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Human visual memory capacity has a rapid developmental progression. Here we examine whether image semantics modulate this progression. We assessed the performance of children (6–14 years) and young adults (19–36 years) on a visual memory task using real‐world (or meaningful) as well as abstract image sets, which were matched in low‐level image attributes. For real images, we find comparable performance across the two age groups, consistent with previously reported results. However, for abstract images, we find a clear age‐related difference indicating greater reliance of children's memory processes on semantics, suggesting that strategies for encoding abstract patterns keep improving even into late childhood. We complemented these studies with computational experiments designed to examine the role of increasing experience with real‐world images on real and abstract image encoding, to examine whether the observed age‐related differences, as well as the general privilege of real over abstract images, can emerge directly through experience with meaningful images. Our results provide support for this possibility and set the stage for a finer‐grained investigation of the timeline along which children's memory capacity for abstract images reaches adult levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: There is a dearth of data on common multimorbidity clusters and the healthcare costs for individuals with mental health disorders. This study aimed to identify clinically meaningful physical-mental multimorbidity clusters, frequently occurring clusters of conditions, and healthcare utilization patterns and expenditure among patients attending a psychiatric outpatient clinic. Materials and Methods: Data were collected in the psychiatric outpatient department among patients aged 18 years and above in February-July 2019 (n = 500); follow-up data on non-communicable disease incidence were collected after 18 months. For analysis, morbidity clusters were defined using two approaches: 1) agglomerative hierarchical clustering method to identify clusters of diseases; and 2) non-hierarchical cluster k mean analysis to identify clusters of patients. Self-reported healthcare costs in these clusters were also calculated. Result: Two disease clusters were identified: using the 1st approach were; 1) hypertension, diabetes, and mood disorder; 2) Neurotic, stress-related, and somatoform disorders, and acid peptic disease. Three clusters of patients identified using the 2nd approach were identified: 1) those with mood disorders and cardiometabolic, musculoskeletal, and thyroid diseases; 2) those with neurotic, substance use, and organic mental disorders, cancer, and epilepsy; and 3) those with Schizophrenia. Patients in Cluster 1 were taking more than six medicines and had more hospital visits. Within 18 months, 41 participants developed either one or two chronic conditions, most commonly diabetes, hypertension, or thyroid disease. Conclusion: Cardiometabolic diseases are most commonly clustered with mood disorders. There is a need for blood pressure and sugar measurement in psychiatric clinics and mood disorder screening in cardiac, endocrinology, and primary care clinics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aging alters immunoglobulin production, affecting the humoral immune response. Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) recognizes Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) which causes bacteremia with high mortality in the elderly. To understand how TLR2 and aging affect the humoral immune response in bacteremia, four groups of mice (wild type-young, wild type-old, TLR2−/−-young, and TLR2−/−-old) were used to analyze immunoglobulin levels in healthy conditions as well as 10 days after intravenous injection with S. aureus. We found that aging increased the levels of both IgM and IgG. Increased IgG in aged mice was controlled by TLR2. In bacteremia infection, aged mice failed to mount proper IgM response in both wild-type (WT) and TLR2−/− mice, whereas IgG response was impaired in both aged and TLR2−/− mice. Aged mice displayed reduced IgG1 and IgG2a response irrespective of TLR2 expression. However, impaired IgG2b response was only found in aged WT mice and not in TLR2−/− mice. Both aging and TLR2−/− increased the levels of anti-staphylococcal IgM in bacteremia. Aging increased sialylated IgG in WT mice but not in TLR2−/− mice. IgG sialylation was not affected by the infection in neither of the mice. In summary, aging increases all immunoglobulins except IgG1. However, aged mice fail to mount a proper antibody response to S. aureus bacteremia. TLR2 plays the regulatory role in IgG but not IgM response to infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) increases at the same time as menopause when estrogen level decreases. Estrogen treatment is known to reduce the IgG pathogenicity by increasing the sialylation grade on the terminal glycan chain of the Fc domain, inhibiting the binding ability to the Fc gamma