Search

The preparation of di-calcium magnesium silicate Ca2MgSi2O7 doped with 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 mol.% of erbium (III) using a solid state reaction method is reported. An X-ray diffraction pattern obtained from the sample at optimum photoluminescence (PL) emission intensity exhibits a quite prominent resemblance with the crystallographic open database (COD) with entry 96-900-6449. This confirms the valid preparation of tetragonal akermanite with a P-4 21 m (113) space group. A 980 nm laser source is used as an excitation radiation for recording the PL emission spectra. The emission spectra exhibit two distinguished prominent peaks centered at 534 and 623 nm. These peaks are attributed to the 2H11/2 → 4I15/2 and 4F9/2 → 4I15/2 transitions of erbium (III) ions respectively. The sample with 2.0 mol.% of erbium (III) exhibits an optimum PL intensity, and beyond this the concentration quenching occurs. The thermoluminescence studies of the same sample suggest an existence of the near second order kinetics. Therefore, the sample could be a very good candidate in LED applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document discusses the role of indocyanine green fluorescence angiography (ICG FA) in ventral hernia repair surgery. The authors highlight the challenges of identifying neurovascular bundles in redo cases due to scar tissue, inflammation, previous mesh placement, and anatomical variability. They explain that ICG FA, a near-infrared fluorescence technology, can provide enhanced visualization of vascular structures during surgery, aiding in the identification of vessels and assessment of perfusion. The authors advocate for the routine use of ICG FA in laparoscopic and open ventral hernia surgeries to reduce the risk of neurovascular complications and improve patient outcomes. [Extracted from the article]

CdS, CdZnS, and CdZnS:Ce thin films are prepared by using the chemical bath deposition (CBD) technique. Thin films were prepared on glass substrates. A 3D view of Atomic Force Microscope images of prepared samples is shown, which indicates that the thickness of prepared samples is in the nanometer range. Fractal dimensional analysis is very useful in the characterization of thin films. In this paper, characterization of CdS, CdZnS, and CdZnS:Ce thin films has been done by fractal dimensional analysis and roughness analysis of Atomic Force Microscope images. The fractal dimension of prepared samples has been calculated by three different methods: Box Counting, power spectrum, and the triangulation method. It was found that fractal dimension can be increased by mixing Zn and Ce in the base material CdS. which shows the more complex structure of CdZnS and CdZnS:Ce than the base material CdS. This is a comparative study of the fractal dimension and roughness of Atomic Force Microscope images by different fractal dimension analysis methods. The roughness value of AFM images of prepared samples has been calculated and found to increase, which shows that particles present on the surface decrease in size. Surface Skewness (Ssk) and Surface Kurtosis (Sku) are another two parameters calculated from different AFM images. A positive Surface Skewness (Ssk) value indicates the presence of a number of peaks on the surface of AFM images. A Surface kurtosis (Sku) value is equal to or greater than 3.0 and indicates a sharper height distribution. A 2D Fast Fourier Transformation image provides information about the surface topography. The peaks in the fourier transform image show the periodicity of AFM images. The flat and slope regions in the PSD graph indicate that the surface structure is in both the microscale and nanoscale range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrochemical properties of nickel(II) ions in the presence of few-layer black phosphorus (FLBP) have been investigated by the method of cyclic voltammetry. It was shown that FLBP is able to stabilize electrochemically generated nickel(0) species in solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, atmospheric flow field over the complex terrain of Kaiga is simulated in different seasons using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. The sensitivity of simulation of the surface parameters to model horizontal and vertical resolution and Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) physics was examined. The results indicate that the simulated surface parameters are more sensitive to horizontal resolution than vertical resolution. Simulations with higher horizontal resolution simulated fine scale features such as flow channeling in the valley portions, stronger winds in the valley mouth, blocking effect by hills in the narrow valley, flow divergence in the windward and flow convergence in the lee side. Among the different PBL schemes studied, second-order closure scheme MYNN3 showed the lowest bias as compared to first-order closure schemes YSU, ACM2 and 1.5 closure schemes MYJ and BouLac. However, the YSU scheme with the incorporation of subgrid scale drag parameterization produced the wind more realistically with substantial reductions in bias (10–40% at different observation locations). Although the model simulated the calm wind over the Kaiga region, it overestimated the wind relative to observations. The results suggest that the high occurrences of calm wind during the summer season are due to the blockage of the southwesterly wind by the surrounding hills which may results in high pollutant concentrations. In winter, northeasterly flow is noted most of the time with weak sea breeze circulation