and deuteron multiplicity is observed across all collision energies and centralities, consistent with the expectation from global baryon number conservation. The UrQMD model coupled with a phase-space coalescence mechanism qualitatively reproduces the collision-energy dependence of cumulant ratios and proton-deuteron correlations.

The chiral magnetic effect (CME) is a phenomenon that arises from the QCD anomaly in the presence of an external magnetic field. The experimental search for its evidence has been one of the key goals of the physics program of the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider. The STAR Collaboration has previously presented the results of a blind analysis of isobar collisions (_{44}^{96}Ru+_{44}^{96}Ru, _{40}^{96}Zr+_{40}^{96}Zr) in the search for the CME. The isobar ratio (Y) of CME-sensitive observable, charge separation scaled by elliptic anisotropy, is close to but systematically larger than the inverse multiplicity ratio, the naive background baseline. This indicates the potential existence of a CME signal and the presence of remaining nonflow background due to two- and three-particle correlations, which are different between the isobars. In this postblind analysis, we estimate the contributions from those nonflow correlations as a background baseline to Y, utilizing the isobar data as well as Heavy Ion Jet Interaction Generator simulations. This baseline is found consistent with the isobar ratio measurement, and an upper limit of 10% at 95% confidence level is extracted for the CME fraction in the charge separation measurement in isobar collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=200 GeV.

The differential cross section for Z0 production, measured as a function of the boson's transverse momentum (pT), provides important constraints on the evolution of the transverse momentum dependent parton distribution functions (TMDs). The transverse single spin asymmetry (TSSA) of the Z0 is sensitive to one of the polarized TMDs, the Sivers function, which is predicted to have the opposite sign in p+p →W/Z+X from that which enters in semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering. In this Letter, the STAR Collaboration reports the first measurement of the Z0/γ⁎ differential cross section as a function of its pT in p+p collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 510 GeV, together with the Z0/γ⁎ total cross section. We also report the measurement of Z0/γ⁎ TSSA in transversely polarized p+p collisions at 510 GeV.

Purpose: To analyze blindness certificates to find causes of visual impairment, low vision, and blindness in a tertiary care hospital in northern Maharashtra. Methods: A retrospective study of all visually impaired patients applying for disability certification between January and June 2023 (6 months period) was performed from the medical record. The demographics, aetiologies, grades and classification of visual impairment according to the new guidelines provided in the Gazette of India published in 2018 of the study subjects were analyzed. Results were compared with data from studies on blindness certificates and population-based studies. Results: A total of 771 patients were included in the study. The mean age was 39.42 ± 19 years (range: 1–85 years). Most patients were in the 41–64 years age group (40.98%). Males were involved more commonly (67.70%). According to the grade and percentage of disability, grade II (30%) was most commonly seen in 35.02% of individuals followed by low vision, grade III a–III e, (40%–80%) seen in 27.37% individuals. Blindness, grade IV a–IV b (90%–100%) was seen in 33.46% individuals. Overall, the most common cause of visual impairment among one-eyed, low-vision and blind individuals was phthisis bulbi/hereditary globe condition/coloboma. Among one-eyed and minimal disability individuals, rest common causes included amblyopia, squint and contracted socket post-evisceration. In patients with low vision and blindness, other common causes included retinitis pigmentosa, optic atrophy and pathological myopia. Conclusion: Analysis of blindness certificates provides valuable information regarding different causes of visual disability and provides an insight into the overall trends in visual disability profile and help in rehabilitation.

Introduction: We undertook the first study from India to evaluate the long-term health effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods: The patients enrolled in our post-COVID-19 clinic were followed up for assessment at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after recovery from acute disease prospectively. Results: 200 patients with mean age of 50.72 years and 57.5% males were analysed. 42.5% had severe and 17% had moderate disease at the time of diagnosis. The persistence of symptoms beyond 1 month of diagnosis was seen in 72.5% (145/200) patients. 8% (16/200) of the patients had post-COVID-19 complications that required rehospitalisation after discharge or recovery from acute COVID-19. The complications included respiratory failure (2%), lung cavities (3.5%), fungal infection, pericardial effusion, pneumothorax and death. The symptoms were persistent beyond 3 months in 51% (102/200) and beyond 6 months in 17.5% (35/200) of cases. The patients with persistent symptoms beyond 3 months and 6 months had significantly higher intensive care unit (ICU) admission during acute COVID-19, severe disease during acute COVID-19, and higher prevalence of comorbidities compared to the recovered patients. The clinical recovery was attained in 95.5% (91/200) patients, and the radiological recovery was attained in 97.92% patients at 1 year. The mean duration to clinical recovery was 174.2 days. Conclusions: COVID-19 recovery takes longer time. However, clinico-radiological recovery is attained in >95% cases by one year.

