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Leguminous shade trees are ubiquitous parts of tea plantations of the Terai region. However, their shed leaves might have an effect on the soil microflora under those shade trees, so it is important to find out how leaf litter affect the soil microflora. Isolation of soil microbial consortia followed by downstream experiments were conducted to observe the tolerance/susceptible pattern of those soil microflora against the fallen leaves. Sample from under Albizia odoratissima has higher organic carbon, organic matter and nitrogen content but the same property was found to be low in the sample collected under Melia azedarach. Isolation of consortia was done on nutrient agar. In vitro tolerance assay was conducted to find out the tolerance pattern against leaf extracts, heavy metal salts, pesticides, antibiotics and antifungals. Heavy metals salts like Arsenic trioxide (AS2O3) and Cupric chloride (CuCl2); and pesticides like Thiamethoxam; Spiromesifen; Phorate etc. showed no inhibition against all the isolated consortia. Co-Trimoxazole and Augmentin have not showed any inhibition except consortia under Derris robusta, whereas no antifungals but Itraconazole had an impact over all the consortia. Shade trees, being a crucial member of the tea plantations, cannot be removed but replacement of these with other species could be a probable option, besides this limited use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers should be taken into consideration strictly to restrain the microbial population in tea garden soil. So, this study has disclosed the acceptability of each and every shade tree used in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we introduce a new class of derivations that generalizes skew derivations and semi-derivations, and we call it skew semi-derivation. Furthermore, we present a study of the conditions under which this type of multiplicative derivation becomes additive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthesis of core‐modified 28π non‐fused hexaphyrin is reported. The optical and 1H NMR spectral analysis reveals the non‐aromatic nature of the macrocycle in its freebase form at 298 K. However, the non‐aromatic nature of the macrocycle remains unaltered upon lowering the temperature. The structural elucidations for the freebase macrocycle also justify the non‐aromaticity of the freebase 8, where the thiophene units of the 1,2 diphenyl 1,2 dithienyl ethene moiety is deviated maximum from the overall macrocyclic framework. Protonation on the imino pyrrolic nitrogens results in single–crystal X‐ray structures of 8 which show essential distortion in macrocyclic framework needed for the effective π‐electron delocalization, attaining Möbius aromaticity. The Nucleus Independent Chemical Shift (NICS) values for the freebase and protonated macrocycles are −2.0 ppm and −5.6 ppm. The Anisotropy Induced Current density shows the clockwise delocalization of current density vectors. Overall, the spectral, structural and theoretical analysis suggests nonaromatic in freebase and Möbius aromatic nature of the protonated hexaphyrin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols after colorectal surgery focused on reduced bowel preparation, standardized feeding schedule, earlier return of bowel function, and earlier resumption of normal activities. ERAS in pediatric surgical practice is not well established. The present study aims to present the results of two colonic anastomosis techniques of interrupted single-layered closure: Halsted (Horizontal Mattress) and Matheson (serosubmucosal or appositional extramucosal) along with two different methods of colostomy wound closure and their influence on the adoption of ERAS protocol of early feeding and early discharge. Materials and Methods: This single institute-based randomized control study was conducted in a tertiary care facility in Kolkata for 2.4 years. Patients were chosen randomly for serosubmucosal (Group I) and full-thickness (Group II) anastomosis. Results: Among total of 91 patients (Group I-43 and Group II-48), Return of bowel sounds and passage of bowel averaged 1.51 ± 0.51 and 1.91 ± 0.55 days in Group I and 1.91 ± 0.57 and 3.9 ± 0.66 days in Group II, respectively. Postoperative hospital stay averaged 5.88 ± 1.12 days in Group I and 8.9 ± 1.17 days in Group II. Overall 15 (16.48%) patients had complications among which SSI (Suprficial surgical site infection) and minor leaks (Group I--3 and 1 and Group II--5 and 3, respectively) which were treated conservatively (Clavien--Dindo Grade-I) and three major leaks under Group II requiring surgical intervention (Clavien--Dindo Grade-III). Conclusion: This study concludes that the technique of colostomy closure in the form serosubmucosal closure helps in the implementation of ERAS protocol by producing early bowel movement, early initiation of food, and less postoperative complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Thyroid dysfunction is the second most prevalent medical disorder which has impact on reproductive health and pregnancy outcome. Because of the link of thyroid auto antibodies with various pregnancy related complications and antithyroid peroxidase antibody (TPO Ab) being most common of all of them, can be used as a surrogate marker for thyroid related adverse pregnancy outcomes. Hence, this present study is designed to further elucidate any association of TPO Ab and TSH levesl with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Aims: The present study was undertaken to determine pregnancy outcomes between TPO Ab positive and negative hypothyroid mothers. Methods: This hospital based observational study was conducted in the Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Raiganj Government Medical College, Uttar Dinajpur, West Bengal, India. 305 hypothyroid pregnant women at 1st trimester were chosen randomly between 1st June 2021 to 31st May 2022. The data was tabulated in Microsoft Excel software and analysed with SPSSV.20 software. Results: Maximum participants belonged to age group 15-20 years i.e. 115 (37.7%), followed by 21-25 years' age group, 92 (30.2%) Mean age of the participants was 23.30 years. Mothers with high TPO were 127 (41.6%). In our study 74 (24.3%) mothers required 25 mcg Levothyroxin followed by 12.5 mcg required for 58 (19%) mothers. GDM (27.78% vs 12.29%, p <0.001), were significantly higher in TPO Ab positive than TPO Ab negative hypothyroid mothers. Conclusions: Pregnant women with hypothyroidism and positive TPO Ab status were more predisposed to GDM than TPO Ab negative women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The objective was to delineate the clinico-epidemiological characteristics of hospitalized children with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-associated acute lower respiratory tract infection (RSV-ALRI) during its recent outbreak and to find out the independent predictors of pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission. Materials and methods: Children aged between 1 month and 12 years who tested positive for RSV were included. