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Quasi-2D thin film of TI material TlBiSe2, as well as TlBiSe2/GaN configuration, have been fabricated employing the thermal evaporation technique. Raman peaks of vibrational modes were analyzed in a TlBiSe2/GaN heterojunction showing a substrate-induced signal for the surface phonon mode (SPM). The study of ultrafast kinetics of charge carriers and transient absorption spectroscopy (TAS) gave excited-state spectrum characteristics and exciton dynamics in TlBiSe2/GaN heterojunction. The electrical characterization showed that the heterojunction device exhibited a good diode nature with an excellent rectification ratio of 160. The photodetection capabilities were examined by optical power varying from 2.37 µW to 3.78 µW in the ultraviolet to near-infrared region (300–900 nm). It demonstrated maximum photoresponse at 500 nm in forward and reverse bias. The current conduction mechanism and enhancement in current under light impact were explained using energy band modeling. The present work is important in regarding the development of photodetectors of succeeding generations with a topological insulator material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The broken time reversal symmetry states may result in the opening of a band gap in TlBiSe2 leading to several interesting phenomena which are potentially relevant for spintronic applications. In this work, the quantum interference and magnetic proximity effects have been studied in Ni80Fe20/p-TlBiSe2/p-Si (Magnetic/TI) heterostructure using physical vapor deposition technique. Raman analysis shows the symmetry breaking with the appearance of A21u mode. The electrical characteristics are investigated under dark and illumination conditions in the absence as well as in the presence of a magnetic field. The outcomes of the examined device reveal excellent photo response in both forward and reverse bias regions. Interestingly, under a magnetic field, the device shows a reduction in electrical conductivity at ambient conditions due to the crossover of weak localization and separation of weak antilocalization, which are experimentally confirmed by magnetoresistance measurement. Further, the photo response has also been assessed by the transient absorption spectroscopy through analysis of charge transfer and carrier relaxation mechanisms. Our results can be beneficial for quantum computation and further study of topological insulator/ferromagnet heterostructure and topological material based spintronic devices due to high spin orbit coupling along with dissipationless conduction channels at the surface states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is thought to be the most common helminthic infection of central nervous system in India. In children, it has pleomorphic clinical and radiological presentations depending on location and stage of lesion. Solitary cystic granuloma appearing as a single ring enhancing lesion is the most frequently encountered neuroimaging finding in patients with neurocysticercosis or tuberculoma in India. This series reports unusual clinico-radiological aspects of pediatric neurocysticercosis patients of Asian ethnicity. Case presentation: In the present case series, we have described socio-demographic and clinico-radiological profile of eight cases of neurocysticercosis with parenchymal lesions in varying stages of development. Among these two had single discrete ring enhancing lesion (SDREL), two had single conglomerated ring enhancing lesion (SCREL), and five cases reported to have multiple ring enhancing lesions (MREL). Two cases with recurrent neurocysticercosis have been reported which is quite rare. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy helps to differentiate between neurocysticercosis and tuberculoma and may avoid brain biopsies or unnecessary anti-tubercular treatment. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) was done in three cases with findings of absence of lipid peak and choline/creatinine ratio less than 1.2. Conclusion: Despite the advances in neuroimaging, accurate diagnosis of NCC is still sometimes difficult, which is related to the pleomorphic nature of disease and significant overlapping features with tuberculoma. A combination of proper diagnostic criteria and neuroimaging findings are helpful in making the diagnosis without invasive and potentially harmful investigations in paediatric patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In this study, we investigate a new relativistic anisotropic Einstein field equations solution for compact stars under embedding class 1 conditions. In order to do this, we apply the Karmarkar condition and the embedding class one technique. By taking Buchdahl type metric potential g rr into consideration, the precise analytical solution has been investigated. We have studied physical characteristics of various compact star using this analytical solution. Central singularities are absent from the solution. We have explored thermodynamic observables inside the stellar models, such as radial and tangential pressures, matter density, anisotropic factor, energy conditions, TOV, red-shift, and the speed of sound, etc., after establishing this space-time geometry for the stellar models. From the graphical representation of various physical characteristics, it is demonstrated that our model meets all the specification for ultra-high density compact bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semi-organic derivatives of non-linear optical materials are widely used nowadays due to their high nonlinear efficiency and quick reaction in electro-optic switches. Hence, in order to observe this behavior, the Slow Evaporation Solution Growth Technique was used to grow single crystals of the semi-organic compound l-glutamic hydrobromide. Powder X-ray diffraction was used to validate the structural parameter of the single crystal. The resulting crystal’s crystalline perfection was evaluated using a high-resolution X-ray diffractometer. UV–Vis Spectroscopy and Photoluminescence spectroscopy were carried out to examine the eligibility of the material for optical application by estimating their corresponding optical parameters. The Z-scan method was used to further explore nonlinear optical phenomena in both the open and closed aperture. Shock damage threshold approach was utilized to estimate the mechanical shock strength above which the crystal begins to break by any external force. The Terahertz spectroscopic technique was also employed to examine the nature of the crystal with the THz-TDS spectroscopy. The density functional theory analysis has been carried out in order to evaluate various parameters through quantum mechanical calculations i.e., Frontier molecular orbital, Molecular electrostatic potential, Reduced density gradient and Mulliken atomic charges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium sulphamate single crystals have been grown by the slow evaporation solution growth method and were analyzed via various spectroscopic techniques to assess their structural and optical properties. The grown crystal ingot was first subjected to powder-X-ray diffraction and FT-IR to determine its structural parameters. Raman spectroscopic analysis was also carried out to describe the corresponding Raman bands assignments of grown