Context: Surgical site infections (SSI) continue to be a major cause of morbidity, mortality, prolonged hospital stays and a major reason of financial burden to health-care providers and patients after major abdominal surgeries. Along with infection control practices and care bundles, additional use of devices which protect the wound from contamination is believed to decrease the burden of SSI. Aims: This study aims to assess the benefit of single-ring disposable wound protector in preventing SSI, overall complications, hospitals stay and morbidity data in laparoscopic colorectal resection. Settings and Design: The study design involves case–control study, retrospective. Subjects and Methods: A case–control study comparing single ring oval wound protector versus conventional wound protectors retrospectively between August 2019 and December 2021. The ease of use of the device, rate of SSI, overall complications, hospitals stay and morbidity data were analysed. Statistical Analysis Used: The statistical analysis was performed by IBM SPSS Statistics 20 version. All Categorical Variables will be described as frequency and percentage. Continuous variables will be described as mean ± standard deviation. Continuous variables were analysed using t-test and categorical parameters using Fisher's exact test. Results: Of the 110 patients studied, wound Protecting devices were used in 58 patients Wound Protector Group (WPG group) and 62 patients did not use such devices (no WPG). The groups were comparable in demographic features, risk features, systemic illness, type of surgeries undertaken and the specimen extraction wound used. There was a significant decrease in the incidence of SSI (1.7% vs. 16% P ≤ 0.008) and the hospital stay (P ≤ 0.03) when WPG was used compared to the group in which it was not used. Conclusions: Apart from the use of infection control practices and care bundles, the use of oval-shaped single-ring wound protector is likely to reduce SSI.

We report results on an elastic cross section measurement in proton–proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy s=510 GeV, obtained with the Roman Pot setup of the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The elastic differential cross section is measured in the four-momentum transfer squared range 0.23≤−t≤0.67 GeV2. This is the only measurement of the proton-proton elastic cross section in this t range for collision energies above the Intersecting Storage Rings (ISR) and below the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) colliders. We find that a constant slope B does not fit the data in the aforementioned t range, and we obtain a much better fit using a second-order polynomial for B(t). This is the first measurement below the LHC energies for which the non-constant behavior B(t) is observed. The t dependence of B is also determined using six subintervals of t in the STAR measured t range, and is in good agreement with the phenomenological models. The measured elastic differential cross section dσ/dt agrees well with the results obtained at s=540 GeV for proton–antiproton collisions by the UA4 experiment. We also determine that the integrated elastic cross section within the STAR t-range is σelfid=462.1±0.9(stat.)±1.1(syst.)±11.6(scale) μb.

Abstract The specific activity of the $$\beta $$ β decay of $$^{39}$$ 39 Ar in atmospheric argon is measured using the DEAP-3600 detector. DEAP-3600, located 2 km underground at SNOLAB, uses a total of (3269 ± 24) kg of liquid argon distilled from the atmosphere to search for dark matter. This detector is well-suited to measure the decay of $$^{39}$$ 39 Ar owing to its very low background levels. This is achieved in two ways: it uses low background construction materials; and it uses pulse-shape discrimination to differentiate between nuclear recoils and electron recoils. With 167 live-days of data, the measured specific activity at the time of atmospheric extraction is (0.964 ± 0.001 $$_\textrm{stat}$$ stat ± 0.024 $$_\textrm{sys}$$ sys ) Bq/kg $$_\textrm{atmAr}$$ atmAr , which is consistent with results from other experiments. A cross-check analysis using different event selection criteria and a different statistical method confirms the result.

Due to increased awareness regarding the health-promoting profile of millets, inclination towards their consumption has increased considerably. In the Himalayan region of India, cultivars of the two species of barnyard millet, namely Indian (Echinochloa frumentacea) and Japanese barnyard millet (E. esculenta), are grown. To compare the dehulled grain recovery, grain physical parameters, nutritional profile and antioxidant activity, an experiment was carried out at ICAR-VPKAS, Almora, Uttarakhand hills for two years using released and popular cultivars of Indian barnyard millet (VL 207 and VL 172) and Japanese barnyard millet (PRJ-1). The results indicated that the whole grain yield of Japanese barnyard millet cultivar PRJ-1 was significantly higher than Indian Barnyard millet cultivars VL 172 and VL 207; however, the dehulled grain recovery was considerably higher in VL 172 and VL 207 than PRJ-1. Similarly, the physical grain parameters were significantly higher in PRJ-1, but most dehulled grain parameters were at par in cultivars of both species. The nutritional estimation of dehulled grains of both species did not show remarkable differences for most traits. Still, crude fibre, Mn, and Zn were high in PRJ-1, while total digestible nutrients and phosphorous were high in VL 172 and VL 207. Dehulled grains exhibited much more crude protein, ash, minerals, and total digestible nutrients, but the husk accumulated significantly higher crude fibre and total polyphenols.

