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Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a public health problem that increases the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction characterized by left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and diastolic dysfunction is a common cardiovascular complication of CKD. Anaemia is present in both dialysis & non dialysis CKD patients. Anaemia causes left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) which in turn leads to increases morbidity and mortality in CKD, even before progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) to end stage renal disease (ESRD). Our study is aimed at to evaluate the prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and its correlation with anaemia in hospitalized CKD patients. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was done on 50 patients of different stages of CKD admitted in the chittagong medical college hospital (CMCH). All the clinical data were reviewed and recorded. Data was analyzed by SPSS-18 and p value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Journal of Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons Vol. 42, No. 1, January 2024 Results: Majority of study population 64% was male, 36% was female. Most of the male patient (40%) of the study population were having abnormal left ventricular mass index (>130 gm/m²). More patients with severe left ventricular hypertrophy were found in stage 5 of CKD in female and male which was 8 and 23 respectively. Regarding correlation of Hb% with LVMI there was a significant negative correlation was found (r= -0.420, p = 0.003) between them means if Hb% decreases LVMI level increases. It was also found in male and female patients separately (for male r = -0.778, p = 0.001 and for female r = -0.746, p = 0.001). Conclusion: Anemia is widely prevalent in our CKD patients. Severity of anemia is correlated to left ventricular hypertrophy in these patients. Hence correction of anemia early in these group of patients can halt or prevent cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diverse efforts undertaken to mitigate the Debye screening effect of field-effect transistor (FET) biosensors have achieved higher sensitivity. However, the charge transfer or induction mechanism between the captured biomolecules and the sensing surface, resulting in shift of surface potential and, hence, the drain current magnitude, shows poor selectivity for real time detection of ultra-low biomolecule concentration in unamplified samples. Herein, enabling direct interaction of the target molecule with edge passivated thermally reduced graphene oxide, through the template of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP), specific trap induced characteristic bulges in the noise spectrum has been observed only in the presence of target molecule. Such a phenomenon has not been observed either with antibodies or aptamers as receptors. Hence, the direct interface of MIP with a graphene FET (GFET) results in the generation of an additional electronic label in FET transduction. As a proof of concept, this principle has been validated for serotonin detection in serum in the presence of other neurotransmitters, resulting in detection limit of 0.05 fM in real time, which is more than two orders of magnitude lower than existing reports and, hence, is expected to pave the way for advancing GFET based sensors toward ultrasensitive point-of-care applications without requiring complex machine learning algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnetic behavior of three Ni-Mn-(Sn,In) based shape memory alloys are investigated under hydrostatic pressure. Among them, Ni 51.2 Mn 32.8 In 16 (NM-In 16) and Ni 51 Mn 35 Sn 14 (NM-Sn 14) have their martensitic transition close to room temperature and undergo several magnetic transitions at lower temperatures. They order ferromagnetically at T C A , which is just above room temperature. However, the ferromagnetism is destroyed by the martensitic transition at T M S (< T C A ). The ferromagnetic order is revoked further at a lower temperature T C M (< T M S ) in the martensite phase. The third alloy, namely, Ni 50 Mn 34 Sn 16 (NM-Sn 16), has a relatively stable ferromagnetic state (Curie point T C A = 347 K), and it survives below the martensitic transition temperature, T M S . Our magnetic study under hydrostatic pressure indicates that T M S and T C M (only for the first two alloys) increase systematically with pressure. However, the saturation magnetization at base temperature is found to be an increasing function of pressure for NM-Sn 14 only, and a decreasing trend is observed for the other two alloys. Most interestingly, NM-Sn 14 shows a large enhancement in magnetocaloric effect (MCE) with pressure, whereas the other two compositions show a drop in MCE with pressure. A subtle competition between the change in Ni-Mn hybridization strength and the Mn-Mn magnetic interaction with pressure can be responsible for the observed anomalous behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work explains the engine performance using waste cooking oil (WCO) blended with diesel. The viscosity of WCO can be reduced to be comparable with diesel by preheating at 90°C and thus improves the engine combustion efficiency. For the purpose of preheating, a shell and tube heat exchanger were designed. The optimized tube and shell diameters of the heat exchanger were estimated as 17 and 460 mm, respectively. Pressure drops in tube and shell sides changed from 28.40 - 27.40 Pa and 0.025 - 0.1 Pa respectively. Flue gas energy contents varied from 4000 W to 16000 W at the mass flow rate of 0.03-0.08 kg/s. Useful energy gained by the heat exchanger for waste cooking oil preheating varied from 1200-5500 W at 1200-3000 rpm. Kinematic viscosity for WCO was 51.85 cSt and it changed to 7.55 - 17.5 cSt for blends of 10 - 30% with diesel at 40°C. As the blending % of WCO with diesel increased, there was a minor drop in brake power because of lower calorific value of the mixture. There was a minor increment of torque because of preheating. Preheated fuel blends injection into the cylinder facilitated better fuel efficiency. Minimum and maximum values of exhaust gas temperature were 345°C and 385°C at 1200 and 3000 rpm of engine speeds respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chickpea is an important pulse crop of India, but its productivity is quite low due to several biotic and abiotic stresses. Low seed vigor is one of the issues that occur due to changes in different biochemical properties during improper storage condition. To overcome the biochemical activity during storage, seed priming is