receptor. Therefore, treatment with estrogen may be beneficial in pre-RA patients who have autoantibodies and are prone to get an autoimmune disease. However, estrogen treatment is associated with negative side effects, therefore selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) have been developed that have estrogenic protective effects with minimal side effects. In the present study, we investigated the impact of the SERM bazedoxifene on IgG sialylation as well as on total serum protein sialylation. C57BL6 mice were ovariectomized to simulate postmenopausal status, followed by ovalbumin immunization, and then treated with estrogen (estradiol), bazedoxifene, or vehicle. We found that estrogen treatment enhanced IgG levels and had a limited effect on IgG sialylation. Treatment with bazedoxifene increased the sialic acids in plasma cells in a similar manner to E2 but did not reach statistical significance. However, we did not detect any alteration in IgG-sialylation with bazedoxifene treatment. Neither estrogen nor bazedoxifene showed any significant alteration in serum protein sialylation but had a minor effect on mRNA expression of glycosyltransferase in the bone marrow, gonadal fat, and liver. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electroluminescence of UVB light-emitting diodes emitting at 310 nm before and after 1000 h of operation is studied in the temperature range from 20 to 340 K. Before operation, the external quantum efficiency (EQE) at 10 mA gradually increases with decreasing temperature from 0.8% at 340 K to 1.8% at 150 K and then levels off. This trend is attributed to a reduction of non-radiative recombination and finally the domination of radiative recombination at low temperatures. After 1000 h of operation, the EQE has dropped to 0.45% at 340 K with a maximum EQE of 1.4% at 80 K, followed by a drop for temperatures below 80 K. These findings suggest a stress-induced reduction of both the radiative recombination efficiency and the carrier injection efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-speed PLL is highly demanding with the advancement in the VLSI market. PLL performance gets affected due to bandwidth limitation. This paper presents third-order configurable transconductance capacitance ( G m - C)-based loop filter for high-speed PLL. Operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) serves as a basic cell of the G m - C filter. Quasi-floating gate (QFG) and Bulk-driven qausi-floating gate (BD-QFG) MOS-based differential input folded cascode (FC) OTAs are proposed for low-voltage operation. Here, DC gain of the BD-QFG FC OTA enhanced 5.18% than QFG FC OTA. The proposed OTAs enhanced DC gain, CMRR, UGB and FOM along with reduction in the power consumption in comparison to the state-of-art work. Further, third-order G m - C filters are designed using both QFG and BD-QFG MOS-based OTAs and achieved − 3 dB cut-off frequency of 16.51 MHz and 17.22 MHz, respectively. The proposed QFG and BD-QFG MOS-based filters achieved 22.42% and 21.53% reduction in power than the reported result, respectively. The locking time of integer-N PLL is calculated as 0.33 μ s and 0.32 μ s, respectively, through an analytical approach. The transistor-level simulation has been done in 0.18 μ m CMOS process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Judgments of facial attractiveness invariably accompany our perception of faces. Even neonates appear to be capable of making such judgments in a manner consistent with adults. This suggests that the processes supporting facial attractiveness require little, if any, visual experience to manifest. Here we investigate the resilience of these processes to several years of early‐onset visual deprivation. Specifically, we study whether congenitally blind children treated several years after birth possess the ability to rate facial attractiveness in a manner congruent to normally sighted individuals. The data reveal significant individual variability in the way each newly sighted child perceives attractiveness. This is in marked contrast to data from normally sighted controls who exhibit strong across‐subject agreement in facial attractiveness ratings. This variability may be attributable, in part, to atypical facial encoding strategies used by the newly sighted children. Overall, our results suggest that the development of facial attractiveness perception is likely to be vulnerable to early visual deprivation, pointing to the existence of a possible sensitive period early in the developmental trajectory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Exercise can lower the risk of developing pancreatic cancer and has the potential to improve physical fitness and quality of life in patients with the disease. Yet, the effects of exercise training during pancreatic cancer treatment remain poorly characterized. This hampers the development of evidence-based disease-specific exercise recommendations. Purpose: The purpose of this review was to describe and interpret the effect of exercise on physiological, QoL, and cancer-specific outcomes