One of the fundamental challenges of working with surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensors is their inherent lack of specificity. Being very sensitive to minute refractive index (RI) changes in their surrounding medium, SPR biosensors are highly susceptible to variations in pH, temperature, and buffer composition. Therefore, it is often necessary to include an additional validation step downstream to SPR biosensing, particularly for clinical analysis. In this proof-of-study work, we have tried to evaluate the utility of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) tags as secondary labels for validating SPR biosensor response. Accordingly, a Fibre-optic SPR (FO-SPR) biosensor set-up was fabricated by immobilizing anti-BSA antibodies on the sensor platform for capturing and sensing biotinylated-BSA as a model analyte. Subsequently, the bound analyte and the concomitant shift in SPR response were validated by employing streptavidin-functionalized SERS tags. Intriguingly, apart from validation of the SPR response, the SERS tags also significantly improved the sensitivity of the SPR response and provided semi-quantitative information on the bound analyte. Although utilizing SERS tags undermines the label-free tag of SPR biosensors, the huge improvement in sensitivity and specificity of the sensor makes it suitable for clinical analysis. Furthermore, SERS measurements with a portable Raman spectrometer utilized in this study further highlight the potential of this approach for achieving point-of-care (POC) sensing.

Warming trends in the Laurentian Great Lakes and surrounding areas have been observed in recent decades, and concerns continue to rise about the pace and pattern of future climate change over the world's largest freshwater system. To date, most regional climate models used for Great Lakes projections either neglected the lake-atmosphere interactions or are only coupled with a 1-D column lake model to represent the lake hydrodynamics. This study presents a Great Lakes climate change projection that has employed the two-way coupling of a regional climate model with a 3-D lake model (GLARM) to resolve 3-D hydrodynamics essential for large lakes. Using the three carefully selected Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) general circulation models (GCMs), we show that the GLARM ensemble average substantially reduces surface air temperature and precipitation biases of the driving GCM ensemble average in present-day climate simulations. The improvements are not only displayed from an atmospheric perspective but are also evident in the accurate simulations of lake temperature and ice coverage. We further present the GLARM projected climate change for the mid-21st century (2030–2049) and the late 21st century (2080–2099) in the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios. Under RCP 8.5, the Great Lakes basin is projected to warm by 1.3–2.1 ∘C by the mid-21st century and 4.1–5.0 ∘C by the end of the century relative to the early century (2000–2019). Moderate mitigation (RCP 4.5) reduces the mid-century warming to 0.8–1.8 ∘C and late-century warming to 1.8–2.7 ∘C. Annual precipitation in GLARM is projected to increase for the entire basin, varying from 0 % to 13 % during the mid-century and from 9 % to 32 % during the late century in different scenarios and simulations. The most significant increases are projected in spring and fall when current precipitation is highest and a minimal increase in winter when it is lowest. Lake surface temperatures (LSTs) are also projected to increase across the five lakes in all of the simulations, but with strong seasonal and spatial variability. The most significant LST increases occur in Lakes Superior and Ontario. The strongest warming is projected in spring that persists into the summer, resulting from earlier and more intense stratification in the future. In addition, diminishing winter stratification in the future suggests the transition from dimictic lakes to monomictic lakes by the end of the century. In contrast, a relatively smaller increase in LSTs during fall and winter is projected with heat transfer to the deep water due to the strong mixing and energy required for ice melting. Correspondingly, the highest monthly mean ice cover is projected to reduce to 3 %–15 % and 10 %–40 % across the lakes by the end of the century in RCP 8.5 and RCP 4.5, respectively. In the coastal regions, ice duration is projected to decrease by up to 60 d.

Purpose: To provide a retrospective analysis of lesions of the caruncle which have been very rarely reported in the literature. Methods: A retrospective review of all the caruncular lesions between January 2000 and January 2020 was done at a single tertiary eye care hospital. The lesions were classified as benign and malignant lesions. Clinicopathological correlation was done for the excised lesions. Results: A total of 87 caruncular lesions were included in the study. Males (59%) were affected more than females (41%). The mean age at presentation was 44 ± 20 years. The mean duration of complaint was 36 ± 62 months. A total of 36 patients underwent surgical excision whereas the rest opted for conservative management. Recurrence was noted in five patients. Fifteen different types of lesions were identified histopathologically. Benign lesions (78%) were far more common than malignant ones (22%). Epithelial inclusion cyst was the most common benign lesion and sebaceous gland carcinoma was the most common malignant lesion. Correct clinicopathological correlation was seen in 52.7% of the cases. Caruncular tuberculosis, oncocytoma, and basosquamous cell carcinoma were some of the rare lesions. Conclusion: Caruncular lesions are uncommon and very diverse, which makes clinical diagnosis challenging. Epithelial inclusion cyst and sebaceous gland carcinoma were the most common benign and malignant lesions respectively. Correct clinicopathological correlation was seen in more than half of the cases.