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify the independent predictors and predictive scores were developed from the β-coefficients. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was generated and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated to assess the overall precision. The performance of sum scores in predicting PICU need, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and positive and negative likelihood ratios (LR+ and LR-) were calculated for each cutoff value. Results: The proportion of RSV positivity was 72.58%. A total of 127 children were included with a median [interquartile range (IQR)] age of 6 (2-12) months, of whom 61.42% were males and 33.07% had underlying comorbidity. Tachypnea, cough, rhinorrhea, and fever were predominant clinical presentations while hypoxia and extrapulmonary manifestations were present in 30.71% and 14.96% of children, respectively. About 30% required PICU admission, and 24.41% developed complications. Premature birth, age below 1 year, presence of underlying CHD, and hypoxia were independent predictors. The AUC [95% confidence interval (CI)] was 0.869 (0.843-0.935). Sum score below 4 had 97.3% sensitivity and 97.1% NPV whereas sum score above 6 had 98.9% specificity, 89.7% PPV, 81.3% NPV, 46.2 LR+, and 0.83 LR- to predict PICU needs. Conclusion: Awareness of these independent predictors and application of the novel scoring system will be beneficial for busy clinicians in planning the level of care needed, thereby optimizing PICU resource utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Neuroblastoma can arise from extra-adrenal sites in the paraspinal sympathetic chain, including the presacral region, where they must be differentiated from an immature or malignant neural lesion arising from a teratoma. Case Report We describe two congenital presacral neuroblastomas. The main clinical differential diagnoses were sacrococcygeal teratoma and meningomyelocele. Pathologically, they lacked teratomatous tissues, lacked germ cell serum markers, were localized without metastases, and were MYCN non-amplified. Both patients have done well without chemotherapy at 18 and 15 months of follow-up. Conclusion Congenital presacral neuroblastoma should be differentiated from teratomatous lesions, and in general have a good prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The network approach is quickly becoming a fundamental building block of computational methods aiming at elucidating the mechanism of action (MoA) and therapeutic effect of drugs. By modeling the effect of drugs and diseases on different biological networks, it is possible to better explain the interplay between disease perturbations and drug targets as well as how drug compounds induce favorable biological responses and/or adverse effects. Omics technologies have been extensively used to generate the data needed to study the mechanisms of action of drugs and diseases. These data are often exploited to define condition-specific networks and to study whether drugs can reverse disease perturbations. In this review, we describe network data mining algorithms that are commonly used to study drug's MoA and to improve our understanding of the basis of chronic diseases. These methods can support fundamental stages of the drug development process, including the identification of putative drug targets, the in silico screening of drug compounds and drug combinations for the treatment of diseases. We also discuss recent studies using biological and omics-driven networks to search for possible repurposed FDA-approved drug treatments for SARS-CoV-2 infections (COVID-19). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identification of human activity considering social interactions and group dynamics non-intrusively has been one of the fundamental problems and a challenging area of research. In real life, it is required for designing human-centric applications like assisted living, health care, and creating a smart home environment. As human beings spend 90% of time indoors, such a system will be helpful to monitor the behavioral anomalies of the inhabitants. Existing approaches have used intrusive or invasive methods like camera or wearable devices. In this work, we present a device-free, non-invasive, and non-intrusive sensing framework called HumanSense using an array of heterogeneous sensor grid for human activity monitoring. The sensor grids, comprising the ultrasonic and sound sensors, have been deployed for collective sensing combining a person's physical activity and verbal interaction information. The proposed system senses a stream of events when the occupant(s) perform different physical activities categorized as atomic and group activities like sitting, standing, and walking. Simultaneously, it also tracks person-person verbal interactions such as monologue and discussion. Both information are then integrated into a single framework to understand the overall behavioral scenario of the indoor environment. The experimental results have shown that HumanSense can detect different activities with accuracy more than 90% and also improves overall identification accuracy compared to existing works. Our developed system can be further evolved into ready-to-deploy smart sensing panels which can be effective for human activity monitoring in an indoor environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Small-for-gestational-age (SGA) is one of the important factors for neonatal mortality. Early identification and necessary intervention of these newborns is crucial to increase their chances of survival and reduce long-term disabilities. However, in low- and middle-income countries a large portion of pregnant women are unaware of their accurate gestational age (GA) due to the limited availability of ultrasonography. The purpose of our study was to build an alternative tool to identify SGA. Methods: A institutional-based, prospective observational study was conducted from August-2018 to February-2020, with 1451 live singleton-newborns of 30-40 weeks of gestation. Ultrasonography was used to evaluate accurate GA in early pregnancy and a reference chart for the Asian population, constructed by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Fetal Growth Studies was used to classify newborns as SGA. Neonatal anthropometry was measured within 48 hours of birth. Receiver operating characteristic curves were developed to identify the best cut-off point for each anthropometric parameter and the area under the curve (AUC) was estimated to assess the overall precision. Results: Prevalence of SGA was 34.3%. The AUC was 0.888 for head circumference (HC), 0.890 for chest circumference (CC), and 0.865 for mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC). The optimal cut-offs to classify SGA were ≤32.45 cm for HC, ≤29.75 cm for CC and ≤8.55 cm for MUAC with sensitivities of 85.9%, 86.9% and 85.4%, specificities of 75.5%, 85.1% and 72.1%, positive predictive values of 0.64, 0.75 and 0.61 and negative predictive values of 0.91, 0.93 and 0.90 respectively. Conclusion: All three anthropometric measurements could be used to identify SGA but, overall CC is the best. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Endocrine disruptors are a rising concern due to the wide array of health issues that it can cause. Although there are tools for mode of action (MoA)-based prediction of endocrine disruption (e.g. QSAR Toolbox and iSafeRat), none of them is based on toxicogenomics data. Here, we present EDTox, an R Shiny application enabling users to explore and use a computational method that we have recently published to identify and prioritize endocrine disrupting (ED) chemicals based on toxicogenomic data. The EDTox pipeline utilizes previously trained toxicogenomic-driven classifiers to make predictions on new untested compounds by using their molecular initiating events. Furthermore, the proposed R Shiny app allows users to extend the prediction systems by training and adding new classifiers based on new available toxicogenomic data. This functionality helps users to explore the ED potential of chemicals in new, untested exposure scenarios. Availability and implementation This tool is available as web application (www.edtox.fi) and stand-alone software on GitHub and Zenodo (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5817093). Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the recent developments and advances in fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) and their application to the investigation of biomolecular conformations. In particular, we present and discuss three techniques: multichannel nanosecond FCS, photo-induced electron transfer FCS, and fluorescence lifetime correlation spectroscopy. We briefly describe each method and discuss recent applications to diverse biophysical studies of biomolecular conformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To capture lapses in management, active surveillance of pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admissions should consider as an essential tool to bring a better outcome with available resources, while there is a scarcity of data from comparatively newly set up peripheral PICU in developing countries. An observational record-based cross-sectional study was conducted in a peripheral medical college PICU over one year to evaluate morbidity pattern, outcome, and predictors of mortality. Binomial logistic regression (SPSS version-25) was used for analysis. The confidence interval (CI) of Odd's ratio was used to report the strength of association between dependent and independent variables. Pneumonia was the major cause of admission (27%), followed by septicemia (25.5%), congenital heart diseases (12.2%), bronchiolitis (6.6%), seizure disorders (8.6%), encephalitis (5%), and meningitis (4%). 51.7% were discharged, 14.6 %were referred, 3.2% were left against medical advice, and 30.4% were expired. Pneumonia (46.44%) was the most common cause of death, followed by sepsis (42.07%), congenital heart disease (15.3%), and bronchiolitis (6.01%). The mean duration of stay in PICU was five days (range 1-31 days). Patients who required ventilation (40%) or Inotropes (55.6%) had increased risk of mortality by 14 and 8 times, respectively. Age below one year, presence of bronchiolitis, pneumonia, ARDS, encephalitis, anemia, sepsis, dyselectrolytemia, and requirement of inotropes or ventilation were statistically significant risk factors for mortality (P<0.05). These predictors of morality will help to identify severe cases, prioritize resources and focus on the preventable methods in the public such as a vaccine, creating awareness about diseases, and proper referral. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The tea plant, Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze, is an evergreen leafy plant whose tender leaves are used in the manufacturing of the world's second most consumed beverage—tea. The production and consumption of tea worldwide have continually increased over the decades. All parts of the plant—leaf, stem, root, flower and seed, are fed upon by insect pests. This study elucidates the metabolomic changes occurring in tea leaves in response to infestation by two major pests in tea gardens: red spider mites and tea mosquito bugs. These pests significantly impact both the quantity and quality of tea production. The secondary metabolites produced by the tea due to pest attack has been analysed using GC–MS analysis in the laboratory. Results: Mostly fatty acid derivatives were biosynthesized as secondary metabolites due to pest attack as revealed from the result. In both infestations, methyl stearate was found to be produced along with increased chromatographic peaks of compounds such as caffeine, methyl palmitate, methyl linoleate, and stigmasta-7,25-dien-3-ol. In comparison with respective control samples (leaf with no pest attack), the one attacked by red spider mite showed eighteen exclusive metabolites, whereas tea mosquito bug infested leaf showed six such exclusive metabolites. Conclusions: Some metabolites were found to be either increased or decreased in their amount in both the samples. The increased compounds were reported with insecticidal and pesticidal properties with respect to respective controls. Some metabolites were markers of pest attacks i.e. plant defense mechanism induced phytochemicals according to the literature as discussed in this research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is a monophasic demyelinating disorder of central nervous system occurring in children with a wide range of clinical manifestations after infection or vaccination. There are few case reports in literature, describing atypical presentations of ADEM with fever of unknown origin, autonomic dysfunction, complex movement disorders such as myoclonus, dystonia and chorea, acute psychosis and myocarditis. Here, we report four cases of ADEM with atypical features like uniocular blindness, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibodies negative multiphasic disseminated encephalomyelitis, ADEM mimicking Guillain-Barre syndrome at presentation and isolated spinal ADEM. Treatment with high-dose steroids elicited an excellent neurological outcome in all patients. A high index of clinical suspicion along-with awareness of atypical