a promising strategy. In the present study, two nanopriming agents viz., Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles (ZnONPs) and silver Nanoparticles (AgNPs) were evaluated for biochemical activity (Peroxidase activity, alpha amylase activity, total soluble sugar, total protein) of chickpea at 2, 4, 6 and 9 months storage period after priming for 1, 2, and 6 hours. Result showed increased activity of Peroxidase (POX) with increase of storage time, but the rate of increase was comparatively low when seeds were nanoprimed with ZnONPs. Similarly, alpha amylase activity and protein content were recorded highest and Total Soluble Sugar (TSS) was found lowest in ZnONPs primed seed. Out of the different priming times, 6 hrs was found to be the best at 9 months of storage with positive effect on biochemical parameters. Among the biotic stresses, disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. ciceri has been considered as a destructive one, which causes yield loss up to 10% every year. To overcome the biotic stress and enhance the storage life, chickpea seeds were primed with ZnONPs and AgNPS at 100 ppm alone and in combination with each other. We found positive effect on seed germination (%), plant growth, and yield attributing parameter and negative effect on per disease incidence of F. oxysporum f.sp. ciceri. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forty soybean genotypes were evaluated for two consecutive years kharif 2018 and 2019 to determine genetic variability, heritability (h2 ) and genetic advance (GA) for yield and other yield attributing traits. The pooled analysis of variance revealed significant variation among year and treatment for all characters studied. The interaction of year x treatment also showed a significant difference for most of the traits. RVSM2011-35 recorded the highest mean performance of seed yield/plant and a high value of oil content over the two years indicating that the genotype was found to be promising and could be recommended for Assam. In the case of oil content, NRC 148 showed the highest mean value and also a high value of mean seed yield/ plant over the two years. Range estimation showed wide values for most of the traits except plant height, the number of branches and pods/plant in comparison with the check. The estimates of phenotypic (PCV) and genotypic (GCV) coefficient of variation indicated that the values of PCV were slightly higher than GCV. The highest values of GCV and PCV were observed for seed yield/plant, the number of seeds/pod and oil content. Higher values of heritability (h2) coupled with high genetic advance (GA) were recorded for seed yield/plant, the number of seeds/pod, oil content, the number of branches, days to 50% flowering, plant height, the number of pods/plant, and 100 seed weight, suggesting that these characters could easily be modified or improved through simple selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To a modular form, we propose to associate an infinite number of complex-valued functions on -adic numbers for each prime . We elaborate on the correspondence and study its consequences in terms of the Mellin transform and the -function related to the form. Further, we discuss the case of products of Dirichlet -functions and their Mellin duals, which are convolution products of -series. The latter are intriguingly similar to nonholomorphic Maass forms of weight zero as suggested by their Fourier coefficients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experiment was designed to examine the microsphere of the chitin-glucan complex. We formed a chitin-glucan microsphere (ChGMS) from the spray dryer technique. SEM images observed that shape of ChGMS was spherical. From particle size analyzer and SEM analysis both showed that the size of particles was in the range of 1.5 to 3.5 µm. It showed amorphous nature after the formation of microsphere particles of chitin-glucan. The effect of chitin-glucan complex and ciprofloxacin loaded chitin-glucan microsphere on Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli were also tested. Antibacterial analysis was indicating that the ciprofloxacin loaded chitinglucan microsphere strongly inhibited the growth of bacteria in comparison to the chitin-glucan solution. From the analysis, we can conclude that the antibacterial property was also dependent on the size of the chitin-glucan microsphere. Complexation of the chitin-glucan microsphere with ciprofloxacin improved the antibacterial activity of the chitin-glucan microsphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We prepared CdSe QDs on thioglycolic acid modified chitosan (CdSe@Chit-TGAc). It showed bright yellow fluorescence under long wave UV radiation. Optical properties and growth of crystal was checked by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. HRTEM and XPS results demonstrated that CdSe QDs were successfully prepared and decorated on thiol modified chitosan templet and size of CdSe QDs was also successfully stabilized within the quantum dot size range. Biocompatibility of CdSe@Chit-TGAc was checked on in-vitro system in two cell lines i.e., normal lung cell line (WI-38) and pulmonary cancerous cell line (A549) which exhibited significant uptake and florescence of CdSe@Chit-TGAc with WI-38. The concentration-dependent cytotoxicity in A549 cells for the QDs was also studied. Based on preliminary bioassays, further mechanistic studies can be done to exploit the properties of CdSe@Chit-TGAc as fluorescent agent for cell imaging, targeted drug delivery, nano-medicine etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this investigation we have shown the preparation of carboxylic acid containing new chromophore : 4-(3-(4-nitrophenyl) thioureido) benzoic acid and its use. The chemical modification of chitosan, e.g., chitosan- acid salt complexes is done under mild conditions. The synthesis of chromophore was carried out by conventional methods and the novel polymer complex was soluble in most of the organic solvents. The modified chitosan was analyzed by various techniques like optical properties by UV and SHG spectroscopy which showed red shift. The antibacterial activity showed obvious effect against food pathogenic bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we have investigated the effect of nanometric grain size modulation on the behavior of magnetoimpedance (MI), magnetoresistance, and magnetic properties of a series of single-phase nanocrystalline colossal magnetoresistance La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO) manganites all synthesized through chemical route “pyrophoric reaction process.” MI measurements were carried out at room temperature (T=300 K) in the ac signal frequency (f) range of 40 kHz-110 MHz and in dc magnetic field (H) range of -2.5 kOe