Aerosol–cloud interactions (ACIs) are considered to be the most uncertain driver of present-day radiative forcing due to human activities. The nonlinearity of cloud-state changes to aerosol perturbations make it challenging to attribute causality in observed relationships of aerosol radiative forcing. Using correlations to infer causality can be challenging when meteorological variability also drives both aerosol and cloud changes independently. Natural and anthropogenic aerosol perturbations from well-defined sources provide “opportunistic experiments” (also known as natural experiments) to investigate ACI in cases where causality may be more confidently inferred. These perturbations cover a wide range of locations and spatiotemporal scales, including point sources such as volcanic eruptions or industrial sources, plumes from biomass burning or forest fires, and tracks from individual ships or shipping corridors. We review the different experimental conditions and conduct a synthesis of the available satellite datasets and field campaigns to place these opportunistic experiments on a common footing, facilitating new insights and a clearer understanding of key uncertainties in aerosol radiative forcing. Cloud albedo perturbations are strongly sensitive to background meteorological conditions. Strong liquid water path increases due to aerosol perturbations are largely ruled out by averaging across experiments. Opportunistic experiments have significantly improved process-level understanding of ACI, but it remains unclear how reliably the relationships found can be scaled to the global level, thus demonstrating a need for deeper investigation in order to improve assessments of aerosol radiative forcing and climate change.

White seeded finger millet is known to have higher acceptability in the baking and food industry compared to the brown seeded finger millet genotypes. The available white seeded finger millet genotypes are late maturing and blast susceptible thereby reducing their farmer’s acceptability in the north western Himalayan region particularly in Uttarakhand. Keeping this in view, the development of early maturing, blast resistance white seeded finger millet breeding programme was initiated at ICAR –VPKAS, Almora in 2003-04, which resulted in the release of VL Mandua 382in the year 2021, the first early maturing white seeded finger millet cultivar of finger millet suitable for rainfed and organic agro-ecology of the Himalayan region. It was derived from the cross between late maturing, white finger millet genotype WR 2 (obtained from UAS Bangalore) and early maturing and locally adapted blast tolerant brown seeded genotype VL 201. It recorded an average grain yield of 1,198 kg/ha, which was at par with the brown seeded check VL Mandua 324 (1,197 kg/ha) and out yielded the brown seeded check PRM-1 (1,163 kg/ha) by 3.0 per cent in State Varietal Trials (SVT) conducted under organic conditions of the Himalayan region. The grains contain higher calcium (340 mg/100g) and protein (8.8%) in comparison to the brown seeded check variety VL Mandua 324 (294 mg/100gand 6.6%, respectively). It exhibited moderate resistance to leaf, finger and neck blast in the multilocation trials conducted over 9 locations. Considering the speciality trait (white grains), excellent grain quality, matching yield potential with brown seeded check varieties and blast tolerance, the variety was released for cultivation in rainfed organic agro-ecology of Uttarakhand hills.

In the present work the phase transition and its dependence on target excitation has been studied in two dimensional (η-φ) self affine space using the experimental data of pions obtained from π- -AgBr interactions at 350 GeV/c. For studying target excitation dependence the data for produced pions are divided into three sets depending on the number of grey particles (ng). The different sets corresponds to the different degrees of target excitation. The Levy indices μ measured from the analysis fulfills the requirement of the levy stable region 0 ≤ μ ≤ 2 . The Levy index μ

The impact of two organophosphorus insecticides [Chlorpyrifos (CPF) and Monocrotophos (MCP)] on non-target wild natural gastropod, Pila globosa (apple snail) from the paddy fields was studied. The activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) was monitored on foot-muscle and hepatopancreas tissues of control and exposed snails. In the foot- muscle AChE inhibition progressed and reached 54.19% and 63.13% of the control, whereas, the AChE inhibition in the hepatopancreas reached 46.96% and 53.67% over control after 48 hours of exposure to 1.5 mL.L-1 and 2.5 mL.L-1 CPF respectively. After 48 hours of MCP exposure at 1.5 mL.L-1 and 2.5 mL.L-1 separately, the AChE inhibition of foot muscle was 49.07% and 57.59% respectively while in hepatopancreas it was 44.65% and 48.84% respectively. Our results show more inhibition of AChE activities on the foot-muscle than hepatopancreas in a concentration and time-dependent manner with greater severity by CPF in comparison to MCP. AChE inhibition increased with the increasing exposure time.

Abstract The DEAP-3600 detector searches for the scintillation signal from dark matter particles scattering on a 3.3 tonne liquid argon target. The largest background comes from $$^{39}\text{ Ar }$$ 39 Ar beta decays and is suppressed using pulse-shape discrimination (PSD). We use two types of PSD estimator: the prompt-fraction, which considers the fraction of the scintillation signal in a narrow and a wide time window around the event peak, and the log-likelihood-ratio, which compares the observed photon arrival times to a signal and a background model. We furthermore use two algorithms to determine the number of photons detected at a given time: (1) simply dividing the charge of each PMT pulse by the mean single-photoelectron charge, and (2) a likelihood analysis that considers the probability to detect a certain number of photons at a given time, based on a model for the scintillation pulse shape and for afterpulsing in the light detectors. The prompt-fraction performs approximately as well as the log-likelihood-ratio PSD algorithm if the photon detection times are not biased by detector effects. We explain this result using a model for the information carried by scintillation photons as a function of the time when they are detected.