reported in clinical trials among pancreatic cancer patients during treatment. Methods: We conducted a scoping review of the literature according to the framework proposed by Arksey and O'Malley. Articles published prior to December 2021 were retrieved from PubMed, EMBASE, and Scopus. We only included studies that prescribed structured cardiorespiratory and/or resistance exercise in pancreatic cancer patients undergoing treatment. Results: A total of 662 references were retrieved, of which 24 are included in the review. Twelve articles were randomized controlled trials and 12 were single-arm trials. Overlap in the trials from which data were reported occurred in 16 articles. Moderate intensity exercise was most commonly prescribed, reported feasible for most patients, with potential to enhance physical fitness and QoL. However, exercise adherence and beneficial effects may diminish with disease progression. Limited evidence suggests exercise may benefit cancer-specific outcomes. Conclusion: The results of this review indicate that exercise is feasible during pancreatic cancer treatment. Exercise can also improve physical fitness and QoL. However, its beneficial effects may fall with advanced disease and more rigorous research is needed to develop precise exercise protocols for this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is unknown whether visual memory capacity can develop if onset of pattern vision is delayed for several years following birth. We had an opportunity to address this question through our work with an unusual population of 12 congenitally blind individuals ranging in age from 8 to 22 years. After providing them with sight surgery, we longitudinally evaluated their visual memory capacity using an image-memorization task. Our findings revealed poor visual memory capacity soon after surgery but significant improvement in subsequent months. Although there may be limits to this improvement, performance 1 year after surgery was found to be comparable with that of control participants with matched visual acuity. These findings provide evidence for plasticity of visual memory mechanisms into late childhood but do not rule out vulnerability to early deprivation. Our computational simulations suggest that a potential mechanism to account for changes in memory performance may be progressive representational elaboration in image encoding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To estimate the prevalence, socio-demographic determinants, common disease combinations, and health impact of multimorbidity among a young rural population.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey among participants aged ≥30 years in rural Punjab, North India, from Jan 2019 to April 2019. Multimorbidity was defined as the coexistence of ≥two conditions using a 14-condition tool validated in India. We also calculated a multimorbidity-weighted index (MWI), which provides a weight to each disease based on its impact on physical functioning. Logistic regression was conducted to evaluate the association with sociodemographic variables, mental health (PHQ-9), physical functioning (ADL scale), and self-rated health (SRH).Results: We analyzed data from 3213 adults [Mean age 51.5 (±13), 54% women]. Prevalence of single chronic condition, multimorbidity, and MWI was 28.6, 18% and - 1.9 respectively. Age, higher wealth index and ever use alcohol were significantly associated with multimorbidity. Overall, 2.8% of respondents had limited physical functioning, 2.1% had depression, and 61.5% reported low SRH. Poorer health outcomes were more prevalent among the elderly, women, less educated, and those having lower wealth index and multimorbidity, were found to be significantly associated with poor health outcomes.Conclusions: The burden of multimorbidity was high in this young rural population, which portends significant adverse effects on their health and quality of life. The Indian health system should be reconfigured to address this emerging health priority holistically, by adopting a more integrated and sustainable model of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the designing of low-power transconductance–capacitance-based loop filter. The folded cascode-based operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) is designed in this paper with the help of quasi-floating bulk MOSFET that achieved the DC gain of 88.61 dB, unity gain frequency of 97.86 MHz and power consumption of 430.62 μ W. The proposed OTA is compared with the exiting OTA structure which showed 19.50% increase in DC gain and 15.11% reduction in power consumption. Further, the proposed OTA is used for the designing of transconductance–capacitance-based loop filter that has been operated at − 3 dB cut-off frequency of 30.12 MHz with the power consumption of 860.90 μ W at the supply voltage of ± 1. 