Sm3+ singly doped and Sm3+ co-doped with varying concentration of ZnS nanoparticles (ZnS NPs) in silica matrix were fabricated via sol-gel route and investigated by various structural, thermo-gravimetric and spectroscopic techniques. Structural characterizations were done by XRD, EDX, TEM and FTIR whereas thermo-gravimetric characterization was performed by TGA/DTG technique. The structural studies reveal the presence of nanosized ZnS particles in the amorphous silica matrix. Spectroscopic studies were performed through absorption, excitation, emission and decay spectra of the fabricated samples. The dependence of Judd-Ofelt and various radiative parameters of Sm3+ on the concentration of ZnS NPs in the studied matrix were evaluated. Significantly high value of Ω 2 obtained for the present system reveals effective network modifying nature of the ZnS NPs. The PL behaviour showed strong concentration dependence on ZnS NPs and showed optimum for the ZnS concentration of 0.5 M. The emission transition 4G 5/2 → 6H 9/2 of Sm3+ corresponding to the red colour observed at 642 nm for silica matrix in the present study showed excellent radiative behaviour compared to other popular glass hosts. This indicates ZnS NPs co-doped Sm3+ sol-gel silica matrix to be a prospective candidate for laser and other optical device applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present investigation deals with the preparation of carboxylic acid containing new chromophore : 4-2-(2-hydroxy-5-(4-nitrophenyl) diazenyl) benzylidene) hydrazinyl) benzoic acid and its use for chemical modification of chitosan, e.g., chitosan-acid salt complexes under mild conditions. Optical properties of chitosan acid complexes were evaluated by UV and SHG spectroscopy which showed red shift. Antibacterial activity of prepared chitosan acid complexes showed obvious effect against food pathogenic bacteria. The novel polymer complex was soluble in most of the organic solvents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classification of remote sensing spatial information from multi spectral satellite imagery can be used to obtain multiple representation of the image and capture different structure lineaments. Pixels are grouped using clustering and morphology based segmentation for region based spatial information. This is used to calculate the spatial features of the contiguous regions by classifying the region into the statistics of the pixel properties. In the proposed work, analysis of Google Earth images for identification of morphological patterns of the river flow is done for remote sensing image using graph-cuts. Multi-temporal satellite images acquired from Google Earth to identify the digital elevation is used to formulate the energy function from images to compare the displacement in pixel value using similarity measure. A method is proposed to solve non-rigid image transformation via graph-cuts algorithm by modeling the registration process as a discrete labeling problem. A displacement vector associated to each pixel in the source image indicates the corresponding position in the moving image. The transformation matrix produced from change in the intensity of the pixels for a region is then optimized for energy minimization by using the graph-cuts algorithm and demon registration technique. The proposed study enhances the advantages of regional segmentation in order to know homogeneous areas for optimal image segmentation and digital footprints for change in the river bed patterns by identifying the change in LANDSAT data from temporal satellite images. By applying the proposed multi-level registration method, the number of labels used in each level is greatly reduced due to lower image resolution being used in coarser levels. The results demonstrate that the lineament detection for better accuracy compared to traditional sources of lineament identification methods. It has provided better geotectonic understanding of Cudappah rock in Ahobhilam with Quartzite. The imprints of Eastern Ghat orogeny are seen in upper stream section through a graph cut based segmentation approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on an expression derived for the srtucture factor of a superlattice with rough interfaces. Interpretation of the random variables; Ratio of satellite intensities to peak intensity.

Recent advances in nonsilica fiber technology have prompted the development of suitable materials for devices operating beyond 1.55 μm. The III-V ternaries and quaternaries (AlGaIn)(AsSb) lattice matched to GaSb seem to be the obvious choice and have turned out to be promising candidates for high speed electronic and long wavelength photonic devices. Consequently, there has been tremendous upthrust in research activities of GaSb-based systems. As a matter of fact, this compound has proved to be an interesting material for both basic and applied research. At present, GaSb technology is in its infancy and considerable research has to be carried out before it can be employed for large scale device fabrication. This article presents an up to date comprehensive account of research carried out hitherto. It explores in detail the material aspects of GaSb starting from crystal growth in bulk and epitaxial form, post growth material processing to device feasibility. An overview of the lattice, electronic, transport, optical and device related properties is presented. Some of the current areas of research and development have been critically reviewed and their significance for both understanding the basic physics as well as for device applications are addressed. These include the role of defects and impurities on the structural, optical and electrical properties of the material, various techniques employed for surface and bulk defect passivation and their effect on the device characteristics, development of novel device structures, etc. Several avenues where further work is required in order to upgrade this III-V compound for optoelectronic devices are listed. It is concluded that the present day knowledge in this material system is sufficient to understand the basic properties and what should be more vigorously pursued is their implementation for device fabrication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study that investigated the hole transport properties of gallium antimonide with various degrees of tellurium compensation in the temperature range of 4.2-300 K. Details of the single-crystal substrates of undoped and Te-compensated p-GaSb used; Illustration of the plots of the temperature dependence of hall coefficient; Conclusions.