which would carry the pollutant to sea most of the time. Strong southwesterly flow in the monsoon season leads to the transportation of pollutant plumes to northeastern regions with rapid dispersion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To estimate the disease and economic burden of pertussis amongst hospitalised infants in India. Design: Multicentric hospital-based surveillance study. Participants: Hospitalised infants with clinical suspicion of pertussis based on predefined criteria. Outcome measures: Proportion of infants with laboratory-confirmed pertussis, economic burden of pertussis amongst hospitalised infants. Results: 693 clinically suspected infants were recruited of which 32 (4.62%) infants had laboratory-confirmed pertussis. Progressive cough with post-tussive emesis (50%) and pneumonia (34%) were the common clinical presentations; apnea in young infants was significantly associated with pertussis. Infants with pertussis were more likely to be younger (median age 102.5 days vs. 157 days) and born preterm (42.9% vs 24.5%). Almost 30% infants with pertussis had not received vaccine for pertussis with 50% of these infants aged less than 2 months. Pertussis was associated with higher costs of hospitalisation, pharmacy and loss of working days by caregivers as compared to non-pertussis cases. Conclusion: Younger infants, those born preterm and those inadequately immunised against pertussis are at higher risk of pertussis infection. Timely childhood immunisation and introduction of maternal immunisation for pertussis can help in reducing the disease burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dy doped Lanthanum Aluminate phosphors are prepared for different concentrations of dopant and the luminescent properties of the phosphor are studied. High temperature modified solid-state reaction method is used for the synthesis. XRD analysis confirms the formation of LaAlO:Dy phosphor. Average crystallite size calculated is 40.085 nm.Thermoluminescence study of UV induced LaAlO:Dy phosphor is discussed in this paper. Thermoluminescence glow peak is recorded for different UV exposure time and for different concentrations of dopant. Kinetic parameters such as shape factor, activation energy, order of kinetics are calculated by using computerized glow curve deconvolution technique. Activation energy varies from 0.63 to 0.72 eV. The TL glow curve intensity varies nearly linear with increasing UV dose. Photoluminescence (PL) emission spectra are recorded for different concentrations of dopant. Highest intensity of PL emission was obtained for 1.5 mol% of Dy doped LaAlO phosphor. The excitation spectra of Dy doped LaAlO phosphor monitored at 550 nm shows broad band around 260 nm and a sharp peak at 394 nm. Peaks with lower intensity are obtained at 320 nm, 363 nm and 384 nm. In the Pl emission spectra, peak at 554 nm (yellow greenish) has highest intensity. Peaks with less intensity are obtained at 466 nm (blue), 645 nm (orange red) and 740 nm (brownish red). Pl intensity varies linearly with increasing concentration of dopant. CIE chromaticity coordinates are calculated for LaAlO:Dy (1.5 mol%), x = 0.3586 and y = 0.5421 which corresponds to yellow-greenish region. The prepared phosphor may find application in dosimetry and optical devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cerium-doped cadmium zinc sulfide nanoparticles (CdZnS:Ce) were synthesized by chemical bath deposition method with three different concentrations of cerium (1.2, 2.5 and 3.84 mol%). X-ray diffraction pattern revealed the formation of cadmium zinc sulfide nanoparticles with cubic and hexagonal structure. It was observed that the presence of ceria did not alter the structure of CdZnS. Average crystallite size was measured from X-ray diffraction data by using Scherrer's formula. From the study of absorption spectra, band-to-band absorption was obtained at 455 and 470 nm, respectively, for the Ce-doped (2.5 and 3.84 mol%) CdZnS nanoparticles. Energy band gap for undoped and Ce-doped CdZnS varied from 3.45 to 3.15 eV with error ±0.05 eV. The presence of cerium was confirmed by energy-dispersive analysis of X-rays. The effect of dopant concentration on the photoluminescence intensity was also studied. The photoluminescence emission peak was observed at 520, 540 and 560 nm, respectively, for the Ce-doped (1.2, 2.5 and 3.84 mol%) CdZnS nanoparticles. X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence analysis demonstrated that the Ce ions uniformly substituted Cd sites or interstitial sites in CdZnS lattice, which influenced the optical properties. An increase in the concentration of cerium shifted the UV-Vis absorption spectra and photoluminescence emission spectra toward the higher wavelength side. Particle size and the crystallinity of CdZnS:Ce nanoparticles were confirmed through transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tin (Sn)-doped cadmium zinc sulphide nanoparticles (CdZnS: Sn) were synthesized by the chemical bath deposition method with two different concentrations of Sn (2 and 4 mol%). X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern reveals the formation of CdZnS nanoparticles with cubic and hexagonal structure. It was observed that the presence of Sn does not alter the structure of CdZnS. Average crystallite size was measured from XRD data by using Scherrer's formula. From the study of absorption spectra, band-to-band absorption was obtained at 460 and 490 nm, respectively, for the Sn-doped (2 and 4 mol%) CdZnS nanoparticles. Energy bandgap for undoped and Sn-doped CdZnS varies from 3.5 