5 V. The transistor-level simulation has been done in 0.18 μ m CMOS process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early visual deprivation is known to have profound consequences on the subsequent development of spatial visual processing. However, its impact on temporal processing is not well characterized. We have examined spatial and temporal contrast sensitivity functions following treatment for early and extended bilateral visual deprivation in fifteen children born with congenital cataracts in rural India. The results reveal a marked difference in post-treatment spatial and temporal sensitivities. Whereas spatial processing in newly sighted children is significantly impaired relative to age-matched controls, temporal processing exhibits remarkable resilience and is comparable to that in the control group. This difference in spatial and temporal outcomes is especially surprising given our computational analyses of video sequences which indicate a strong linkage between the spatial and temporal spectral content of natural visual inputs. We consider possible explanations for this discrepancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human visual recognition is remarkably robust to chromatic changes. In this work, we provide a potential account of the roots of this resilience based on observations with 10 congenitally blind children who gained sight late in life. Several months or years following their sight-restoring surgeries, the removal of color cues markedly reduced their recognition performance, whereas age-matched normally sighted children showed no such decrement. This finding may be explained by the greater-than-neonatal maturity of the late-sighted childrenÕs color system at sight onset, inducing overly strong reliance on chromatic cues. Simulations with deep neural networks corroborate this hypothesis. These findings highlight the adaptive significance of typical developmental trajectories and provide guidelines for enhancing machine vision systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regenerative medicine and tissue engineering have emerged as a multidisciplinary promising field in the quest to address the limitations of traditional medical approaches. One of the key aspects of these fields is the development of such types of biomaterials that can mimic the extracellular matrix and provide a conducive environment for tissue regeneration. In this regard, chitosan has played a vital role which is a naturally derived linear bi-poly-aminosaccharide, and has gained significant attention due to its biocompatibility and unique properties. Chitosan possesses many unique physicochemical properties, making it a significant polysaccharide for different applications such as agriculture, nutraceutical, biomedical, food, nutraceutical, packaging, etc. as well as significant material for developing next-generation hydrogel and bio-scaffolds for regenerative medicinal applications. Moreover, chitosan can be easily modified to incorporate desirable properties, such as improved mechanical strength, enhanced biodegradability, and controlled release of bioactive molecules. Blending chitosan with other polymers or incorporating nanoparticles into its matrix further expands its potential in tissue engineering applications. This review summarizes the most recent studies of the last 10 years based on chitosan, blends, and nanocomposites and their application in bone tissue engineering, hard tissue engineering, dental implants, dental tissue engineering, dental fillers, and cartilage tissue engineering. [Display omitted] • Chitosan-based materials are promising candidates for tissue engineering applications. • Recent findings on chitosan-based bioactive materials are discussed. • Applications in different fields of hard and soft tissue engineering are summarized. • Multifaceted applications of chitosan-based nanocomposites in regenerative medicine are addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the Kozai–Lidov mechanism in a hierarchical triple system in detail by the direct integration of the first-order post-Newtonian equations of motion. We analyse a variety of models with a pulsar to evaluate the cumulative shift of the periastron time of a binary pulsar caused by the gravitational wave emission in a hierarchical triple system with Kozai–Lidov mechanism. We compare our results with those by the double-averaging method. The deviation in the eccentricity, even if small, is important in the evaluation of the emission of the gravitational waves. We also calculate the cumulative shift of the periastron time by using obtained osculating orbital elements. If Kozai–Lidov oscillations occur, the cumulative shift curve will bend differently from that of the isolated binary. If such a bending is detected through the radio observation, it will be the first indirect observation of gravitational waves from a triple system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The link between antibodies and bone mass is debated. Activated IgG, which interacts directly with Fc gamma receptors, stimulates osteoclastogenesis in vitro, and local injection in immune-activated mice leads to bone loss. Multiple myeloma patients with high serum IgG levels have induced osteoclast activation and display bone loss. In addition, bone