crystal. The transmittance percentage of the crystal was thoroughly investigated by UV–vis spectroscopy and the bandgap was calculated using the Tauc's plot. Further, photoluminescence spectroscopy determined the emission spectrum, and the decay rate was observed by the time-resolved photoluminescence. In addition, the Z-scan technique further examined the nonlinear optical behavior of the titled crystal. The THz spectroscopy was also performed to analyze its absorbance behavior in the THz region. The thermal characteristics of the crystal were examined by DSC and TGA/ DTA analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lonar Lake is a highly saline inland water body created by a crater in Maharashtra, India. A rare occurrence of the colour change of lake water from green to brown and eventually to pinkish-red was observed in Lonar in June 2020. This phenomenon attracted the attention of researchers, academicians and interestingly legal fraternity to understand the causes of colour change. The literature studies coupled the phenomenon of colouration of water to three aspects: the presence of halophilic Halobacterium salinarum or an algal species of Dunaliella (Dunaliella salina) or oxidization of metals (Fe and Mn) present in water. A comprehensive study was done to understand and assess the change in the colour of Lonar Lake water. The green colour of the lake is primarily due to the dominance of chlorophyll-a pigment in the algae population. The stressed condition in June 2020 adversely affected the photosynthesis activity of Dunaliella sp. resulting in the red colouration of the species. This red colour of Dunaliella sp. is due to the formation of a pigment named carotenoid which is similar to that in halophilic bacteria. This pigment completely hides the green chloroplast, and water turns pinkish-red. This study describes detailed investigations of environmental and climatic parameters to determine possible causes of abiotic stress on the algae population of the lake. The major factors contributing to the stressed conditions are high dissolved solids, alkalinity and alkaline pH due to salts in the lake water due to evaporation losses and limited rainfall over the months. The study further verified whether the colour change is a cyclic event and predicted possible lake conditions for the event of colour change to occur in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cattle being non-seasonal breeding species, effects of photoperiods on sperm traits and morphology had been reported inadequately in breeding bulls. To elucidate the plausible existence of effects of photoperiods and seasons, seminal traits of Holstein Friesian × Sahiwal crossbred dairy bulls (N = 557) were analysed using different statistical models. A present study revealed that the biological rhythm of reproduction oscillated almost in parallel to the annual changes of natural photoperiods even in non-seasonal breeding species like cattle bulls. Semen traits diminished to the lowest in winter solstice (WS ± 45 days), progressively increased with the rising day length of spring (vernal equinox ± 45 days), reached a peak in summer solstice (SS ± 45 days), and then gradually reduced with decreasing photoperiod of the autumn equinox (AE ± 45 days). From summer solstice to winter solstice, sperm concentration reduced by 90.53 million/ml (8.85%), total sperm count/ejaculate decreased by 785 million (13.87%), total motile sperm count/ejaculate reduced by 17.59%, and total post-thaw motile sperm counts/ejaculates diminished by 38.64%. In short-duration photoperiods (≤ 12 h), bulls had a significantly (P < 0.01) higher incidence of major, minor, tail abnormality and total aberrant sperm% compared to that of long-duration photoperiods (> 12 h). Solstice equinox–based seasonal classification provided better insight into photoperiodicity on bulls' semen quality and sperm traits as compared to conventional meteorological classification of seasons. It was concluded that photoperiods affect sperm productivity, semen quality, and sperm morphology in non-seasonal breeding species like dairy bulls, maintained at transitional latitude (29° N) tropical climate. Bulls' reproductive ability was more influenced by the phases of increasing/decreasing day length duly primed by climax/trough of photoperiods, compared to mere long/short duration of photoperiods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of deposition temperature on surface morphology and write once read many times resistive switching properties of RF sputtered BaTiO3 (BTO) thin films has been demonstrated. A conventional sandwiched structure was used to fabricate the memory cell with FTO as bottom electrode and silver as top electrode. The devices exhibit switching from a high resistance state to a low resistance state with the conductive filament(s) formation through BTO active layer. The switching performances are investigated for different devices with different deposition temperatures, varying from room temperature (RT) to 450 °C. All the devices are characterized for a voltage sweep of − 1.5 V to 1.5 V with 12,000 pulses for retention and 300 write-read erase read cycles. Shifting in the switching voltage to a lower value from 1.31 to 0.49 V (450 °C) is recorded with the increased deposition temperature. We observe the highest on-off ratio of 5.9 × 106 for sample deposited at room temperature and 0.9 × 104 for sample deposited at 450 °C. The write read erase read characterizations for over 1000 cycles were carried out for all four devices to test the device reliability and observe the stable read current over the period irrespective of erase cycles. The fabricated devices show stable and reliable reading endurance and data retention characteristics for more than 12,000 s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In topological insulators (TI) for surface electron transport, dissipationless surface states are required and are activated by symmetry breaking usually by reducing thickness of the film. Substrates play an important role in modulating the surface properties by modifying the surface electronic and mechanical properties. In the present work, we have studied the n-GaN/p-Bi2Se3 topological heterojunction for the topological surface states and analyzed by Raman and ultrafast transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy probed in visible and NIR regions. Raman spectrum clearly shows the electron-phonon interaction at the surface by appearance of surface phonon modes (SPM) in heterojunction. TA spectroscopy is performed on Glass/Bi2Se3 and n-GaN/Bi2Se3 heterojunction to identify surface states, energy levels, charge transfer and carrier relaxation processes. Electrical measurements under dark and illuminated conditions were performed for deeper understanding of the interface states and their effect on electrical and optical performance. The study provides complete understanding of n-GaN/TI-based interfaces by spectroscopic and electrical measurements for their application in next-generation electronic and optical devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geometric and color features of agricultural material along with related physical properties are critical to characterize and express its physical quality. The experiments were conducted to classify the physical characteristics like