to 2.9 eV with error ±0.05 eV. The presence of Sn was confirmed by energy-dispersive X-ray analysis. The effect of dopant concentration on the photoluminescence (PL) intensity has also been studied. The PL emission peak has been observed at 540, 550 and 560 nm for the Sn-doped (CdZnS, CdZnS 2 mol% and CdZnS 4 mol%), respectively, nanoparticles. XRD and PL analyses demonstrate that the Sn ions uniformly substitute Cd sites or interstitial sites in CdZnS lattice, which influence the optical properties. Increase in the concentration of Sn shifts the UV-vis absorption spectra and PL emission spectra towards higher wavelength side. Particle size and the crystallinity of CdZnS : Sn nanoparticles were confirmed through atomic force microscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An application of Goal Programming (GP) methodology with its three approaches namely Min-Max Goal Programming (MMGP), Weighted Goal Programming (WGP) and PreemptiveGoal Programming (PGP) to a system of reservoir for optimal monthly operation has been presented in this paper. The objective of the present work is to find out an improved optimal operation model for Mahanadi Reservoir Project (MRP) system and to study the results in light of implicit fundamental philosophy associated with the models. The goal programming approach possesses significant advantage due to the fact that it may be based on physical operating criteria. The system goals and constraints are expressed deterministically. A constraint must be strictly satisfied, while for a goal it is desired to achieve the solution as close as possible to the specified target. The MMGP model is based on the philosophy of minimization of maximum range of deviation of all decision variables from their target value uniformly. WGP focus on the weights assigned to decision variables according to their relative importance. Whereas, PGP model deals sequentially with each goal according to their order of priorities. All the three GP models have been developed and applied to the MRP Complex which comprises of six multipurpose reservoirs with two inter basin linkage canals in the state of Chhattisgarh, India. The system goals and constraints are expressed deterministically for the application of model in perfect mode. The input data set was kept same to facilitate a justifiable comparison of performance of GP models. The strengths and limitations of all the three GP models have been analysed and the basic salient features of models in light of results obtained are discussed and presented. The best operating policy has been resulted from PGP model as compared to other two models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is an attempt to find best alternative method to estimate reference evapotranspiration (ETo) for the Mahanadi reservoir project (MRP) command area located at Raipur (Chhattisgarh) in India, when input climatic parameters are insufficient to apply standard Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations Penman-Monteith (P-M) method. To identify the best alternative climatic based method that yield results closest to the P-M method, performances of four climate based methods namely Blaney-Criddle, Radiation, Modified Penman and Pan evaporation were compared with the FAO-56 Penman-Monteith method. Performances were evaluated using the statistical indices. The statistical indices used in the analysis were the standard error of estimate (SEE), raw standard error of estimate (RSEE) and the model efficiency. Study was extended to identify the ability of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) for estimation of ETo in comparison to climatic based methods. The networks, using varied input combinations of climatic variables have been trained using the backpropagation with variable learning rate training algorithm. ANN models were performed better than the climatic based methods in all performance indices. The analyses of results of ANN model suggest that the ETo can be estimated from maximum and minimum temperature usingANN approach in MPR area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Tanacetum parthenium (feverfew) has been used traditionally to treat migraine, and although its mechanism of action is not fully understood, serotonin 5-HT receptor blocking effects have been suggested. T. parthenium and Salix alba (white willow) either alone or in combination (Mig-RL) were recently shown to inhibit binding to 5-HT2A/2C receptors; T. parthenium failed to recognise 5-HT1D receptors, whereas S. alba or the combination did. It was hypothesised that S. alba in combination with T. parthenium may provide superior migraine prophylactic activity compared with T. parthenium alone. METHODS: A prospective, open-label study was performed in 12 patients diagnosed with migraine without aura. Twelve weeks’ treatment with T. parthenium 300mg plus S. alba 300mg (Mig-RL) twice daily was administered to determine the effects of therapy on migraine attack frequency (primary efficacy criterion), intensity and duration (secondary efficacy criteria), and quality of life, together with tolerability for patients. RESULTS: Attack frequency was reduced by 57.2% at 6 weeks (p < 0.029) and by 61.7% at 12 weeks (p < 0.025) in nine of ten patients, with 70% patients having a reduction of at least 50%. Attack intensity was reduced by 38.7% at 6 weeks (p < 0.005) and by 62.6% at 12 weeks (p < 0.004) in ten of ten patients, with 70% of patients having a reduction of at least 50%. Attack duration decreased by 67.2% at 6 weeks (p < 0.001) and by 76.2% at 12 weeks (p < 0.001) in ten of ten