Presents a comprehensive treatment of the nature of luminescence centers in tellurium-diffused gallium-antimony. Experimental details; Results and discussion; Conclusions.

Deals with a study which discussed the photoluminescence and cathodluminescence properties of a-Si:H treated undoped and tellurium-compensated p-GaSb. Background to the study; Experimental details; Results and discussion.

We have used molecular dynamics to study a two-dimensional system of point particles with screened Coulomb interactions, in a ‘‘box’’ whose size is allowed to vary. In addition to determining the familiar energy–temperature relations at both constant area and constant pressure, we have obtained pressure–area isotherms, diffusion constants, and pair-correlation functions. The results of our simulation are expected to be relevant to such systems as polar monolayers on the surface of water (Langmuir films) and thin colloidal suspensions. By monitoring the energy–temperature relation and the diffusion constant, we have observed first order solid–liquid transitions with hysteresis under both constant area and constant pressure conditions. However, the discontinuities in the pressure–area isotherms at the transition are almost imperceptible. Other thermodynamic relations such as area vs temperature at constant pressure, and the derivative of pressure vs area, are presented to support the analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic properties of oleic acid/oleylamine coated magnetite nanoparticles of average diameter D=4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 nm are reported. The samples were characterized by transmission electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction (XRD) with XRD showing increasing disorder with decreasing D. Magnetization M vs temperature T data show the blocking temperature TB decreasing with decreasing D from TB=38 K for 12 nm to TB=6.5 K for D=4 nm. The saturation magnetization Ms at 2 K also decreases from Ms=62 emu/g for 12 nm to Ms=17 emu/g for 4 nm but the coercivity at 2 K increases with a decrease in D. It is shown that Ms fits Ms=92(1-2d/D)3 with d=0.68 nm for D>4 nm and d=0.86 for D=4 nm. This equation is derived assuming a core-shell model with shell of thickness d consisting of disordered spins not contributing to Ms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nature of magnetism in 10% Cu-doped ZrO2, TiO2, MgO, SiO2, and Al2O3 is investigated using superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry and electron magnetic resonance (EMR). The doping was done by the incipient wetness impregnation technique. X-ray diffraction studies showed the presence of some CuO notably in TiO2, SiO2, and Al2O3. However, EMR yielded typical Cu2+ spectra in all the samples, resulting from some doping. Magnetic field (H) and temperature (T) dependences of the magnetization (M) show only paramagnetism in these oxides in contrast to ferromagnetism with Tc=380 K observed in Cu/ZnO. Concentrations x of Cu2+ doped into the oxides are determined from the M vs T and M vs H data, showing Cu/ZrO2 with the largest x and hence largest magnetization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of nanometric grain size ([lowercase_phi_synonym]=14–28 nm) modulation on the behavior of magnetoimpedance (MI), magnetoresistance, and magnetic properties of chemically synthesized a series of single-phase soft ferromagnetic nanocrystalline colossal magnetoresistance La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO) manganites at room temperature have been reported. From the frequency and magnetic filed dependent MI measurement it is found that the MI percent increases with the increase in nanometric grain size ([lowercase_phi_synonym]) for this series of samples. This behavior has been explained in the light of classical electrodynamics, which relates this effect with the dependency of skin depth on external magnetic field and applied ac signal frequency. Room temperature low field magnetoresistance (LFMR) study of this series of LSMO nanoparticles has also been carried out for comparison. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic studies in bulk 57% CuxZn1-xO/43% CuO composite prepared chemically with x=0.10 (0.03) are reported. Temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility shows clear signature of the Néel temperature TN≃230 K for pure CuO. Hysteresis loop studies in the zero-field-cooled sample show room-temperature ferromagnetism with coercivity Hc≃50 Oe at 300 K with strong temperature dependence for T<300 K. A negative exchange bias He at 5 K is observed when the sample is cooled from RT in H=20 kOe, and its temperature dependence yields He→0 at TN=230 K of CuO. These results and the temperature dependence of remanence Mr provide strong evidence that the CuxZn1-xO phase with x≃0.10 is a ferromagnet with Tc≃400 K. An electron magnetic resonance signal due to Cu2+ substituting for Zn2+ in CuxZn1-xO is also observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this report, we demonstrate heteroepitaxial growth of single-crystalline-like Si thin films on inexpensive and lightweight flexible metal foil substrates using radio-frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (RF-PECVD). Single-crystalline-like Ge thin film on ion-beam textured templates on metal foils served as epitaxy enabling substrates for Si growth. The epitaxial Si films were oriented along (004) direction and strongly biaxially-textured with narrow in-plane and out-of-plane spreads. Surface morphology was granular with 300–400 nm diameter grains having very low-angle grain boundaries (average ∼ 0.5°). Raman spectroscopy revealed near 100% crystallinity and high structural quality, comparable to bulk c-Si wafer. Controllable in-situ gas phase doping was carried out to achieve n- and p-type Si films with high electron and hole mobilities of 230 and 65 cm 2 /V-s respectively and carrier concentrations suitable for electronic device application. Direct deposition of high mobility single-crystalline-like Si thin films on flexible and inexpensive metal foils can be a potential route towards roll-to-roll scalable manufacturing of high-performance flexible electronics applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let G be a finite non-abelian group with center Z(G). The non-commuting graph of G is a simple undirected graph whose vertex set is G n Z(G) and two vertices x and y are adjacent if and only if xy \= yx. In this paper, we compute Laplacian energy of the non-commuting graphs of some classes of finite non-abelian groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Designing