Chemistry transport models (CTMs) play an important role in understanding fluxes and atmospheric distribution of carbon dioxide (CO2). They have been widely used for modeling CO2 transport through forward simulations and inferring fluxes through inversion systems. With the increasing availability of high-resolution observations, it has been become possible to estimate CO2 fluxes at higher spatial resolution. In this work, we implemented CO2 transport in the Model for Prediction Across Scales – Atmosphere (MPAS-A). The objective is to use the variable-resolution capability of MPAS-A to enable a high-resolution CO2 simulation in a limited region with a global model. Treating CO2 as an inert tracer, we implemented in MPAS-A (v6.3) the CO2 transport processes, including advection, vertical mixing by boundary layer scheme, and convective transport. We first evaluated the newly implemented model's tracer mass conservation and then its CO2 simulation accuracy. A 1-year (2014) MPAS-A simulation is evaluated at the global scale using CO2 measurements from 50 near-surface stations and 18 Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) stations. The simulation is also compared with two global models: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) CarbonTracker v2019 (CT2019) and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Integrated Forecasting System (IFS). A second set of simulation (2016–2018) is used to evaluate MPAS-A at regional scale using Atmospheric Carbon and Transport – America (ACT-America) aircraft CO2 measurements over the eastern United States. This simulation is also compared with CT2019 and a 27 km WRF-Chem simulation. The global-scale evaluations show that MPAS-A is capable of representing the spatial and temporal CO2 variation with a comparable level of accuracy as IFS of similar horizontal resolution. The regional-scale evaluations show that MPAS-A is capable of representing the observed atmospheric CO2 spatial structures related to the midlatitude synoptic weather system, including the warm versus cold sector distinction, boundary layer to free troposphere difference, and frontal boundary CO2 enhancement. MPAS-A's performance in representing these CO2 spatial structures is comparable to the global model CT2019 and regional model WRF-Chem.

Abstract LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) is a second-generation direct dark matter experiment with spin-independent WIMP-nucleon scattering sensitivity above $${1.4 \times 10^{-48}}\, {\hbox {cm}}^{2}$$ 1.4 × 10 - 48 cm 2 for a WIMP mass of $${40}\, \hbox {GeV}/{\hbox {c}}^{2}$$ 40 GeV / c 2 and a $${1000}\, \hbox {days}$$ 1000 days exposure. LZ achieves this sensitivity through a combination of a large $${5.6}\, \hbox {t}$$ 5.6 t fiducial volume, active inner and outer veto systems, and radio-pure construction using materials with inherently low radioactivity content. The LZ collaboration performed an extensive radioassay campaign over a period of six years to inform material selection for construction and provide an input to the experimental background model against which any possible signal excess may be evaluated. The campaign and its results are described in this paper. We present assays of dust and radon daughters depositing on the surface of components as well as cleanliness controls necessary to maintain background expectations through detector construction and assembly. Finally, examples from the campaign to highlight fixed contaminant radioassays for the LZ photomultiplier tubes, quality control and quality assurance procedures through fabrication, radon emanation measurements of major sub-systems, and bespoke detector systems to assay scintillator are presented.

Process capability indices are widely used to assess whether the outputs of an in-control process meet the specifications. The commonly used indices are , , and . In most applications, the quality characteristics are assumed to follow normal distribution. But, in practice, many quality characteristics, e.g. count data, proportion defective etc. follow Poisson or binomial distributions, and these characteristics usually have one-sided specification limit. In these cases, computations of or using the standard formula is inappropriate. In order to alleviate the problem, some generalized indices (e.g. index, index, index and index) are proposed in literature. The variant of these indices for one-sided specification are and , and ¸ and , and respectively. All these indices can be computed in any process regardless of whether the quality characteristics are discrete or continuous. However, the same value for different generalized indices and or signifies different capabilities for a process and this poses difficulties in interpreting the estimates of the generalized indices. In this study, the relative goodness of the generalized indices is quantifying capability of a process is assessed. It is found that only or gives proper assessment about the capability of a process. All other generalized indices give a false impression about the capability of a process and thus usages of those indices should be avoided. The results of analysis of multiple case study data taken from Poisson and binomial processes validate the above findings.

Dynamic covalent crosslinking such as disulfide bonds, Diels-Alder (DA) reactions are widely used for healing applications. Herein, we report a simple approach involving the metal-ligand reversible interactions in diverse nature, which helps in developing a robust and self-healable carboxylated nitrile (XNBR) rubber by employing low cost and the commercially obtainable materials. Self-healing performance and mechanical properties were organized by introducing the various metal-ligand domains into the XNBR rubber. The network of XNBR, in-situ cross-linked via metal-ligand complexes, consists of strong and weak coordination bonds. The strength of various metal-ligand modified coordination bonds, healing performance, and mechanical properties primarily depend on the type of metal ions. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) makes the various metal-ligand coordination bond formation into the XNBR rubber visible. The coordination crosslinked XNBR rubber with 4 phr of Zn and Co metal ion exhibits high tensile strength (4.3±0.6 and 10.3±1.1 MPa) with excellent healing efficiency (100 and 88%), which is far higher than the most reported non-covalent supramolecular modified elastomers. The various metal-ligand coordination bonds are fully reconstructed during the rebuilding process and exhibiting excellent self-healing property.