patients. Two patients were excluded for reasons unrelated to treatment. Self-assessed general health, physical performance, memory and anxiety also improved by the end of the study. Mig-RL treatment was well tolerated and no adverse events occurred. CONCLUSION: The remarkable efficacy of Mig-RL in not only reducing the frequency of migraine attacks but also their pain intensity and duration in this trial warrants further investigation of this therapy in a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled investigation involving a larger patient population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manganese peroxidase (MnP) was produced by shallow stationary cultures of Phanerochaete chrysosporium growing on N-limited medium. Decolorization of sulfonphthalein (SP) dyes by MnP was investigated. The MnP activity profile and decolorization of SP dyes was correlated and almost all dyes were decolorized at pH 4.0. The influence of various inhibitors on Bromocresol Purple decolorization suggested an oxidative nature of the MnP-catalyzed decolorization of SP dyes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Equilibrium and solution structural study of mixed-metal-mixed-ligand complexes of Cu(II), Ni(II) and Zn(II) with L-cysteine, L-threonine and imidazole are conducted in aqueous solution by potentiometry and spectrophotometry. Stability constants of the binary, ternary and quaternary complexes are determined at 25 ±1°C and in I= 0.1 M NaClO. The results of these two methods are made selfconsistent, then rationalized assuming an equilibrium model including the species HA, HA, A, BH, B, M(OH), M(OH), M(A), MA(OH), M(B), M(A)(B), M(A)(B), M(A)(B-H), MM(A)(B) and MM(A)(B-H) (where the charges of the species have been ignored for the sake of simplicity) (A = L-cysteine, L-threonine, salicylglycine, salicylvaline and BH = imidazole). Evidence of the deprotonation of BH ligand is available at alkaline pH. NH deprotonation of the bidentate coordinated imidazole ligand in the binuclear species at pH > 70 is evident from spectral measurements. Stability constants of binary M(A), M(B) and ternary M(A)(B) complexes follow the Irving-Williams order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to relate etiology of diarrhea to the duration of the episode, a cohort of 452 children up to 36 months of age was visited once weekly at their households for 18 consecutive months to record diarrheal morbidity. Fecal specimens were obtained in 453 diarrheal episodes occurring in 354 children during this period. The common putative agents as single isolations associated with diarrhea were EA-AggEC (17.2%), ETEC (14.1%), EPEC (6.0%) and rotavirus (4.0%). The pathogens with higher median duration of diarrhea were Shigella (13.5; mean +/- SD 13.7 +/- 2.7), Salmonella (8.8: 15.3 +/- 4.5) and EA = AggEC (12.0: 15.1 +/- 1.8). Of 55 episodes with duration of greater than 14 days, the main pathogens isolated were EA-AggEC (32.7%), ETEC (9.0), Salmonella, G. lamblia (5.5% each) and Shigella (3.5%). These data provide a preliminary evidence to suggest that EA = AggEC may well be the main long sought microbial agent responsible for diarrhea of long duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biotransformation of amitriptyline (AMI) was studied at different intervals in freshly isolated hepatocytes from healthy or streptozocin-induced diabetic rats in order to investigate the influence of the diabetic state. Levels of free and conjugated AMI, demethylated and hydroxylated metabolites, were assessed by HPLC analysis. In hepatocytes isolated from diabetic rats, AMI was less completely metabolized and the demethylation reaction became more important than in non-diabetic rat hepatocytes. Although the proportions of hydroxylated metabolites decreased in diabetic rats, it always remained predominant. Furthermore, glucuronidation of metabolites was greater, especially for (Z)-10-hydroxynortriptyline in diabetic animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study of the nutritional status of 812 rural primary school children from 6 to 15 years of age is presented. Most of the children came from the large low socio-economic group of rural families. The diet in a sample of 45 families was deficient in all nutrients except carbohydrates, iron and thiamine and yielded only 2,390 calories per consumption unit. The height and weight average in the various age groups of the two sexes were comparable with those of the all India I.C.M.R. study except in the growth spurt period where they fell much below the all India I.C.M.R. figures. 77.1 per cent of the children suffered from malnutrition. Signs of protein-calorie deficiency were found in 60.8 per cent of vitamin A deficiency in 46.3, of vitamin D/calcium lack and of essential fatty acids in 10.3 per cent each. Malnutrition had a dampening effect on their growth potential particularly during the spurt period. Dental caries was seen in 48.9 per cent, peridontial disease in 83 per cent and mottling in 16.3 per cent. 23 per cent stools were positive for ankylostomiasis. Only 2 per cent had a good physique whereas 39.9 per cent had fair and 58.1 per cent had poor physique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two thermostable enzymes produced by the thermophilic fungus Paecilomyces varioti, a chitinase and laminarinase, were used to isolate protoplasts of a thermophilic fungus, Malbranchea sulfurea. The frequency of protoplast regeneration observed (35%) was considerably higher than that obtained using commercial lytic enzymes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]