theranostic agents that are responsive to mildly acidic and reducing tumor microenvironments for optimized imaging and chemotherapeutic effects, is of huge interest in nanomedicine. In this context, we have prepared mesoporous manganese silicate NPs and a biocompatible coating of carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC) was introduced on the surface of manganese silicate nanoparticles. In order to confer multifunctionality to the prepared nanovehicle, it was treated hydrothermally which resulted in formation of fluorescent C-dots on the surface of nanovehicle. The nanoarchitecture CD@CMC@MnSiO3 was characterized by FTIR, XRD, UV-visible and PL spectroscopy. A hydrophobic drug curcumin was loaded on the prepared nanoarchitecture and very high drug loading capacity was obtained. Drug release profile was observed at physiological pH (pH 7.4), acidic pH (pH 6.4 and 5.0) and acidic pH with reducing environment (pH 5.0 and glutathione). The prepared nanoarchitecture demonstrated exceptional pH-modulated drug release which was further enhanced in the presence of glutathione. Cellular imaging experiments conducted on SW480 cell lines confirmed potential applicability of the prepared nanoarchitecture for live cellular imaging which may also be applied for tracking of drug. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of a solid solution of MnNiSi and FeNiGe alloys with nominal composition Mn 0.53 Fe 0.47 NiSi 0.53 Ge 0.47 have been investigated through dc magnetic measurements in ambient as well as in high pressure conditions. The alloy undergoes magneto-structural transition from the paramagnetic hexagonal Ni 2 In type structure to the ferromagnetic orthorhombic TiNiSi-type structure on cooling around 160 K. The alloy shows significant amount of training effect in magnetization when it is thermally cycled through the first order martensitic transition. We observe a colossal magnetocaloric effect (MCE) ( Δ S = −70.1 J/kg-K for H = 0–50 kOe) in ambient condition around the magneto-structural transition ( ∼ 176 K). Application of external hydrostatic pressure results in a significant decrease in the MCE value of the alloy. Reasonably large value of refrigeration capacity (RC) in ambient as well as in high pressure conditions (RC = 184.4 and 123 J/kg in ambient and 5 kbar of external pressure respectively) confirms its acceptance as a good magnetic refrigerant for practical uses. Metamagnetic behavior of the alloy around the magneto-structural transition presumably plays the key role towards the observation of such colossal value of MCE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic properties of sol-gel-prepared bulk samples of Co0.05Zn0.95O and Mn0.05Zn0.95O are reported before and after annealing in 5%H2/95%Ar at 573 K for 6 h. The as-prepared samples are paramagnetic with the magnetic susceptibility χ following the Curie-Weiss law: χ=χ0+C/(T-θ). The magnitudes of C are consistent with the magnetic moments expected for the Co2+ and Mn2+ states. After hydrogenation, the magnetism of Mn/ZnO is unchanged but Co/ZnO acquires room-temperature ferromagnetism (RTFM) with a magnetic moment of 0.35μB/Co site and hysteresis loop with coercivity Hc≃600 Oe, remanence Mr≃0.45 emu/g, and saturation magnetization Ms≃1.2 emu/g. Electron magnetic-resonance spectroscopy at 9.28 GHz gives signals corresponding to the Co2+ and Mn2+ states for the paramagnetic states and a broad FM signal for the hydrogenated Co/ZnO. This difference under hydrogenation between Co/ZnO and Mn/ZnO suggests that n-type doping leads to stabilizing of RTFM in Co/ZnO but not in Mn/ZnO, the latter perhaps requiring p-type doping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starting with 7 nm γFe2O3 nanoparticles, synthesis of DNA-γFe2O3 nanocomposite and its structural/magnetic properties vis-a-vis the parent γFe2O3 are reported. Analysis of the x-ray diffraction shows an increase in the particle strain and average particle size (to 9.7 nm) in DNA-γFe2O3 nanocomposite. Transmission electron microscopy also shows an increase in size and a considerably wider size distribution. Temperature (5–300 K) variation of the magnetization (M) shows a wider distribution of the blocking temperatures (TB), as expected from the wider size distribution. Above TB, the data of M vs H fit the modified Langevin function with magnetic moment/particle μp≈11 000μB, somewhat larger than μp≈8000μB for the parent γFe2O3. However, M/g(γFe2O3) is not significantly affected. In electron magnetic-resonance spectroscopy at 9.28 GHz, only a single line is observed in DNA-γFe2O3 nanocomposite compared to two lines in γFe2O3. These effects are discussed in terms of the above structural differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different wt% of vanadium-substituted molybdophosphoric acid H4PMo11VO40 loaded on titania (TiO2) are prepared by wet impregnation method. The catalytic activity of PMoV-supported titania catalyst for the vapor-phase ammoxidation of m-xylene at different temperatures is reported here. The synthesized catalysts were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption-desorption, thermogravimetric/differential thermal analysis, temperature programmed desorption (TPD), temperature programmed reduction (TPR) scanning electron microscopy, energydispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). FTIR studies confirmed that the Keggin structure of PMoV does not change even up to 460°C when loaded on TiO2 surface. Among all the PMoV-supported TiO2 catalysts, 1.7% PMoV/TiO2 showed excellent activity for vapor-phase ammoxidation of m-xylene with 85.4% yield of isophthalonitrile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local application of the Dorogov's antiseptic-stimulant onto the skin of 2-month-old male Sprague-Dawley rats in a low dose (0.5 g/kg/day) for 1 week increased motor and ultrasonic activity of experimental animals and the content of activated c-Fos neurons on the cingular, motor, insular, and pyriform cortex and in the striatum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To develop a biodegradable antimicrobial composite film lignin was incorporated into chitosan in different compositions. The films were characterized by UV-visible, FT-IR and XRD techniques and evaluated for their potential antimicrobial activities against two food pathogens, namely, Gram (+) ve (Bacillus subtilis) and Gram (-) ve (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacteria. FT-IR results showed that an interaction among chitosan polymer matrix and lignin had occurred, absorbance band of chitosan at 3280 