Abstract DEAP-3600 is a liquid-argon scintillation detector looking for dark matter. Scintillation events in the liquid argon (LAr) are registered by 255 photomultiplier tubes (PMTs), and pulseshape discrimination (PSD) is used to suppress electromagnetic background events. The excellent PSD performance of LAr makes it a viable target for dark matter searches, and the LAr scintillation pulseshape discussed here is the basis of PSD. The observed pulseshape is a combination of LAr scintillation physics with detector effects. We present a model for the pulseshape of electromagnetic background events in the energy region of interest for dark matter searches. The model is composed of (a) LAr scintillation physics, including the so-called intermediate component, (b) the time response of the TPB wavelength shifter, including delayed TPB emission at $${\mathcal {O}}$$ O (ms) time-scales, and c) PMT response. TPB is the wavelength shifter of choice in most LAr detectors. We find that approximately 10% of the intensity of the wavelength-shifted light is in a long-lived state of TPB. This causes light from an event to spill into subsequent events to an extent not usually accounted for in the design and data analysis of LAr-based detectors.

Abstract The ACT‐America project is a NASA Earth Venture Suborbital‐2 mission designed to study the transport and fluxes of greenhouse gases. The open and freely available ACT‐America data sets provide airborne in situ measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide, methane, trace gases, aerosols, clouds, and meteorological properties, airborne remote sensing measurements of aerosol backscatter, atmospheric boundary layer height and columnar content of atmospheric carbon dioxide, tower‐based measurements, and modeled atmospheric mole fractions and regional carbon fluxes of greenhouse gases over the Central and Eastern United States. We conducted 121 research flights during five campaigns in four seasons during 2016–2019 over three regions of the US (Mid‐Atlantic, Midwest and South) using two NASA research aircraft (B‐200 and C‐130). We performed three flight patterns (fair weather, frontal crossings, and OCO‐2 underflights) and collected more than 1,140 h of airborne measurements via level‐leg flights in the atmospheric boundary layer, lower, and upper free troposphere and vertical profiles spanning these altitudes. We also merged various airborne in situ measurements onto a common standard sampling interval, which brings coherence to the data, creates geolocated data products, and makes it much easier for the users to perform holistic analysis of the ACT‐America data products. Here, we report on detailed information of data sets collected, the workflow for data sets including storage and processing of the quality controlled and quality assured harmonized observations, and their archival and formatting for users. Finally, we provide some important information on the dissemination of data products including metadata and highlights of applications of ACT‐America data sets.

Oilseeds in India accounted for 15.7% of the total arable land during 2017-18. The present paper discusses oilseeds and vegetable oil scenario in India; seed chain, current status of quality seed and strategies for seed production & development to enhance oilseeds output through bridging the vast untapped potential of the available technologies to reduce heavy dependence on oil imports. Of the nine annual oilseeds, groundnut, soybean, rapeseed-mustard and sesame during the last seven years (2012-13 to 2018-19) contributed 89.2-94.4% to acreage and 90.4%-95.0% to production of oilseeds. The area, production and yield of oilseeds attained an overall increase of 131.1%, 510.9% and 164.2%, respectively, from 1950-51 to 2018-19. Of the several programmes initiated to harness the vast exploitable yield reservoir of oilseeds, National Mission on Agricultural Extension and Technology launched during XII plan and Mega seed project during 2005-06, had great impact on enhanced availability of quality seed of newly released varieties and thus production of oilseeds. Considering annual growth of demand for edible oil, population growth and the per capita consumption of about 102.3 m t of oilseeds would be required by 2030. To meet this formidable challenge, the assets such as vibrant crop specific improvement programmes, 187 newly released high yielding varieties, improved crop management technologies, robust and effective seed chain and climate favouring seed production of diverse oilseeds are available in the country.

Since independence, India achieved a distinction from ship-to-mouth status to self dependent, food surplus and net exporter of food grains in 69 years and recorded an all time high (285.2 million tonnes) production during 2018-19 from meagre 50.8 mt during 1950-51. In spite of spectacular success in food production over the years, it is a great challenge to sustain high production as well as enhance it further to meet the future requirement, as the population continues to grow steadily with an annual growth rate of 1.10% and expected to be 1.42 billion and 1.48 billion by 2025 and 2030, respectively, from 1.32 billion during 2017; coupled with enhanced consumption of food grains due to rising income, necessitating an increase of 4.5% and 15.7% by 2020 and 2030, respectively, over the present food production. It is a great challenge in view of climate change, diminishing and degrading land and water resources, increasing biotic and abiotic stresses and loss of bio-diversity. The present paper discusses the trend of production and productivity of food crops from 1950-51 to 2018-19; assess the contribution of seed to food production, seed chain, quality seed production and scope of quality seed for enhancing farmers’ income and future strategies for seed research, production and development to sustain food production. Requisite assets such as a strong crop specific cultivar development programmes, 850 high yielding food crop varieties comprising 657 of cereals and 193 of pulses released during the last six years, robust and vibrant seed systems, quality regulatory mechanism, globally competitive seed sector and the largest arable land with 46 soil types across 15 agro-climatic zones favouring seed production of diverse crops are available for sustaining high food production and meet the future demand for seed and food. Ensuring availability of quality seed in adequate quantity though imperative, yet, itself is not enough to trigger the production if it is not coupled with achieving sufficient varietal diversity in seed chain preferably phasing out gradually the old and obsolete varieties and inducting recently developed high yielding and disease resistant varieties. The overall progress and outcome are largely dependent on Government policies and support, which require consistent and adequate financial resources for sustaining a vibrant seed production, farm power machinery, processing units, storage, seed testing, delivery systems and trained human resources besides remunerative prices to the farmers.