size, shape, color and texture and then workout the relationship between manual observations and using image processing techniques for weight and volume of the four wheat refractions i.e. sound, damaged, shriveled and broken grains of wheat variety PBW 725. A flatbed scanner was used to acquire the images and digital image processing method was used to process the images and output of image analysis was compared with the actual measurements data using digital vernier caliper. A linear relationship was observed between the axial dimensions of refractions between manual measurement and image processing method with R2 in the range of 0.798–0.947. The individual kernel weight and thousand grain weight of the refractions were observed to be in the range of 0.021–0.045 and 12.56–46.32 g respectively. Another linear relationship was found between individual kernel weight and projected area estimated using image processing methodology with R2 in the range of 0.841–0.920. The sphericity of the refractions varied in the range of 0.52–0.71. Analyses of the captured images suggest ellipsoid shape with convex geometry while the same observation was recorded by physical measurements also. A linear relationship was observed between the volume of refractions derived from measured dimensions and calculated from image with R2 in the range of 0.845–0.945. Various color and grey level co-variance matrix texture features were extracted from acquired images using the open-source Python programming language and OpenCV library which can exploit different machine and deep learning algorithms to properly classify these refractions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical detection is the basic underlying principle of many optoelectronic systems like image sensors, optical communications, biomedical imaging, motion detection, surveillance, machine vision, etc. Applied research in optoelectronics has invested a lot towards the development of photodetectors with a wide spectral response (UV, visual and IR), as well as narrowband spectrum selective photodetectors for special applications. Spectral discrimination is required for colour-selective detection, but current commercial systems use broadband photodetectors combined with optical filters. This approach increases the complexity of the system and degrades the quality of colour detection. In this article, we explain briefly the basics of photodetectors and a method for tuning the spectral response to achieve filter-free, narrowband photodiodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small single-stranded non-coding RNAs that act as the master regulator of animal growth and development. RNA-RNA interaction is an important mechanism of gene regulation during biotic and abiotic stress. Heat stress (HS) is one of the most important abiotic factors which affect the growth, milk yield and reproductive health of the dairy animals. In the present investigation, we identified 387 known and 77 novel miRNAs from Tharparkar (TH) and Karan Fries (KF) cattle under HS condition. Family distribution analysis showed the identified miRNAs belong to more than 15 different families in which miR-2284 was the most abundant. We identified 42,350 targets for the known miRNAs reported in cattle. Pathway analysis of the identified targets showed most of the target genes were involved in cancer, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling, calcium signaling, Ras signaling, and cAMP signaling pathways. Differential gene expression showed more than 344 miRNAs changed their expression significantly between control and HS condition. Heat map was generated for the top 20 most up and downregulated miRNAs. Ten miRNAs were validated using qRT-PCR to be heat responsive, based on read count value and differential gene expression. These novel miRNAs are new addition to the miRNA database of cattle. This study provides an overview of miRNA profile and their interaction with the target genes which leads to further understanding in deciphering the thermotolerance mechanism in cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deficit irrigation (DI) has been emerging as an important technique for enhancing crop water productivity (WP). However, advantage of DI under varying nitrogen (N) application rates remains unclear. Field experiments were conducted during 2012–2014 to investigate the impacts of six irrigation levels[FI (full irrigation), DI10, DI20, DI30, DI40 and DI50, with irrigation amount of 100, 90, 80, 70, 60 and 50% of ETc, respectively) and four N application rates (N0, N10, N20 and N30, with 0, 10, 20 and 30 kg N ha−1, respectively) on WP, yield, quality, and net economic return of peanut in hot arid region of India. We used Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method to obtain the optimal combination of irrigation and N rates. Both irrigation level and nitrogen dose had significant effects on yield and quality parameters examined in the study. Relative to FI, DI40 and DI50 significantly reduced yield (40.2–62.1%), economic benefit (70.8–118.5%), WP (8.2–33.0%), and kernel oil content (7.5–11.9%), but DI20 increased WP by 17.1% with only marginal reduction in economic benefit (2.6%), and yield (3.2%). Compared to N0, the N30 had 1.7, 1.1, and 1.6-folds increased yield, oil content in the kernel, and WP, respectively. Among all treatments, DI0N30 had the greatest yield and net return; DI20N30 had greatest WP and oil content in the kernel. TOPSIS analysis showed that DI20N30 was optimal in balancing of WP, yield, net return, and quality of peanut in northwestern arid India. The results have direct implications for improving irrigation water and N management for irrigated crops in arid regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work focuses on the bulk growth of Itaconic acid (ITA) single crystal from aqueous solution by slow evaporation solution growth technique. The detailed structural, optical, laser studies have been carried out for the title compound by adopting different instrumentation techniques. The cut-off wavelength of ITA crystal was obtained at 268 nm shows good nonlinear response. From the PL measurement, the high intense emission peak was observed at 442 nm corresponds to blue emission. The dominant emission colour of the grown specimen was estimated by CIE plot. The fast and slow decay of ITA single crystal were studied by time resolved PL. The laser resistive nature was examined by Nd-YAG laser and found that it is having good laser damage threshold (LDT) property. The third-order nonlinear optical behaviour of ITA crystal has been analyzed with the help of a femto-second laser using Z-scan technique. The value of various parameters like nonlinear refractive index (n2) and nonlinear absorption coefficient (β) is estimated using the theoretical calculations. The values of n2 and β were found to be 3.13 × 10–17 cm2/W and 1.57 × 10–12 cm/W, respectively. Such values of nonlinear parameters shows that grown crystal can be useful in optoelectronics applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The topological behavior of heavy metal alloys opens a vast area for incredible research and future technology. Here, we extend our previous report about the superconducting properties of Sn0.4Sb0.6 along with the compositional variation of Sn and Sb in SnxSb1-x (with (X = 0.5 and 0.6)) to