features, magnetic resonance imaging and cerebrospinal fluid studies are of paramount importance in establishing ADEM diagnosis and initiation of early treatment for better outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is a rare and progressive inflammatory disease of central nervous system due to aberrant measles virus with an outcome that is nearly always fatal. In acute fulminant SSPE, the disease rapidly evolves leading to death within 3 months of the diagnosis. We report here four cases of fulminant SSPE with atypical presentations, two of them presented at very early age with history of congenital measles infection in first case and gait abnormality as initial symptom in second case; acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) with refractory seizures in third case, unilateral myoclonus with hemiparesis in fourth case at the onset of disease, respectively. The typical periodic electroencephalographic (EEG) complexes, elevated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and serum antimeasles antibodies in our patients led to the diagnosis of SSPE. A high index of clinical suspicion in fulminant type with awareness of atypical features, EEG, and CSF studies are of paramount importance in establishing its diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim of the Study: The aim of this study is to assess the role of early feeding after elective colorectal surgery in children and compare the outcome of feeding practice early versus traditional feeding. Study Design: A randomized controlled, single-center study was conducted over a period of 3 years (November 2015–October 2018) at a tertiary care center. Materials and Methods: Patients (n = 147), after colostomy closure (as elective colorectal surgery), were randomly selected for postoperative feeding initiation and were divided into two groups, namely the control (traditional feeding) group and study group (early feeding). In early group, feeding was initiated on the postoperative day 1 after the removal of nasogastric tube (removed after 16 h of surgery). Postoperative hospital stay and complications were compared among them. Statistical Analysis Used: Data were tabulated and analyzed in Microsoft Excel 2010. Results: Among 147 patients (boys[70] and girls [77]), the average age of colostomy closure was 4.36 years. Forty-five patients had early feeding and 102 traditional feeding. Average postoperative hospital stay was noted 5.62 ± 1.11 days for "Study group" and 8.1 ± 1.04 days for "Control group." Postoperative complications were found in 17 patients; 11 (7.5%) superficial surgical site infection (9 [8.8%] in control and 2 [4.4%] in study group) and 6 (4%) minor fecal fistulae (5 [4.9%] in control group and 1 [2.2%] in study group). None required any further surgical intervention. No mortality was reported. Conclusions: Early feeding initiation after elective colorectal surgery is safe, and postoperative hospital stay is significantly reduced. It is definitely a step forward in the era of fast track surgery in pediatric population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study a vendor-buyer integrated supply chain with uncertain demand and random defect rate under carbon cap-and-trade policy. We assume that the lot sent by the vendor to the buyer in each shipment contains a random fraction of defective item, and a fraction of defective items can be repaired. The defective items get screened at the buyer and sent back to the vendor, and the vendor sorts out the repairable items. At the end of each production cycle, the accumulated repairable items at the vendor are repaired in a single lot. We have taken into account the carbon emissions from all the major sources, i.e. production, inventory, transportation, repairing, and scrapping. Shortages at the buyer are partially backordered. A mathematical model is formulated to minimize the total expected cost of the supply chain by optimizing the order quantity, reorder point, and the number of shipments between the vendor and buyer under carbon cap-and-trade policy. An algorithm is proposed to solve the model. A numerical example and sensitivity analysis are presented to get some managerial insights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Trichomonas vaginalis virus (TVV) is a non-segmented, 4.5–5.5 kilo-base pair (kbp), double-stranded RNA virus infecting T. vaginalis. The objectives of this study were to examine the TVV prevalence in US Trichomonas vaginalis isolates and TVV's associations with patient demographics, clinical outcomes, and metronidazole resistance. Methods Archived T. vaginalis isolates from the enrollment visits of 355 women participating in a T. vaginalis treatment trial in Birmingham, Alabama, were thawed and grown in culture. Their total RNA was extracted using a Trizol reagent. Contaminating, single-stranded RNA was precipitated using 4.0 M Lithium Chloride and centrifugation. The samples were analyzed by gel electrophoresis to visualize a 4.5 kbp band representative of TVV. In vitro testing for metronidazole resistance was also performed on 25/47 isolates obtained from the women's test of cure visits. Results TVV was detected in 142/355 (40%) isolates at the enrollment visit. Women with TVV-positive (TVV+) isolates were significantly older (P =.01), more likely to smoke (P =.04), and less likely to report a history of gonorrhea (P =.04). There was no association between the presence of clinical symptoms or repeat T. vaginalis infections with TVV+ isolates (P =.14 and P =.44, respectively). Of 25 test of cure isolates tested for metronidazole resistance, 0/10 TVV+ isolates demonstrated resistance, while 2/15 TVV-negative isolates demonstrated mild to moderate resistance (P =.23). Conclusions Of 355 T. vaginalis isolates tested for TVV, T. vaginalis isolates tested for TVV, the prevalence was 40%. However, there was no association of TVV+ isolates with clinical symptoms, repeat infections, or metronidazole resistance. These results suggest that TVV may be commensal to T. vaginalis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the limited sensitivity of many nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) applications, careful consideration must be given to the effect of NMR data processing on spectral noise. This work presents analytical relationships as well as simulated and experimental results characterizing the propagation of noise by unsymmetric covariance NMR processing, which concatenates two NMR spectra along a common dimension, resulting in a new spectrum showing spin correlations as cross peaks that are not directly measured in either of the two input spectra. It is shown how the unsymmetric covariance spectrum possesses an inhomogeneous noise distribution across the spectrum with the least amount of noise in regions whose rows and