cm-1 for hydroxyl is shifted to ~ 3000 cm-1 with the weak intensity (in lignin, 200 µg), 1666 cm-1 for amide bond and it is shifted to 1644 cm-1; 1023 cm-1 for assigned to C-O stretching and shifted to 1066 cm-1. XRD peaks of lignin containing films were more intense, indicating that the interaction of lignin into the film matrix which induces an increase in crystallinity nature. It has been observed that there are no major changes in the thickness of chitosan films after mixing of lignin. Addition of lignin in chitosan films resulted in the decrease in water content and solubility of the composite films. Lignin (200 µg) could be well dispersed and showed strong tensile strength (TS) and ductility in the films. The composite films have shown significant antimicrobial activity against Gram (+) ve and Gram (-) ve bacteria. This study revealed that an antimicrobial chitosan film could be obtained by addition of lignin, which may give a new idea for the development of an active food packaging material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chitin-glucan complex (ChGC) was extracted from Agaricus bisporus (White Button Mushroom) biomass using a hot alkaline treatment for several times and washed with distilled water. The prepared material was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and biological activity of ChGC was tested against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli. ChGC shows better antibacterial activity in comparison to native chitin. Hence, antibacterial study of ChGC may find better application opportunity in cosmetics, food packaging and medicinal fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The panoptic influence of plasma $q$ -nonextensivity and dust-charge fluctuations on the gravito-electro-magnetic stability behaviour of a realistic non-thermal complex astroplasma model configuration with infinite geometrical extension is reconnoitered. It includes active viscoelasticity and dust polarization force-field effects in quasi-neutral hydrostatic equilibrium on the astrophysical fluid scales of space and time. The nontrivial linear model is simplified with the Jeans homogenization assumption (Jeans swindle, no zeroth-order force-field). It analytically and logically enables us to relax from the inclusion of large-scale inhomogeneities and of associated intrinsic complications. The role of boundary effects on the dynamical stability is assumed to be insignificant. We apply a standard technique of the Fourier formulaic plane-wave analysis over the basic cloud-structuring equations in a closed integrated form. It reduces the model Fourier algebraic equations decoupling into a unique form of cubic dispersion relation having mixed variable coefficients, which, indeed, explicitly, evolve on the diverse model plasma parameters. It is interestingly seen that the polarization and nonextensive effects directly play destabilizing roles. In contrast, the viscoelasticity and magnetic field create stabilizing effects on the instability. The pragmatic significance and applicability in the context of astro-cosmo-galactic environments are briefly indicated aboard analytic facts and introspective faults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study describes about the preparation of semisolid metal (SSM) slurry by using an oblique plate. In this process, A356 aluminum alloy melt partially solidifies while flowing over a bottom cooled oblique plate. Melt flow inertia shears columnar dendrites formed on plate wall into equiaxed/fragmented grains by resulting semisolid slurry at plate exit. Effects of plate length providing required shear and cooling rate enabling necessary solidification are investigated. A 3-phase numerical model vis-à-vis transport of mass, momentum, energy and species is developed for prediction of velocity, temperature, macrosegregation and solid fraction. Model uses volume of fluid (VOF) for tracking-metal-air-interface and finite volume method (FVM) with enthalpy based phase change algorithm for tracking-solid-liquid-interface within the metal. Darcy model is used for porous mushy zone. Slurry variable viscosity is represented by Oldenburg model. Stokes model incorporates solid phase movement and gravity effect along the flow. Dendrite fragmentation is considered for generation of moving solid phase. Solid movement is handled by coherency point and characteristic diameter of moving grains. Model neglects nucleation and growth kinetics, solidification shrinkage/expansion and thermo-solutal buoyancy. Slurry solid fractions at plate exit are 16%, 22%, and 27% for plate lengths of 200 mm, 250 mm, and 300 mm, respectively. And, are 5%, 22%, and 27% for heat transfer coefficients of 1000 W/m 2 -K, 2000 W/m 2 -K and 2500 W/m 2 -K, respectively. Numerical predictions agree well with experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Superconducting properties of polycrystalline FeSe 1 − x S x S x (x = 0.1 and 0.2) alloys are investigated. • Impact of external hydrostatic pressure and chemical pressure on the superconducting state. • Anomalous behavior of superconducting transition temperature. • Non-Fermi liquid type behavior of normal state resistivity. • Signature of flux flow resistance in the isothermal resistivity data as a function of external magnetic field. Here we report on the magnetic and magneto-transport behavior of Fe-based superconductor with nominal compositions FeSe 1 − x S x (x = 0.1 and 0.2). The impact of external hydrostatic pressure (P) and chemical pressure on the superconducting state of the FeSe system has been investigated in this work. Superconducting transition temperature (T c) is found to be shifted towards higher temperatures with 10% S doping at the Se site of the FeSe alloy. On further increase in the doping concentration (for x = 0.2), the superconducting T c decreases. We have also observed a significant effect of external P on the superconducting properties of these S-doped alloys. Different superconducting parameters calculated from our experimental data confirm the type-II superconducting nature of the studied compounds. The signature of flux flow resistance is observed in the isothermal resistivity data as a function of the external magnetic field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Provides information on a study which observed improvements in the optical and electrical properties of gallium antimonide after ruthenium passivation. Effect of ruthenium passivation on gallium antimonide; Observation on the passivation and luminescence efficiency of ruthenium; Discussion of the boundary passivation of polycrystallines.