In the real world, the overall quality of a product is often represented partly by the measured values of some quantitative variables and partly by the observed values of some ordinal variables. The settings for the manufacturing processes of such products are required to be optimized considering the quantitative as well as the ordinal response variables. But the simultaneous optimization of the quantitative and the ordinal response variables are rarely attempted by the researchers. In this paper, a new approach for simultaneous optimization of quantitative and ordinal responses are presented, which are developed by integrating multiple regression techniques, ordinal logistic regression technique, and Taguchi’s Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) concept. The effectiveness of the proposed method is evaluated by analyzing two experimental data sets taken from the literature. The comparison of results reveals that the proposed method leads to the best optimal solution with respect to the total SNR as well as the Mean Square Error (MSE) of individual responses

A study was carried out with 75 germplasm accessions along with two checks (JRO-524 and JRO-204) of tossa jute (Corchorus olitorius L.), over two years (2013 and 2014) at Instructional Farm of Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Pundibari, Cooch Behar, West Bengal, India, for eight characters, out of which four were fibre yield components (plant height, basal diameter, green weight and fibre yield) and the remaining four were biotic stress components (incidence of yellow mite, semi looper, stem rot and root rot), affecting the fibre yield. The germplasm accessions differed significantly for plant height, fibre yield, the incidence of yellow mite, semi looper and stem rot. The highest fibre yielding accession was OIN-142 (17.15 g/plant) which performed significantly better than the two checks. The mean fibre yield of all the genotypes indicated that the fibre yield loss was more due to the incidence of stem rot and root rot rather than yellow mite and semi looper. The germplasm accession OIN-06, OIN-15, OIN-03, OIN-17, OIN-01, OIN-617, OIN-559 and OEX-09 were found to be tolerant towards stem rot incidence and the root rot incidence was low in OIN-93, OIN-86, OIN-25 and OIN-60. The genotypes were distributed in 12 clusters as per D2 analysis, out of which cluster-XII had the highest number of genotypes (40) followed by cluster-III (10) and cluster-I (9). The remaining 9 clusters had 2 genotypes each. The highest inter-cluster D2 value was found between cluster-III and cluster-IV (33.99) and the highest intra-cluster D2 value was found in cluster-I (35.90). The contribution to total divergence was higher by the four biotic factors namely yellow mite, semi looper, stem rot and root rot as compared to the fibre yield components. The greater difference between the GCV and PCV for the eight characters under study revealed the major role played by the environment in the expression of these characters which were further substantiated by the low heritability and genetic advance of the characters. Among the biotic factors, stem rot and root rot were found to decrease fibre yield significantly with increase in their incidence level. It was the negative association of stem rot and root rot with plant height which was the deciding factor in reducing the fibre yield drastically. On screening of the germplasm accessions by giving proper weightage to tolerance, higher fibre yield and genetic divergence, it was found that the genotypes OIN-03, OIN-06, OIN-15 and OIN-17 in cluster-I and the genotypes OIN-86 and OIN-93 in cluster-XII may be used in a hybridization programme, to enhance fibre yield along with tolerance to the two major biotic stress components, namely stem rot and root rot.

Twenty-two tomato advanced lines were investigated for the functional and antioxidant properties as well as their contents. Wide variations were observed for most of the traits, e.g., total soluble solids (3.50-6.03%), pH (3.90-5.08), pericarp thickness (5.40-8.70mm), fruit firmness (0.418 to 0.959 kg), lycopene content (2.84-9.83 mg/100g fw) and β-Carotene (3.37-8.16 mg/100g FW), indicative of considerable levels of genetic diversity. Highest concentration of ascorbic acid was found in the cultivar VT 1320 (305.59 mg/ kg). Total phenolic content ranged from 0.60 to 1.14 mgGAE/g FW whereas total flavonoids content ranged from 0.99 to 1.75 mgCE/g FW. Total flavonoids, total antioxidant activity, ABTS and DPPH free radical inhibition, total polyphenols and lycopene are having strong positive correlation among themselves. The results of present study are potentially useful for tomato breeders working on the development of new varieties with better quality.