study the detailed optical properties. Structural and morphological details of grown crystal are carried from the previous study. Further, the samples are excited by a pump of 2.61 eV with a broad probe of 0.77–1.54 eV in the NIR regime for transient reflectance ultrafast studies (TRUS) measurements. The differential reflectance profile shows an unprecedented negative magnitude, and the average power-dependent analysis of this negative trend has been analyzed. This article not only provides evidence of band filling phenomenon in the samples but also shows that with the variation of average power, there is a definite increase in the excited charge carriers, and thereby enhancing the band filling response. The estimated value of the bandgap between the band filled states and valence state is also determined from these studies. The nonlinear properties and bandgap analysis of the studied topological alloys and similar materials help in the advancement of various nonlinear optical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the band gap tuning and facilitated charge transport at perylenediimide (PDI)/GaN interface in organic–inorganic hybrid nanostructure system over flexible titanium (Ti) foil. Energy levels of the materials perfectly align and facilitate high efficiency charge transfer from electron rich n-GaN to electron deficient PDI molecules. Proper interface formation resulted in band gap tuning as well as facilitated electron transport as evident in I–V characteristics. Growth of PDI/GaN hybrid system with band gap tuning from ultra-violet to visible region and excellent electrical properties open up new paradigm for fabrication of efficient optoelectronics devices on flexible substrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we reconnoiter the differential reflection signal of a Bi2Se3 single-crystal flake, using ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy in the femtosecond time domain and thereby explore the experimental data in terms of terahertz frequency generated in the sample. An exfoliated flake of a well-characterized self-flux grown bulk Bi2Se3 single crystal having rhombohedral structure and layered morphology is used in the present study. The kinetic profile of the same being generated through a reflection signal by a pump laser of 650 nm at an average power of 0.5 mW is studied utilizing time-resolved ultrafast technique. The silhouette as a function of probe delay predicting the capability of the terahertz generation is estimated. Here, two methods FFT (fast Fourier transformation) and FFD (filtering high-frequency component followed by fitting data) are performed to estimate the value of terahertz generated in the system. While comparing the two (FFT & FFD), it is found that a large amount of magnitude difference occurs in the prediction of terahertz frequency. Summarily, we not only report the generation of terahertz in Bi2Se3 flake, also but points out that the exact order of magnitude and the capability of the same depends upon the method of analysis. It is important to extract the vibration signal from the background one so that to find the exact order of magnitude and capability of terahertz generation by any quantum material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthesis of nanoparticles in insulators attracts tremendous attention due to their unique electrical and optical properties. Here, the gallium (Ga) and gallium nitride (GaN) nanoclusters have been synthesized in the silicon nitride matrix by sequential ion implantation (gallium and nitrogen ions) followed by either furnace annealing (FA) or rapid thermal annealing (RTA). The presence of Ga and GaN nanoclusters has been confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared, Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Thereafter, the effect of RTA and FA on the conduction of charge carriers has been studied for the fabricated devices. It is found from the current–voltage measurements that the carrier transport is controlled by the space charge limited current conduction mechanism, and the observed values of parameter m (trap density and the distribution of localized state) for the FA and RTA devices are ~2 and ~4.1, respectively. This reveals that more defects are formed in the RTA device and that FA provides better performance than RTA from the viewpoint of opto- and nano-electronic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: Operations of metal oxide semiconductors gas sensors at room temperature under photoactivation are discussed. Emerging two-dimensional (2D) materials-based gas sensors under light illumination are summarized. The advantages and limitations of metal oxides and 2D-materials-based sensors in gas sensing at room temperature under photoactivation are highlighted.Room-temperature gas sensors have aroused great attention in current gas sensor technology because of deemed demand of cheap, low power consumption and portable sensors for rapidly growing Internet of things applications. As an important approach, light illumination has been exploited for room-temperature operation with improving gas sensor’s attributes including sensitivity, speed and selectivity. This review provides an overview of the utilization of photoactivated nanomaterials in gas sensing field. First, recent advances in gas sensing of some exciting different nanostructures and hybrids of metal oxide semiconductors under light illumination are highlighted. Later, excellent gas sensing performance of emerging two-dimensional materials-based sensors under light illumination is discussed in details with proposed gas sensing mechanism. Originated impressive features from the interaction of photons with sensing materials are elucidated in the context of modulating sensing characteristics. Finally, the review concludes with key and constructive insights into current and future perspectives in the light-activated nanomaterials for optoelectronic gas sensor applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Root-tissue colonizing bacteria demonstrated with multiple PGP traits from sorghum plants were identified as Ochrobactrum sp. EB-165, Microbacterium sp. EB-65, Enterobacter sp. EB-14 and Enterobacter cloacae strain EB-48 on the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Here, the in vivo experiments using ½-MS media and ½-MS media + 15% PEG 8000 (for inducing drought stress) indicated stress tolerance imparting ability of these rhizobacterial endophytes in a non-stay green and senescent genotype (R-16) of sorghum. In the experiment with sterile soilrite mix base, seed bacterization with these isolates showed improved plant growth specifically the roots, in terms of root length (~ 44.2 to 50.8% over controls), root dry weight (~ 91.3 to 99.8% over controls) and root surface area (~ 1 to 1.5 fold over controls) under drought stress. Rhizobacterial endophytes were successful, not only in providing better cellular osmotic adjustment in leaves (≥ 1-fold increase in proline accumulation over controls), but favorable physiological responses like Relative Water Content (RWC) and cell Membrane Stability Index (MSI) in the inoculated plants during the drought stress induction. Up-regulation of drought responsive genes like sbP5CS2 and sbP5CS1 was observed in these endophytes-treated plants as compared to untreated control and