loss has been linked to serum autoantibodies in autoimmune diseases, including anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) in individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Whether serum IgG or autoantibodies regulate bone mass under healthy conditions is poorly studied. In elderly men, neither serum levels of polyclonal IgG nor autoantibody were associated with areal bone mineral density in the MrOS Sweden study. Repetitive systemic injections of high-dose polyclonal IgG complexes in mice did not exert any discernible impact on bone mineral density. However, repetitive local intra-articular injection of the same IgG complexes led to a localized reduction of trabecular bone density. These results indicate antibodies may only impact bone density when close to the bone, such as within the synovial joint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study a hierarchical triple system with the Kozai–Lidov mechanism, and analyse the cumulative shift of periastron time of a binary pulsar by the emission of gravitational waves. Time evolution of the osculating orbital elements of the triple system is calculated by directly integrating the first-order post-Newtonian equations of motion. The Kozai–Lidov mechanism will bend the evolution curve of the cumulative shift when the eccentricity becomes large. We also investigate the parameter range of mass and semimajor axis of the third companion with which the bending of the cumulative-shift curve could occur within 100 yr. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Scientific evidence indicates that high dietary salt intake has detrimental effects on blood pressure and associated cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, limited information is available on how to implement salt reduction in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) such as India, where the burden of hypertension and CVD is increasing rapidly. As part of a large study to create the evidence base required to develop a salt reduction strategy for India, we assessed the perspectives of various stakeholders regarding developing an India specific salt reduction strategy. Methods: A qualitative research design was deployed to elicit various stakeholder’s (government and policy-related stakeholders, industry, civil Society, consumers) perspectives on a salt reduction strategy for India, using in-depth interviews (IDIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs). We used an inductive approach for data analysis. Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis method. Results: Forty-two IDIs and eight FGDs were conducted with various stakeholders of interest and relevance. Analysis indicated three major themes: 1. Barriers for salt reduction 2. Facilitators for salt reduction; 3. Strategies for salt reduction. Most of the stakeholders were in alignment with the need for a salt reduction programme in India to prevent and control hypertension and related CVD. Major barriers indicated by the stakeholders for salt reduction in India were social and cultural beliefs, a large unorganized food retail sector, and the lack of proper implementation of even existing food policies. Stakeholders from the food industry reported that there might be decreased sales due to salt reduction. Major facilitators included the fact that: salt reduction is currently a part of the National Multi-Sectoral Action Plan for the prevention and control of NCDs, salt reduction and salt iodine programme are compatible, and that few of the multinational food companies have already started working in the direction of initiating efforts for salt reduction. Based on the barriers and facilitators, few of the recommendations are to generate awareness among consumers, promote salt reduction by processed food industry, and implement consumer friendly food labelling. Conclusions: In this study of multiple key influential stakeholders in India, most of the stakeholders were in alignment with the need for a salt reduction programme in India to prevent and control hypertension and related CVD. The development and adoption of the National Multi-sectoral Action Plan to reduce premature non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in India, provides a potential platform that can be leveraged to drive, implement and monitor salt reduction efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural Killer cells are cytotoxic lymphocytes that recognize and eliminate tumor cells. Exercise enhances NK cell cytotoxic activity (NKCA), yet the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Exercise-induced shifts in NK-cell subsets has been proposed as one mechanism. Alternatively, exercise alters stress hormone and cytokine levels, which are also known to affect NKCA. AIM: Determine the role(s) of exercise-induced shifts in the proportions of NK-cell subsets found in the blood, and changes in serum IL-2, IL-6, IL-12, IFN-γ, TNF-α and cortisol, on exercise-induced changes in NKCA. METHODS: Twelve adults cycled 30 min at 115% of their lactate threshold power. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and serum were isolated from blood collected pre-, post-, and 1 h post-exercise. To investigate the effect of shifts in NK-cell subsets, pre-, post- and 1 h post-exercise NK cells were incubated with target cells (K562 and U266) in the presence of autologous pre-exercise serum. The effects of hormones and cytokines released during exercise were determined by incubating pre-exercise PBMCs with tumor target cells (K562 and U266) in the presence of pre-, post-, and 1 h post-exercise serum. NKCA and phenotypes were assessed by flow cytometry. RESULTS: Although exercise mobilized high-differentiated NK cell subsets (NKG2A-/KIR+), NKCA per cell was not altered post-exercise in the presence of pre-exercise serum. Conversely, 1 h post-exercise serum significantly increased the cytotoxicity of pre-exercise NK cells against HLA-expressing target cells (U266). This increase associated with lower levels of cortisol, and occurred when serum contained higher levels of IFN-γ. CONCLUSIONS: Exercise-induced shifts in NK-cell subsets did not fully explain changes in NKCA. Rather, factors present in serum during exercise recovery enhanced NKCA against target cells. Our results suggest lower cortisol and higher IFN-γ levels may explain exercise-induced changes in NKCA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Divergence or relative information is a measure of information associated with two probability distributions of a discrete random variable which is based in Shannon entropy. In this paper a new divergence measure and corresponding fuzzy directed divergence measure have been proposed. Comparative study of the proposed divergence measure with some existing divergence measure has been done with the help of numerical example. Further, the application of proposed fuzzy directed divergence is illustrated in decision making problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the estimation of trap capture cross section in AlGaN/GaN HEMTs as a function of bias and temperature. Conductance dispersion technique was employed to study the AlGaN/GaN interface of the devices with a carbon-doped GaN buffer grown on 6-in silicon. While a negligible shift in the threshold voltage (VTH) was observed in temperature-dependent IDS-VGS sweeps, we observed a spread in the capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements, indicating a contribution of interface traps. When biased near depletion, G/ω versus frequency plot for AlGaN/GaN interface exhibits two peaks which correspond to a pair of trap density (Dit) and trap time constant (Tit) values. This was explained using a circuit model in conjunction with energy band diagram. The Dit and Tit values for one peak were in the range from ~ 0.3-7 × 1012/eV · cm2 and 0.6-10 μs while for the other peak, Dit-Tit were in the range of ~0.1-35 × 1012/eV · cm2 and ~0.06-0.3 μs at 25 °C. From the Tit values, electron capture cross section (σ) for both the traps was extracted and was found to be decreasing with increasing temperature in the range of 1.1 × 10-20-1 × 10-19 cm2 and 4.5 × 10-20-1 × 10-17 cm2 for slow traps and fast traps, respectively. A multiphonon emission effect was invoked to explain the temperature dependence of capture cross section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long-standing nativist vs. empiricist debate asks a foundational question in epistemology – does our knowledge arise through experience or is it available innately? Studies that probe the sensitivity of newborns and patients recovering from congenital blindness are central in informing this dialogue. One of the most robust sensitivities our visual system possesses is to 'biological motion' – the movement patterns of humans and other vertebrates. Various biological motion perception skills (such as distinguishing between movement of human and non-human animals, or between upright and inverted human movement) become evident within the first months of life. The mechanisms of acquiring these capabilities, and specifically the contribution of visual experience to their development, are still under debate. We had the opportunity to directly examine the role of visual experience in biological motion perception, by testing what level of sensitivity is present immediately upon onset of sight following years of congenital visual deprivation. Two congenitally blind patients who underwent sight-restorative cataract-removal surgery late in life (at the ages of 7 and 20 years) were tested before and after sight restoration. The patients were shown displays of walking humans, pigeons, and cats, and asked to describe what they saw. Visual recognition of movement patterns emerged immediately upon eye-opening following surgery, when the patients spontaneously began to identify human, but not animal, biological motion. This recognition ability was evident contemporaneously for upright and inverted human displays. These findings suggest that visual recognition of human motion patterns may not critically depend on visual experience , as it was evident upon first