columns do not contain any cross or diagonal peaks and with the largest amount of noise on top of signal peaks. Therefore, methods of noise estimation commonly used in Fourier transform spectroscopy underestimate the amount of uncertainty in unsymmetric covariance spectra. Different data processing procedures, including the Z-matrix formalism, thresholding, and maxima ratio scaling, are described to assess noise contributions and to reduce noise inhomogeneity. In particular, determination of a Z score, which measures the difference in standard deviations of a statistic from its mean, for each spectral point yields a Z matrix, which indicates whether a given peak intensity above a threshold arises from the covariance of signals in the input spectra or whether it is likely to be caused by noise. Application to an unsymmetric covariance spectrum, obtained by concatenating two 2D 13C–1H heteronuclear, single quantum coherence (HSQC) and 13C–1H heteronuclear, multiple bond correlation (HMBC) spectra of a metabolite mixture along their common proton dimension, reveals that for sufficiently sensitive input spectra the reduction in sensitivity due to covariance processing is modest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using soft (1.5–3 keV) and hard (3–12 keV) photon counts of All Sky Monitor (ASM) in Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) satellite, we have proposed recently that there is a significant time lag between the infall time-scales of two components in the Two-Component Advective Flow paradigm, where a standard slow moving Keplerian disc is surrounded by a fast moving halo. The time lag is clearly due to the difference in viscosity in the flow components and the size of the Keplerian disc may be considered to be proportional to this arrival time lag. In this paper, using RXTE /ASM (1.5–12 keV) data, we examine eight successive outbursts of the low-mass X-ray binary H 1743-322 since 2003 from a new perspective. The day-to-day temporal evolution of a dynamic photon index, Θ, as well as its cross-correlation with the soft and hard energy fluxes show that the aforesaid time lag was the longest during the brightest outburst of 2003 – thereby indicating its largest Keplerian disc. The disc size diminished thereafter during subsequent weaker outbursts. Moreover, Θ decides spectral transitions of any outburst. We show from the behaviour of Θ alone that the outburst of October 2008 was anomalous while the outburst of 2003 was twin (anomalous + normal). In fact, each normal outburst was either preceded or followed by an otherwise premature outburst showing different degrees of anomaly. This makes H 1743-322 an enigmatic source and a subject of further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let m and n be positive integers such that m 6= n, and R, an mn(m + n)∣m - n∣-torsion free semiprime ring. We prove that every generalized (m, n)-Jordan derivation over R is a derivation which maps R into its center. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyse several outbursts of a few transient sources using Proportional Counter Array data (2.5–25 keV) as well as All Sky Monitor data (1.5–12 keV) of Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer satellite. We find a time delay between the arrival times of the Keplerian disc component and the halo of the Two-Component Advective Flow (TCAF) when the spectral data are fitted with TCAF solution. We compare this time delay from the spectral fits using the TCAF solution of the transient low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) e.g. MAXI J1836−194, GX 339−4, and H 1743−322 during outbursts with that of the high-mass X-ray binary (HMXB) Cyg X-1 during its flare s. We find that several days of time delays are observed in LMXBs while for Cyg X-1 the delay is negligible. We interpret the long delay to be due to the viscous time-scale of a large Keplerian component to reach the inner region as compared to nearly free-fall time taken by the low angular momentum halo component. The delay is of the order of a week for the LMXBs where the feeding is primarily through the Roche lobe. However, it is negligible in a wind-fed system like Cyg X-1 since a very small Keplerian disc is created here by slowly redistributing the low angular momentum of the wind and sporadic soft or intermediate spectral states are observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract We present a theoretical study on probe field propagation through a three-level Ξ type system formed in an atomic vapour medium in presence of a strong control field. The model is based on density matrix method and is solved analytically, without neglecting any term in any power of probe and control Rabi frequencies, to find out the probe response under Doppler free condition as well as at room temperature. The probe response for a four-level Ξ type system is also determined analytically. Electromagnetically induced transparency is formed in the simulated probe response for both the level schemes. We also present the switching of probe field propagation from subluminal to superluminal as a function of probe detuning for different control transitions, one of which is to a Rydberg state. The switching window becomes asymmetric under detuned control field with the asymmetry depending on the wavelength mismatching factor between the control field and the probe field. Under strong probe regime probe propagation switches from superluminal to subluminal on resonance when the wavelength mismatch between the probe and the control field is increased, an effect which can be explained with the help of the analytical model that is free from any perturbative treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study introduces a bidirectional power sharing scheme between an ac electric utility and a dc microgrid. These two are connected together through an interlinking converter (IC) and a dual active bridge (DAB). The proposed control scheme allows predefined amount of power to be supplied from the ac to dc side or the other way around. The DAB is connected at the dc side of the IC and it controls the bidirectional power flow. The dc microgrid contains dc-dc converters, where boost converters are used with the sources and buck converters are used to supply loads. These dc-dc converters and the DAB are controlled by state feedback with integral control in a linearised discrete domain. The DAB linearisation and control law are presented in detail. The dc microgrid is controlled by conventional V-P droop where the power from/to the ac side is considered as negative/positive load. Detailed simulation results are presented to validate the proposal. Also some hardware results are included that support the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study introduces a bidirectional power sharing