Escherichia coli DH5α (negative control)-treated plants. Interestingly, the stress imparting traits of rhizobacterial endophytes, including up-regulation of specific genes, were observed during sorghum seedling growth only under drought stresses. The results of this study lead to the conclusion that the potential endophytic rhizobacterial interactions can contribute to plant growth promotion as well as induced stress tolerance in sorghum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a three dimensional (3D) MoS2/β-Bi2O3 heterostructure with high-performance for photocatalytic removal of pollutants was constructed by a simple deposition of the MoS2 quantum dots on the surface of porous β-Bi2O3 spheres. Compared with pure β-Bi2O3 microspheres, the 1.0% MoS2/β-Bi2O3 composite exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity in the degradation of Bisphenol A (BPA) in aqueous solution and oxidative removal of gaseous NO under visible light irradiation, and the removal efficiency reached 94.0% and 41.4% for BPA and NO within 30 min, respectively. The enhanced photocatalytic activity is attributed to the formation heterojunction between MoS2 quantum dots and β-Bi2O3, which facilitates the separation and transfer efficiency of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, boosts catalytic active sites and hinders an electron-hole recombination rate. The results of trapping experiments indicates that both of O2−∙ and h+ are the reactive species for BPA degradation. The recyclability test confirms that the 1.0% MoS2/β-Bi2O3 composite photocatalyst has a superior stability during recycling cycle. This work demonstrates that a unique 3D photocatalyst system can provides a new perspective and opens up new opportunities on the design of efficient composite photocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, an attempt is made to study the effect of mass on convective heat transfer coefficient (CHTC) for open sun drying (OSD) of groundnut ( Arachis hypogaea L.). Experiments were conducted during the month of May, 2016 in the climatic condition of Rohtak, India (28°54′0″N 76°34′0″E). Groundnut samples of 130 and 198 g were dried under OSD condition till almost no variation in its mass was recorded. Hourly data of the mass evaporated, groundnut temperature, relative humidity and ambient temperature were recorded. The experimental data obtained were used to determine the constants 'C' and 'n' in the Nusselt number expression using linear regression method. CHTC increased with the increase in mass of groundnuts. The experimental errors in terms of percent uncertainty were found to vary from 44.29 to 48.77%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Grain yield of wheat is primarily determined by both grain number and grain weight, which often influence each other in response to environmental stimuli. Some of the genotypes are capable of maintaining high single grain weight (SGW) across the environments. Understanding mechanisms and factors associated with the superiority of such genotypes over others is necessary to enhance productivity of wheat. Results: Experiments were conducted to elucidate the physiological basis of high SGW of LOK-1, a wheat cultivar grown in dry and hot environments in the central and peninsular zones of India. SGW of LOK-1 was least affected by removal of spikelets indicating little competition between the grains within the spike for assimilates. Reduction in SGW due to defoliation was less and the contribution of stem reserves to the grain development was high in LOK-1 relative to other cultivars. It seems that high level of expression of genes such as expansin (TaExpA6) contributes to the high SGW of LOK-1. Conclusions: Source was not a limiting factor for grain growth of LOK-1 in contrast to other cultivars, whereas sink appeared to be a limiting factor in recently released/identified cultivars. Differences in the amounts of water soluble stem carbohydrate reserves translocated to grain could be one of the factors contributing to higher grain weight in LOK-1. High level expression of TaExpA6, one of the genes contributing to the elongation of endosperm, seems to be crucial for grain growth in wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epitaxial morphotropic PbZrTiO (PZT) thin films were employed to enhance the dielectric tunability of microwave filter devices without compromising the device impedance matching and low bias voltage (<10 V) requirements. Epitaxial heterostructure of ferroelectric PZT(001)/SrRuO (SRO) were grown on single crystal SrTiO (001) substrates by pulsed laser deposition, and a platinum (Pt) electrode was deposited on top of the PZT film. The tunability of the Pt/PZT/SRO varactor devices are strongly dependent on bias voltage and exhibited good dielectric tunability of 55% at 100 kHz and 10 V. The capacitance ( C) of the heteroepitaxial varactor devices was 105 pF at 10 V applied bias with a corresponding small leakage current of 1 nA. The influence of gamma ( γ-ray) irradiation on the intrinsic electrical properties of the epitaxial PZT varactor devices was investigated as a function of the irradiation dose from 0 kGy to 400 kGy, in terms of the capacitance-voltage ( C- V) characteristics and loss tangent response. With enhancing γ-ray irradiation doses the ferroelectric capacitance was found to decrease accompanying degradation in the loss tangent values. The results indicate that tunability of the epitaxial PZT ferroelectric thin-film capacitors decreased with increasing gamma irradiation dose and degraded ∼25% at 400 kGy dose than unexposed devices. Possible reasons for the degradation behavior of dielectric properties and tunability due to radiation-induced defects has been discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study which examines the link between the single nucleotide polymorphism located in bovine aquaporins gene with semen quality parameters including semen volume, concentration, motility, post-thaw motility, viability, and hypoosmotic swelling response of Frieswal bull semen. Information about the materials and methods used in the study is presented such as DNA samples and semen collection.

The simplest and easily accessible type of solar distillation is passive solar still which utilizes freely and abundantly available sun energy for removal of salinity/impurity from saline/brackish water. The main drawback of passive solar still is its lower efficiency and distillation output. Different designs of passive solar stills are fabricated and tested by various researchers to meet water demand economically. Concave wick basin pyramidal-shaped solar still was observed to produce 4.0 l/m/day average distillate with a cost of 0.065$/l. Double basin solar still showed an average of 85 % higher yield than single basin still. Stepped type, inclined, tubular, pyramidal, spherical, and hemispherical shapes were considered an efficient designs of passive solar still. Numbers of parameters such as water depth, solar radiation, ambient conditions, condensing cover material, its cooling and direction, internal and external reflectors, sun tracking system, wicks, thermal and energy storage materials were outlined which highly affect the performance of solar still. Water depth of 0.04 m and condensing cover inclination to latitude of the place were observed optimum