We discuss Liouville field theory in the framework of the Schwinger-Dyson approach and derive a functional equation for the three-point structure constant. We prove the existence of a second Schwinger-Dyson equation based on the duality between the screening charge operators and obtain a second functional equation for the structure constant. We use the system of these two equations to uniquely determine the structure constant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Present work reports on the observation of multiple magnetic transitions in a Ni-excess ferromagnetic shape memory alloy with nominal composition Ni 2.048 Mn 1.312 In 0.64 . The magnetization data reveal two distinct thermal hystereses associated with two different phase transitions at different temperature regions. The high temperature magnetic hysteresis is due to the martensitic phase transition whereas the low temperature hysteresis occurs around the magnetic anomaly signifying the transition from a paramagnetic-like state to the ferromagnetic ground state within the martensite. Clear thermal hysteresis along with the sign of the curvatures of Arrott plot curves confirm the first-order nature of both the transitions. In addition, the studied alloy is found to be functionally rich with the observation of large magnetoresistance (−45% and −4% at 80 kOe) and magnetocaloric effect (+16.7 J kg −1 K −1 and −2.25 J kg −1 K −1 at 50 kOe) around these two hysteresis regions (300 K and 195 K respectively). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field study with organic manures, inorganic manures and biofertilizers alone and in combination was carried out on 11-year-old mango (Mangifera indica L.) cv. Himsagar spaced 10 m apart in a randomized block design at the University Research Station, Gayeshpur, BCKV, West Bengal, India. The objective was to determine their effect on growth, soil characters, and fruit quality of mango grown in a new alluvial zone of West Bengal. Respiration, physiological loss in weight (PLW) and shelf life at ambient room temperatures, and soil characters were also assessed. Results revealed that among the eight treatments, biofertiliser (Azotobacter + PSM) along with 50% inorganic fertilizer significantly increased the growth characters of mango trees. This treatment also increased the physico-chemical character of fruit while biofertilizers alone improved the fruit quality, viz. total soluble solids, total sugar and β-carotene. Fruits treated with biofertilizers also had increased shelf life with lower PLW and respiration rate. Soil microbial population and other soil characters were improved by application of biofertilizer as well. It is concluded that biofertilizer application in mango gives better growth, fruit quality, and soil health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of Ni-doped Ni 50+x Mn 35−x Sn 15 samples for x = −1, 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 have been investigated by transport and dc magnetization measurements. The parent sample ( x = 0) undergoes martensitic phase transition around 180 K during cooling along with ferromagnetic Curie point ( T C ) to be 340 K. Interestingly, Ni doping at the Mn site leads to rather unusual non-monotonous variation of martensitic transition temperature ( T MS ) which is precisely corroborated by the similar non-monotonous variation of lattice volume ( V 300 K ). Between −1 ≤ x ≤ 2, the variation of various physical parameters in the studies alloys is conventional and can be explained on the basis of e / a ratio of the samples. However, for x > 2, parameters such as T C , T MS , V 300 K etc. show sudden change in the nature of their variation which is anomalous and cannot be accounted by the e / a ratio formalism. Present study reveals that possible reason behind this non-monotonous variation is closely connected with a self-sustained mechanism originating from the change in the strength of hybridization between Ni 3 d e g state and the excess Mn at the Sn site on Ni substitution. The samples also show large negative magnetoresistance near T MS with its magnitude showing similar non-monotonous variation with Ni doping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ground state magnetic properties of Eu 0.5 Sr 0.5 Mn 1− x Co x O 3 ( x = 0, 0.02, 0.05, and 0.1) with perovskite structure were investigated through dc magnetization and ac susceptibility measurements. Smaller ionic radii of Eu +3 ion makes the ground state magnetic properties of these compounds more interesting. The samples show magnetic memory, large relaxation, frequency-dependent ac susceptibility and aging effects at low temperature, which indicate glassy magnetic ground state in the studied samples. A gradual transition from the spin-glass like ground state to cluster-glass state is also observed with increasing Co concentration. This observation is due to the decrease in double exchange interaction between Mn 3+ and Mn 4+ ion and hence the ferromagnetic interaction with Co doping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exchange bias ( H E = ∼ 90 Oe for H cool = 5 kOe at 5 K) and magnetocaloric effect (1.55 J/kg-K for 0–50 kOe at 5 K) of the new class of ferromagnetic shape memory alloy of nominal composition Mn 0.75 