Summary: MicroRNA-223 is known as a myeloid-enriched anti-inflammatory microRNA that is dysregulated in numerous inflammatory conditions. Here, we report that neutrophilic inflammation (wound response) is augmented in miR-223-deficient zebrafish, due primarily to elevated activation of the canonical nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) pathway. NF-κB over-activation is restricted to the basal layer of the surface epithelium, although miR-223 is detected throughout the epithelium and in phagocytes. Not only phagocytes but also epithelial cells are involved in miR-223-mediated regulation of neutrophils’ wound response and NF-κB activation. Cul1a/b, Traf6, and Tab1 are identified as direct targets of miR-223, and their levels rise in injured epithelium lacking miR-223. In addition, miR-223 is expressed in cultured human bronchial epithelial cells, where it also downregulates NF-κB signaling. Together, this direct connection between miR-223 and the canonical NF-κB pathway provides a mechanistic understanding of the multifaceted role of miR-223 and highlights the relevance of epithelial cells in dampening neutrophil activation.

In this manuscript, higher-order Orbital Angular Momentum (OAM) modes and parameters affecting vortex in the radiation pattern have been studied. A uniform circular array resonating at 10 GHz frequency is formed using eight identical rectangular patch antennas. Three uniform circular arrays are analyzed, simulated, and fabricated for OAM modes 0, +1, and -1 respectively. The higher-order OAM modes ±2, ±3, and ±4 are simulated and their effects on radiation and phase pattern are discussed. The effect of number of antenna elements and radius of the circular array on the phase purity of higher order OAM modes is presented. The results of simulated radiation patterns and phase front are well satisfying the generation of OAM modes. The measured results show a close agreement with the simulated result.

Abstract Background Gorkhas, a sub-mountainous population of the Himalayan region, are known for strength and bravery. In the present study when “Gorkha” is used without brackets, we are mentioning Gorkhas of Tibeto-Burman origin. Physical capability, strength and endurance are important components of fitness associated with genetic traits. The aim of this study was to examine the endurance potential of male Gorkha soldiers, based on endurance-related genetic markers ACE I/D, ACTN3 Arg (R)577Ter(X), CKMM A/G NcoI and eNOS Glu(G)298Asp(T). Methods Genotypic and allelic frequencies were determined in 374 male Gorkha soldiers (Tibeto-Burman). These frequencies were compared with frequencies obtained from Gorkha (Indo-Aryan), high-altitude natives (Tibeto-Burman) and Indian lowlanders (Indo-Aryan). “Total genotype score” (TGS) was calculated from accumulated combination of polymorphisms with maximum value “100” for theoretically “optimal” polygenic score. Probability of occurrence of “optimal” endurance profile was also determined. Results ACE II genotypic frequency was highest in Tamangs followed by Gurungs, Rais, Limbus and Magars. No statistical difference in genotypic and allelic frequency of ACTN3 Arg(R)577Ter(X) was noted within the groups. Rais showed the highest CKMM A allele frequency (0.908) compared to other Gorkha (Tibeto-Burman) groups. Limbus and Tamangs showed the highest eNOS G allele frequency (0.938 and 0.915, respectively) compared to that of other groups. Probability of male Gorkha soldiers possessing a theoretically optimal polygenic endurance profile for four candidate polymorphisms was ~3.35% (1 in 30). Four percent of the population of male Gorkha soldiers (15 in 374) exhibited an optimal TGS 100, and 16% exhibited TGS 87 for endurance compared to male Indian soldiers belonging to the lowland (Indo-Aryan) and Gorkha (Indo-Aryan) populations suggesting an overall more “favourable” polygenic profile in the male Gorkha soldier (Tibeto-Burman) population. Conclusions This study presents evidence of higher frequency of endurance-associated genes in the Gorkhas implying thereby that such genetically endowed individuals from the population may be selected and trained for achieving excellence in endurance-related elite sports activities.

Abstract Background Conjugal amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is rare, with significant effects on psychological and care needs. We report a case of conjugal amyotrophic lateral sclerosis disease from central Scotland. This case is particularly unusual as both patients were diagnosed within an 18-month period and experienced the disease simultaneously, with similar symptomatology and progression. Case presentation Patient A was a 71-year-old man who presented with unilateral arm weakness and wasting. Patient B was a 68-year-old woman who presented with unilateral shoulder and elbow weakness. Diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis was made within a few months of presentation in both cases, based on typical clinical symptomatology together with supportive neurophysiological testing. Interventions included enteral feeding and non-invasive ventilation. The time period between symptom onset and death was 5 years for Patient A and 3.5 years for Patient B. Conclusion This case illustrates two main points: the care issues surrounding cases of conjugal neurological disease, and the psychological issues in these patients. There are significant care issues arising when co-habiting couples both develop severe functionally limiting neurological diseases at the same time. The more slowly progressive nature of Patient A’s disease may be at least partially explained by the support he was able to receive from Patient B before she developed symptoms. Secondly, there are important psychological effects of living with someone with the same – but more advanced – progressive and incurable neurological disease. Thus, Patient B was reluctant to have certain interventions that she had observed being given to her husband. Lastly, no plausible shared environmental risk factors were identified, implying that the co-occurrence of ALS in this couple was a random association.