operational parameters. A distillate output of 4.3 l/m was collected with cotton gauge top cover cooling to V-type solar still. Increase of 75 % in productivity and 56 % in daily efficiency was observed with internal reflector stepped solar still. An improvement of 380 % was observed in stepwise basin solar still integrated with sun tracking system. Despite large efforts carried out on passive solar distillation, there are some challenges like bulkiness, high initial cost, and optimization of spacing between condensing cover and water surface of inclined still, thermophysical properties of basin material, flow rate, insulation material and its thickness, which need to be improved to make this technique efficient in practical utilization. This review paper mainly presents the results of previous work carried out on the designs, operational and process parameters affecting distillation, cost analysis, further scope of improvement in preceding work along with their limitations. The decade reviews on solar stills based on different context authored by many researchers have also been summarized. Moreover, this review paper will help the researchers to understand the basics of solar still with the need, developments and challenges in passive solar distillation to improve its thermal performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soybean seeds were exposed to gamma radiation (0.5, 1, 3 and 5 kGy), static magnetic field (50, 100 and 200 mT) and a combination of gamma radiation and magnetic energy (0.5 kGy + 200 mT and 5 kGy + 50 mT) and stored at room temperature for six months. These seeds were later subjected to accelerated ageing treatment at 42 °C temperature and 95-100 % relative humidity and were compared for various physical and biochemical characteristics between the untreated and the energized treatments. Energy treatment protected the quality of stored seeds in terms of its protein and oil content . Accelerated aging conditions, however, affected the oil and protein quantity and quality of seed negatively. Antioxidant enzymes exhibited a decline in their activity during aging while the LOX activity, which reflects the rate of lipid peroxidation, in general, increased during the aging. Gamma irradiated (3 and 5 kGy) and magnetic field treated seeds (100 and 200 mT) maintained a higher catalase and ascorbate peroxidase activity which may help in efficient scavenging of deleterious free radical produced during the aging. Aging caused peroxidative changes to lipids, which could be contributed to the loss of oil quality. Among the electromagnetic energy treatments, a dose of 1-5 kGy of gamma and 100 mT, 200 mT magnetic field effectively slowed the rate of biochemical degradation and loss of cellular integrity in seeds stored under conditions of accelerated aging and thus, protected the deterioration of seed quality. Energy combination treatments did not yield any additional protection advantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peach ( Prunus persica L. Batsch) fruits of cultivar 'Shan-i-Punjab' were harvested at colour break stage and packed in paper moulded trays followed by wrapping with different packaging films viz. cryovac heat shrinkable RD-106, cling and low density polyethylene (LDPE) film. After packaging, the fruits were stored under two different conditions i.e. super-market conditions (18-20 °C; 90-95 % RH) and ordinary market conditions (28-30 °C; 60-65 % RH). The fruits were evaluated for various quality attributes periodically. The shrink film helped in reducing the loss in weight, firmness, decay incidence and maintained the various qualities attributes like total soluble solids, sugars, acidity and ascorbic acid content of the fruits during shelf-life better than unwrapped control fruits. The pectin methyl esterase enzyme activity was also found to be lower in shrink film packed fruits over the unwrapped control fruits. The in-package gaseous composition (O and CO) in shrink film packed fruits was found to be at desired level which resulted in maintenance of pleasant flavour of the fruits. On the other hand LDPE film accumulated very high level of CO, which led to formation of fermenting odour and decay of fruits in the package. The data revealed that RD-106 film proved quite effective in prolonging the shelf-life and maintaining the quality of peach fruits for 9 and 4 days under super market conditions (SMC) and ordinary market conditions (OMC), respectively as against 6 and 2 days only in case of unpacked control fruits under both the marketing conditions. The results suggest that shrink film could be used in packaging of peach without negative effects on quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shrub-induced soil property spatial heterogeneity is common in arid and semi-arid ecosystems and aids desertified land restoration. However, the effectiveness of this technique may rely on the plant species used and the habitat conditions present. To assess the degree to which planting two native species, Haloxylon salicornicum and Calligonum polygonoides, facilitates degraded land restoration, soil and herbaceous plant community properties were measured 7 years after planting. Soil samples were extracted at two depths (0-5 and 5-20 cm) from three sub-habitats, i.e., under the shrub canopy, from alleys between shrubs and from the open area. Shrub planting increased the quantity of silt + clay content (30-39 %); enhanced water holding capacities (24-30 %); increased the levels of organic carbon (48-69 %), available nitrogen (31-47 %), available phosphorus (32-41 %), and electrical conductivity (21-33 %); and decreased the pH (7-12 %) and bulk density levels (5-6 %) in the surface layer of soils beneath the canopy. Soil property changes were more significant at the surface (0-5 cm) than in the deeper layer (5-20 cm), and were more pronounced under H. salicornicum than under C. polygonoides. Furthermore, the density and biomass levels of herbaceous plants were 1.1 to 1.2 and 1.4 to 1.6 times greater, respectively, in the shrub alleys than in open area. H. salicornicum induced more robust soil amelioration and herbaceous plant facilitative properties than did C. polygonoides. Artificially planting these shrubs may thus be employed to restore degraded areas of arid regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the experimental studies on self-breakdown-based single-gap plasma cathode electron (PCE) gun (5-20 kV/50-160 A) in argon, gas atmosphere and its performance evaluation based on particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation code 'OOPIC-Pro'. The PCE-Gun works in conducting phase (low energy, high current) of pseudospark discharge. It produces intense electron beam, which can propagate more than 200 mm in the drift space region without external magnetic field. The profile of this beam in the drift space region at different breakdown conditions (i.e., gas pressures and applied voltages) has been studied and the experimental results are compared with simulated values. It is demonstrated that ∼30% beam current is lost during the propagation possibly due to space charge neutralization and collisions with neutral particles and walls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This report focuses on the structural and optical properties of the GaN films grown on p-Si (100) substrates