Fe 0.25 NiGe have been investigated. The sample can be thought of being derived from the parent MnNiGe alloy, where Fe was doped at the expense of Mn atom. Fe doping at Mn site brings down the martensitic transition temperature below room temperature and induces ferromagnetism in it. The presence of antiferromagnetic (AFM) clusters, due to doping disorder, in otherwise ferromagnetic (FM) compound, plays pivotal role towards the observation of multifunctionality of the studied alloy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have observed Shubnikov-de Haas and de Haas-van Alphen effects in the single crystals of the three-dimensional Dirac semimetal Cd3As2 up to 50 K, traceable at fields as low as 2 and 1 T, respectively. The values of the Fermi wave vector, the Fermi velocity, and the effective cyclotron mass of the charge carrier, calculated from both techniques, are close to each other and match well with earlier reports. However, the de Haas-van Alphen effect clearly reflects the existence of two different Fermi surface cross sections along certain directions and a nontrivial Berry's phase, which is the signature of a three-dimensional Dirac fermion in Cd3As2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The response of a typical ferrofluid (FF) lies in its explicit property of chain formation of magnetic nanoparticles. The most significant magneto-optic (MO) and magneto-viscous (MV) effects of FF are attributed to chaining effect. In the present research, an effort was made to analytically justify the dependence of the structure evolution of FFs on different measurable parameters involved in MO and MV effects. The problem is treated with the help of dimensional analysis and an empirical relation is formulated relating the equilibrium chain length with Verdet coefficient (constant), particle diameter, viscosity of the carrier fluid, particle density, magnetization and shear rate. The formulated relation of chain length is supported by error analysis to yield the uncertainty in the result. The maximum uncertainty in four sets of data is found as ∼0.75. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The emergence of antimalarial drug resistance malaria parasite is widespread in North eastern region of India. During January 2012-December 2013, we conducted active surveillance for detection of antifolate resistance-associated genetic polymorphisms in Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasite from different malaria endemic areas of Assam. Materials and Methods: A total of 281 field samples were collected from suspected malaria patients of which 106 malaria P. falciparum positive cases were detected in microscopic slide examination. A nested PCR was done for amplification of a 648 bp portion of the dhfr gene and 710 bp portion of the dhps gene. Results: Mutation analysis revealed existence of three different haplotypes of the P. falciparum dhfr gene of which ANRNI was highly prevalent (90%). Triple mutant haplotypes AIRNI (N51I + C59R + S108N) of the dhfr gene associated with pyrimethamine resistance were prevalent in Chirang district of Assam. Whereas, dhps mutation study revealed that triple mutant haplotype AGEAA (S436A + A437G + K540E) associated with Sulphadoxine resistance was found among 26% of P. falciparum field isolates. However, P. falciparum dhfr-dhps two locus mutation analysis showed that there were a total of nine dhfr-dhps genotypes. Conclusion: It was noticed that 93.62% (88/94) isolates had mutations in the sequences of both enzymes, which is an indication of prevalence of high grade of Sulphadoxine -- pyrimethamine resistance in P. falciparum malaria parasites in Assam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a preliminary report of the rare earth metal abundances in certain Pan-African granitoids of Karbi Hills, Assam, North East India. Higher abundance of rare earth metals is apparently related to the mineralogical abundance of certain key rare earth element (REE)-bearing accessory minerals like allanite, xenotime, bastnaesite, apatite, zircon and monazite. The bulk chemistry of the granitoids suggests their A-type, calcium-deficient but alkali-rich, anomalous, anorogenic, within-plate granitoid character. Textural variants considered for the present study are: (1) porphyritic to sub-porphyritic, medium to fine-grained, mylonitized grey and pink-coloured granitoids of the Panbari-Geleki area in northern Karbi Hills, and (2) the non-porphyritic, medium to fine-grained granitoids of Kathalguri area in northwestern Karbi Hills. Compositionally, the plutons are granitic to granodioritic in composition. The study reveals that the grey porphyritic granitoids are poor in REE, but the pink porphyry/sub-porphyry variety is enriched in REE. The pink granitoids show richness in La (average 1086 ppm) and Ce (average 2329 ppm) in particular. The average LREE content in the nonporphyritic Kathalguri granitoids is 607.46 ppm, but their HREE content is slightly higher (average 26.50 ppm) than normal granitoids. Chondrite normalized LREE-HREE profile and ratios of CeN/YbN, LaN/YbN, LaN/SmN and TbN/YbN of individual plutons indicate co-magmatic derivation of magmatic masses from the lower crust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]