scheme between an ac electric utility and a dc microgrid. These two are connected together through an interlinking converter (IC) and a dual active bridge (DAB). The proposed control scheme allows predefined amount of power to be supplied from the ac to dc side or the other way around. The DAB is connected at the dc side of the IC and it controls the bidirectional power flow. The dc microgrid contains dc–dc converters, where boost converters are used with the sources and buck converters are used to supply loads. These dc–dc converters and the DAB are controlled by state feedback with integral control in a linearised discrete domain. The DAB linearisation and control law are presented in detail. The dc microgrid is controlled by conventional V‐P droop where the power from/to the ac side is considered as negative/positive load. Detailed simulation results are presented to validate the proposal. Also some hardware results are included that support the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient and straight forward synthesis of 2‐substituted benzo[d]thiazole derivatives has been accomplished using a catalyst combination of p‐toluenesulfonic acid (PTSA) and CuI through one‐pot condensation reaction of 2‐aminothiophenols and β‐oxodithioesters in acetonitrile at 80 °C. Simple experimental procedure, good to excellent yields, mild reaction conditions and broad substrate scope are the salient features of the present protocol. Synthesis of 2‐substituted benzo[d]thiazole derivatives is accomplished by employing 10 mol % of p‐toluenesulfonic acid (PTSA) and 20 mol % of CuI from 2‐aminothiophenols and β‐oxodithioesters in acetonitrile at 80 °C. Mild reaction conditions, good yields, and broad substrate scope are some of the additional features of the protocol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Syntheses of core‐modified 24π pentaphyrin 7 and 20π homoporphyrin 8 are reported. The freebase form of 7 exhibits optical and 1H NMR spectroscopic behavior corresponding to a 4nπ nonaromatic topology at 298 K. However, upon lowering the temperature to 188 K, 7 exhibits weak aromaticity because of a small conformational change. Protonation of the imine pyrrolic nitrogen atoms results in sharpening of the absorption band with more than 100 nm red shift and two‐fold increase in ϵ values. The 1H NMR spectra show large shielding and deshielding of specific protons accompanied by twisting of pyrrole and thiophene rings from the mean plane of the macrocycle. These observations suggest a major structural change upon protonation. The single‐crystal X‐ray structure of protonated 7 a reveals a severe twisting of the macrocycle, especially at the ethene bridge, and the two thiophene rings adjacent to the ethene bridge are pointed above and below the plane of the ethene bridge (49.07° and 49.08°). The nucleus‐independent chemical shift (NICS) values calculated at the center of the macrocycle for the freebase and protonated derivatives of 7 a and 7 b are −5.6, −8.3 ppm and −5.3, −8.4 ppm, respectively. The anisotropy‐induced current density (AICD) plots suggest a clockwise circulation of π electrons. Taken together, the changes occurring in the optical spectra, 1H NMR spectra, single‐crystal X‐ray structure and NICS calculation reflect a Möbius aromatic topology for protonated 7. However, the homoporphyrin 8 remains nonaromatic both in the freebase and protonated form. Nonaromatic–aromatic: The protonation‐triggered conversion of a core‐modified 24π nonaromatic pentaphyrin (see graphic) to a 24π Möbius aromatic pentaphyrin is described. The aromaticity of the protonated form is revealed by 1H NMR spectroscopy, X‐ray structure analysis and nucleus‐independent chemical shift (NICS) calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aggregated loads play a significant role in maintaining the frequency of power system when the generation is not able to follow frequency deviations. An automatic Demand Dispatch (DD) enables the power system to employ the aggregated loads for balancing demand and supply. In this paper, a Demand Side Frequency Droop (DSFD) has been proposed which provides ancillary service to the grid and maintains the frequency of the power system when the generation system is not capable of following the demand. At the time of a frequency fall/rise, Balancing Authority (BA) can detect aggregated load or group of aggregated loads that have power consumption above or below their standard maximum/minimum consumption levels. Then, the BA issues a droop-based signal to the relevant aggregator. Afterwards, the DSFD will be implemented in the aggregator or the group of aggregators to specify the required power consumption amount for bringing the frequency back to its rated level. Subsequently, this signal will be sent to the Appliance Management Unit (AMU) at each participating house. The AMU sends the signal in the form of deferral or interruptible commands to the appliances depending on the priority, availability and the specification of the appliances. It will be demonstrated that the proposed DSFD control maintains the frequency of the power system within a specified range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This chapter presents a concise introduction into the method of Fluorescence Lifetime Correlation Spectroscopy (FLCS). This is an extension of Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS) that analyses fluorescence intensity fluctuations from small detection volumes in samples of ultra-low concentration. FCS has been widely used for investigating diffusion, conformational changes, molecular binding/unbinding equilibria, or chemical reaction kinetics, at single molecule sensitivity. In FCS, this is done by calculating intensity correlation curves for the measured intensity fluctuations. FLCS extends this idea by calculating fluorescence-lifetime specific intensity correlation curves. Thus, FLCS is the method of choice for all studies where a parameter of interest (conformational state, spatial position, molecular environmental condition) is connected with a change in the fluorescence lifetime. After presenting the theoretical and experimental basis of FLCS, the chapter gives an overview of its various applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes a decentralised droop control method for guaranteeing precise load sharing among distributed resources in an islanded microgrid. Distributed resources are usually fed through power electronic converters and the switching harmonics produced by them are eliminated by third-order output LCL filters. Output impedance is considered as a major factor for finding exact power-angle droop coefficient in droop design - neglecting this factor can affect the load sharing accuracy. Even though an acceptable active power sharing can be achieved with higher droop gains, increased droop gain may adversely affect the microgrid stability. Here, a modified angle droop control is proposed such that the dependence on the output inductance on the real power sharing is removed. Thus, the lower droop coefficients are sufficient for droop sharing and the system stability is not endangered. It has been assumed that the microgrid is converter-dominated, where a proportional-resonant controller has been utilised for converter switching control. This controller has an outer voltage loop and an inner current loop. A harmonic term has been added to the voltage loop to facilitate more accurate reactive power sharing. Simulation studies are conducted using PSCAD/EMTDC to validate the efficacy of the proposed controller. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes a decentralised droop control method for guaranteeing precise load sharing among distributed resources in an islanded microgrid. Distributed resources are usually fed through power electronic converters and the switching harmonics produced by them are eliminated by third‐order output LCL filters. Output impedance is considered as a major factor for finding exact power‐angle droop coefficient in droop design – neglecting this factor can affect the load sharing accuracy. Even though an acceptable active power sharing can be achieved with higher droop gains, increased droop gain may adversely affect the microgrid stability. Here, a modified angle droop control is proposed such that the dependence on the output inductance on the real power sharing is removed. Thus, the lower droop coefficients are sufficient for droop sharing and the system stability is not endangered. It has been assumed that the microgrid is converter‐dominated, where a proportional‐resonant controller has been utilised for converter switching control. This controller has an outer voltage loop and an inner current loop. A harmonic term has been added to the voltage loop to facilitate more accurate reactive power sharing. Simulation studies are conducted using PSCAD/EMTDC to validate the efficacy of the proposed controller. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dielectric spectroscopy (DS) is a non‐invasive, label‐free, and promising technique for measuring dielectric properties of biological cells. Recent developments in microfabrication techniques made it possible to perform DS measurements with minute volume of cell suspensions. However, when the cell size approaches the size of the measurement chamber, especially, for single cell measurements, the analytical models [Maxwell–Wagner and Bruggeman–Hanai (BH) mixture models] to extract cell parameters lose their accuracy. Moreover, variations in the cell position relative to the measurement electrodes decrease the accuracy of the analytical solutions. Impedance spectrum of a typical eukaryotic mammalian cell is generated for different geometrical configurations using finite element. The generated data are fitted to the analytical models and extracted cell parameters are compared with the original values. The results show that BH model works more effectively when chamber to cell radius ratio is <3.5 and chamber height to cell radius ratio is <3. Moreover, it is observed that analytical models estimate cell parameters with major errors when the cells are in the vicinity of the electrodes. However, for high‐volume fraction simulations, the BH model was able to predict cell parameters better even in the vicinity of the electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The actual Fig. 13 has been missing and in place of Fig. 13, Fig. 14 has been shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a cooperative control of battery energy storage (BES) units within a microgrid (MG) which includes two control subsystems for charge and discharge operation mode of the BES. In addition, the proposed cooperative control strategy provides accurate reactive power sharing among the BES units. During discharge operation, the proposed strategy utilizes a SoC-based droop control in order to avoid promptly depleting of the BES units, by dedicating the highest priority to their SoC level and respecting their power rating. This is achieved without any disturbance in the power balance of the MG. In addition, during charge operation of the BES units, the proposed control method uses a proportional-integral (PI) controller to limit the BES absorbing power and match it with the available surplus power from the renewable energy sources (RESs). This in turn avoids any power imbalance within the system. Finally, to utilize the extra capacity of the BES converters and also to avoid overloading of RESs, a new adaptive virtual impedance (AVI) strategy is proposed here which provides accurate reactive power sharing by imposing a virtual impedance in series with the coupling impedance of each BES and RES unit. The system performance is validated through extensive simulations carried out in PSCAD/EMTDC software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to stringent laws and increasing awareness of customers, organizations are becoming environmental conscious and looking beyond conventional cost minimization/profit maximization approach and striving to curb carbon emission. In this article, we have considered strict carbon cap policy to determine the optimal order quantity, reorder point and number of shipments in a two-echelon supply chain under stochastic demand considering partial backorders. All the major sources of emission such as production, inventory, and transportation have been considered. The objective is to minimize the total expected supply chain cost while satisfying the carbon emission constraint. A numerical example is given to illustrate the solution procedure. Further, sensitivity analyses have been carried out to get insight that how with operational adjustments both cost and emission can be controlled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis of fused and nonfused core-modified 40π nonaphyrins are reported. Spectroscopic and X-ray structural studies reveal a twisted figure-eight conformation in the freebase form that is nonaromatic. Structural changes occur, from figure-eight to open extended conformation, upon protonation, thereby adopting 4nπ Hückel antiaromatic character, which is reflected in spectroscopic and theoretical studies. Such a structural change also induces ring inversions of specific heterocyclic rings by 180°. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new fused core-modified 32π heptaphyrin with Möbius aromatic character is reported. The 1H NMR data indicated a weak Möbius aromaticity at 298 K; however, at 213-183 K, the molecule predominates [4 n]π Möbius conformation with strong diatropic ring current, which was further confirmed by X-ray analysis. The protonation experiment led to preservation of the Möbius aromaticity at 298 K. Nevertheless, the experimental results were further supported by theoretical studies. Overall, this study represents the first example of Möbius aromatic fused core-modified expanded porphyrin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low voltage feeders (LVFs) experience several voltage quality (VQ) issues such as voltage drop at network peak periods, voltage rise at middays when high number of rooftop photovoltaic cells (PVs) are existing in the feeder, rapid voltage fluctuations as the results of the clouds effects on the power generation of PVs, and voltage unbalance due to the inherent random characteristics of the single‐phase loads and PVs. This study addresses these problems by proposing the concept of coupling the neighbouring LVFs. Based on this concept, two or more LVFs of the same distribution transformer or different distribution transformers are interconnected to support each other and minimise the VQ problems. First, the performance of LVFs in the existing form is discussed and three approaches of coupling the LVFs are presented. Among the presented techniques, coupling of LVFs through a distribution static compensator (DSTATCOM) at the end of the feeder is proposed and focused as an effective technique with minimal side effects such as power losses and cost. Proper dynamic control methods are also proposed for the DSTATCOM and the performance of such a system is investigated under steady‐state and dynamic conditions via numerical analysis and simulation studies in MATLAB and PSCAD/EMTDC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cooperative applications for VANETs will require seamless communication between vehicle to infrastructure and vehicle to vehicle. IEEE 802.11p has been developed to facilitate this effort. However, in order to have seamless communication for these applications, it is necessary to look at handover as vehicles move between roadside units. Traditional models of handover used in normal mobile environments are unable to cope with the high velocity of the vehicle and the relatively small area of coverage with regard to vehicular environments. The Y-Comm framework has yielded techniques to calculate the time before vertical handover and the network dwell time for any given network topology. Furthermore, by knowing these two parameters, it is also possible to improve channel allocation and resource management in network infrastructure such as base stations, relays, and so on. In this article we explain our overall approach by describing the VANET Testbed and show that in vehicular environments it is necessary to consider a new handover model that is based on a probabilistic rather than a fixed coverage approach. Finally, we show a new performance model for proactive handover, which is then compared with traditional approaches. Introdu [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A healthy state of life suggests not only a disease‐free condition but also normal psychological functioning and behaviour. To maintain a healthy life, the duration of light exposure is a crucial factor. Perturbation of the standard light–dark cycle (LD: 12 h light‐12 h dark in mice) may result in brain, behavioural and physiological abnormalities. The current study determined the effects of 3 and 5 weeks of constant darkness (DD: 00 h light‐24 h dark) on the behaviour, hormones, prefrontal cortex (PFC) and metabolome of male and female C57BL/6 J mice. We also studied 3 weeks of restoration in LD following 5 weeks of DD exposure. The results revealed that 3 weeks of DD affected male mice more than females, and 5 weeks of DD had a comparable impact on behaviour, hormones and the PFC of male and female mice. After restoration in LD, the DD‐induced changes reverted to time‐matched LD conditions in male and female mice. Furthermore, metabolome analysis corroborated male and female mice's behavioural and molecular kinetics. The present study laid the foundation for understanding how DD affects behaviour and the PFC as a function of (a) time and (b) sex and described the roles of stress and sex hormones, cytokines, neurotrophins and metabolic pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Doped and undoped specimens of nano-particulate ZnO with 0.5 wt% and 1 wt% ruthenium were prepared through a chemical route. Structural characterization of the samples performed with XRD established that all the nanoparticles are of zinc oxide having polycrystalline nature. Morphological studies were conducted using FESEM to confirm the grain size and texture. Electrical measurements showed that the ac conductivity increases with frequency but decreases with increasing ruthenium concentration, making it a potential option for device applications. It is found that the absorbance does not significantly change with doping. The above fact is further confirmed from the bandgap calculations using the reflectance graphs. A decrease of bandgap from 3.42 to 3.19 eV with increasing Ru concentration is observed making it an important and advantageous material for potential visible light photocatalytic applications involving metal oxide nanostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pure and Cu-doped zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles were prepared using a chemical method. The dopant concentration (Cu/Zn in atomic percentage (wt%)) is varied from 0 to 3 wt%. Structural characterization of the samples performed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed that all the nanoparticles of zinc oxide are having polycrystalline nature. Morphological studies were conducted using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) to confirm the grain size and texture. Electrical measurements showed that the AC conductivity initially decreases and then rises with increasing Cu concentration. The UV-Vis studies showed absorbance peaks in the 200-800 nm region. It is found that the absorbance does not significantly change with doping. This fact is further confirmed from the band-gap calculations using the reflectance graphs. When analysed in terms of Burstein-Moss shift, an increase of band gap from 3.42 to 3.54 eV with increasing Cu concentration is observed. In the Photoluminescence (PL) studies a red-shift is observed with increasing dopant concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents authors' comments on the increasing investments in the field of research in nanotechnology in India and offers suggestions for country's rapid economic growth. Topics include investments in sectors such as education, infrastructure and entrepreneurship, nanotechnology funding by several Indian government bodies such as the Department of Information Technology, and insufficient human resources in the field of nantechnology in India.