along with photovoltaic characteristics of GaN/p-Si heterojunctions fabricated with substrate nitridation and in absence of substrate nitridation. The high resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Raman and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopic studies reveal that the significant enhancement in the structural as well as in the optical properties of GaN epifilms grown with silicon nitride buffer layer when compared with the sample grown without silicon nitride buffer layer. The low temperature PL shows a free excitonic (FX) emission peak at 3.51 eV at the temperature of 5 K with a very narrow line width of 35 meV. Temperature dependent PL spectra follow the Varshni equation well and peak energy blue shifts by ~63 meV from 300 to 5 K. Raman data confirms the strain free nature and reasonably good crystallinity of the films. The GaN/p-Si heterojunctions fabricated without substrate nitridation show a superior photovoltaic performance compared to the devices fabricated in presence of substrate nitridation. The discussions have been carried out on the junction properties. Such single junction devices exhibit a promising fill factor and conversion efficiency of 23.36 and 0.12 %, respectively, under concentrated AM1.5 illumination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To survey the occurrence of nodulated legumes in the arid and semi-arid areas of Western Rajasthan and to characterize their associated symbiotic bacteria. Methods: Herbaceous annual species were excavated whole, while tree species were studied as seedlings in the field or as trap plants in pot experiments. Nodules were examined by microscopy to confirm their effectiveness and to determine their internal structure. Bacteria isolated from the nodules were authenticated on their original hosts and were identified on the basis of 16S rRNA sequencing. Phylogenetic trees were inferred using the neighbour-joining method. Results: We studied 35 of more than 50 species of native legume reported from these areas. Legumes are drought escaping (annual species), drought tolerant perennials or trees possessing deep root systems and other adaptations to arid conditions. Nodulation was recorded in all members of the Papilionoideae and Mimosoideae, but only one species of Caesalpinioideae. Internal structure of nodules varied within these groups, especially with respect to the presence or absence of uninfected cells in the infected region. Full 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that the nodules harboured a range of nodulating bacteria belonging to the genera Sinorhizobium, Rhizobium and Bradyrhizobium, within which they formed separate sub clades. Conclusions: This study extends the range of legumes known to grow and nodulate in semi-arid regions, and provides information about their endosymbionts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanosized hexagonal InN flower-like structures were fabricated by droplet epitaxy on GaN/Si(111) and GaN flower-like nanostructure fabricated directly on Si(111) substrate using radio frequency plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to study the crystallinity and morphology of the nanostructures. Moreover, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and photoluminescence (PL) were used to investigate the chemical compositions and optical properties of nano-flowers, respectively. Activation energy of free exciton transitions in GaN nano-flowers was derived to be ∼28.5 meV from the temperature dependent PL studies. The formation process of nano-flowers is investigated and a qualitative mechanism is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given sales forecasts for a set of items along with the standard deviation associated with each forecast, we propose a new method of combining forecasts using the concepts of clustering. Clusters of items are identified based on the similarity in their sales forecasts and then a common forecast is computed for each cluster of items. On a real dataset from a national retail chain we have found that the proposed method of combining forecasts produces significantly better sales forecasts than either the individual forecasts (forecasts without combining) or an alternate method of using a single combined forecast for all items in a product line sold by this retailer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, we report the deposition of high resistivity c-axis oriented ZnO films by RF magnetron sputtering. The deposition parameters such as RF power, target-to-substrate spacing, substrate temperature, and sputtering gas composition affect the crystallographic properties of ZnO films, which were evaluated using XRD analysis. The self-heating of the substrate in plasma during film deposition was investigated and we report that highly “c-axis oriented” ZnO thin films can be prepared on different substrates without any external heating under optimized deposition parameters. The post-deposition annealing of the film at 900 °C for 1 h in air ambient increases the intensity of (002) peak corresponding to c-axis orientation in addition with the decrease in full width at half maxima (FWHM). Bond formation of ZnO was confirmed by FTIR analysis. Grains distribution and surface roughness have been analyzed using SEM and AFM. The DC resistivity of the films prepared under different deposition conditions was measured using MIS/MIM structures and was found to be in the range of 1011–1012 Ω cm at low electric field of 104 V/cm. The ZnO film of 1 μm thickness has transmittance of over 85% in the visible region. Applications of these films in MEMS devices are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Larval brain ganglia of Drosophila nasuta were cultured in vitro in the presence of 5-bromodeoxyuridine for 1 or 5 h at 24° C and the air-dried chromosome preparations stained by the Hoechst 33258-Giemsa technique to reveal bromodeoxyuridine induced sister chromatid differentiation. In 1 h as well as 5 h preparations, 10-15% of well spread metaphase plates show a sister chromatid differentiation in only C-band heterochromatin regions of different chromosomes. We infer that this sister chromatid differentiation in all heterochromatic regions is seen after bromodeoxyuridine incorporation for only one replication cycle and is related to the presence of asymmetric A-T rich satellite sequences in all the C-band regions of D. nasuta karyotype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple fluorescence technique is decribed to localise in situ the non-replicating alpha heterochromatin in the chromocentre region of Drosophila nasuta polytene nuclei. After incorporating 5-bromodeoxyuridine in larval salivary gland cells for one or two cycles of replication, the polytene nuclei are examined for Hoechst 33258 flourescence at pH 7.O. The nonreplicating alpha heterochromatin remains brightly fluorescing as it does not incorporate any 5-bromodeoxyuridine while the rest of the replicating chromatin shows dull fluorescence due to the quenching of Hoechst 33258 fluorescence by the bromodeoxyuridine substituted DNA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiative–convective flow studies find wide range of applications in furnace design, solar fans, photochemical reactors, turbid water bodies, etc. The present article focusses on unsteady radiative–convective hydromagnetic couple stress fluid (CSF) flow from a vertical cylinder using the thermodynamic concept. The obtained governing equations of the present model are resolved by a well-organised numerical scheme. The unsteady nature of friction, entropy, coefficients of heat and mass transfer (HMT) along with the time-independent state pattern of flow-field profiles, are shown graphically for distinct values of governing radiation parameter, magnetic parameter, concentration parameter, and constant parameter to display important aspects of the solution. To analyse the HMT process in a 2D domain, Bejans flow visualisation is considered along with isotherms, streamlines, and isoconcentration lines. The Bejans HMT flow visualisation shows that the heat and mass function contours are denser in the foremost verge of the hot surface of the cylinder compared to other contours. The result indicates that the entropy generation (EG) parameter increases with decreasing values of radiation and magnetic parameters. Also, the entropy parameter increases for increasing values of concentration parameter or constant parameter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increased multidrug resistance among antimalarial drugs produces the urgency of potent anti malarial to combat resistant malaria and the malaria burden worldwide. The protein which may prevent the growth or transmission of malaria parasite may be the great target for rational drug designing. Plasmodium falciparum phosphoethanolamine methyltransferase (Pfpmt) absent in human catalyzes triple methylation of ethanolamine into phosphocholine for phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis from serine decarboxylation phosphoethanolamine methyltransferase pathway for the membrane development at asexual as well as sexual stages of parasite. The Plasmodium requires production of membrane rapidly for growth and multiplication. Hence, the phosphoethanolamine methyltransferase of Plasmodium falciparum was selected as drug target for rational drug designing. Using Discovery studio 3.5 software the library of zinc compounds was screened against target and analyzed. The compounds with better druglike properties and docking affinity and binding interaction for target protein were procured for in vitro analysis against Plasmodium falciparum culture (IC50). Compounds ZINC02103914 and ZINC12882412 were found to have good druglike properties and affinity for Pfpmt also inhibited P. falciparum growth at very low µM IC50 concentration 3.0 µM and 2.1 µM respectively also found nontoxic in vitro against HEK-293 cells. Simulation study of best inhibitor revealed the specificity for the target protein. Hence, the compounds possessed the immense probability of being inhibitors of Pfpmt and may be optimized as antimalarial agent for combinational therapy to overcome the multidrug resistance and may also be used as template for optimization and rational drug designing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the analysis of entropy generation concept for unsteady magnetohydrodynamics Jeffrey fluid flow over a semi-infinite vertical flat plate. This physical problem is constituted by transient coupled highly nonlinear equations and is evaluated numerically by using an implicit scheme. The average values of wall shear stress and Nusselt number, entropy generation number and Jeffrey fluid-flow variables are analysed for distinct values of physical parameters at both transient and steady states. The results show that the time needed for achieving a steady state pertaining to the temperature and velocity gets augmented with the increased values of Jeffrey fluid parameter. The results also specify that the entropy generation number increases with the increasing values of Jeffrey fluid parameter, group parameter and Grashof number while the opposite trend is seen for the magnetic parameter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/srep36132 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a major indicator of long-term sustenance of agricultural production system. Apart from sustaining productivity, SOC plays a crucial role in context of climate change. Keeping in mind these potentials, spatial variation of SOC contents of a fruit orchard comprising several arid fruit plantations located at arid region of India is assessed in this study through geostatistical approaches. For this purpose, surface and subsurface soil samples from 175 locations from a fruit orchard spreading over 14.33 ha area were collected along with geographical coordinates. SOC content and soil physicochemical properties of collected soil samples were determined followed by geostatistical analysis for mapping purposes. Average SOC stock density of the orchard was 14.48 Mg ha−1 for 0- to 30-cm soil layer ranging from 9.01 Mg ha−1 in Carissa carandas to 19.52 Mg ha−1 in Prosopis cineraria block. Range of spatial variation of SOC content was found about 100 m, while two other soil physicochemical properties, e.g., pH and electrical conductivity (EC) also showed similar spatial trend. This indicated that minimum sampling distance for future SOC mapping programme may be kept lower than 100 m for better accuracy. Ordinary kriging technique satisfactorily predicted SOC contents (in percent) at unsampled locations with root-mean-squared residual (RMSR) of 0.35–0.37. Co-kriging approach was found slightly superior (RMSR = 0.26–0.28) than ordinary kriging for spatial prediction of SOC contents because of significant correlations of SOC contents with pH and EC. Uncertainty of SOC estimation was also presented in terms of 90 % confidence interval. Spatial estimates of SOC stock through ordinary kriging or co-kriging approach were also found with low uncertainty of estimation than non-spatial estimates, e.g., arithmetic averaging approach. Among different fruit block plantations of the orchard, the block with Prosopis cineraria ('khejri') has higher SOC stock density than others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The topological behavior of heavy metal alloys opens a vast area for incredible research and future technology. Here, we extend our previous report about the superconducting properties of Sn0.4Sb0.6 along with the compositional variation of Sn and Sb in SnxSb1-x (with (X = 0.5 and 0.6)) to study the detailed optical properties. Structural and morphological details of grown crystal are carried from the previous study. Further, the samples are excited by a pump of 2.61 eV with a broad probe of 0.77–1.54 eV in the NIR regime for transient reflectance ultrafast studies (TRUS) measurements. The differential reflectance profile shows an unprecedented negative magnitude, and the average power-dependent analysis of this negative trend has been analyzed. This article not only provides evidence of band filling phenomenon in the samples but also shows that with the variation of average power, there is a definite increase in the excited charge carriers, and thereby enhancing the band filling response. The estimated value of the bandgap between the band filled states and valence state is also determined from these studies. The nonlinear properties and bandgap analysis of the studied topological alloys and similar materials help in the advancement of various nonlinear optical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]