exposure to un-obstructed sight in patients with very limited prior visual exposure, and furthermore, was not limited to the typical (upright) orientation of humans in real-life settings. [Display omitted] • Congenitally blind patients after sight restoration spontaneously identified human, but not animal, point light walkers. • Visual recognition was evident upon first exposure to un-obstructed sight despite very limited prior visual exposure. • Recognition ability was not limited to the typical (upright) orientation of humans in real-life settings. • Recognition of human locomotion patterns may not depend on extensive prior visual exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information theory was introduced by Shannon in 1948 and it includes the study of uncertainty measures. Analogous to information theory which is founded on probability theory, notion of fuzzy sets was established by Zadeh in 1965 which is a mechanism to manage uncertainty. The pedestal for present study is information theory with intuitionistic fuzzy sets. Atanassov (1986) devised Intuitionistic fuzzy sets which is an expedient devise to deal vagueness and uncertainty. In present study, we extended the fuzzy entropy proved by Gupta et al.(2014) and then generalized it for intuitionistic fuzzy sets with axiomatic justifiation and presented importance of parameter α . Further, some properties of this measure are analyzed and the performance of proposed entropy measure at different values of α on the basis of linguistic variables is compared with the help of a numerical example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As species evolved, consciousness (awareness) manifested at different levels: physical, mental, and subtle. But why different species exhibit different grades of consciousness continues to intrigue researchers. A plausible reason could be that adaptation to environmental changes, and hence survival and evolution, all depend on the level of consciousness species possess. This could be the reason why evolutionarily older species (with lower order consciousness) only implicitly (slowly and unconsciously) adapt, whereas evolved species (with higher order consciousness) explicitly (quickly and consciously) adapt to unforeseen situations gaining tremendous survival advantage. This ability requires exploring innumerable possibilities including representations that may not have been experienced before and requires faster, brain-wide computations. We argue that the transition from slow adaptation to fast learning can be explained by considering two different regimes of computation in the brain: a Classical Resime based on slow neuronal signalling, and a much faster Quantum Resime marked by subtler quantum computations at the sub-neuronal level. We conjecture that as brains of species increased in size, a threshold was reached, beyond which species could volitionally control attention and exploit the Quantum Regime which not only enabled them to quickly perform non-local computations, develop dynamic brain-wide neural associations, and adapt very fast, but also be mentally aware, observe themselves, and hence speed-up their own evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate a simple technique to transfer chemical vapour deposited (CVD) graphene from copper and platinum substrates using a soak-and-peel delamination technique utilizing only hot deionized water. The lack of chemical etchants results in cleaner CVD graphene films minimizing unintentional doping, as confirmed by Raman and electrical measurements. The process allows the reuse of substrates and hence can enable the use of oriented substrates for growth of higher quality graphene, and is an inherently inexpensive and scalable process for large-area production [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the synthesis and optical characterization of semipolar-oriented III-nitride quantum well (QW) structures obtained by growth on chemical vapor deposited graphene layers using metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. Various multi-quantum well stacks of GaN(QW)/AlGaN(barrier) and InGaN (QW)/GaN (barrier) were grown. Growth on graphene not only helps achieve a semipolar orientation but also allows facile transfer of the QW multilayer stack to other cheap, flexible substrates. We demonstrate room-temperature photoluminescence from layers transferred to flexible Kapton films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A novel analogue CMOS design of a cortical cell, that computes weighted sum of inputs, is presented. The cell’s feedback regime exploits the adaptation dynamics of floating gate FET ‘synapse’ to perform competitive learning amongst input weights as time-staggered winner take all. A learning rate parameter regulates adaptation time and a bias enforces resource limitation by restricting the number of input branches and winners in a competition. When learning ends, the cell’s response favours one input pattern over others to exhibit feature selectivity. Embedded in a 2-D RC grid, these feature selective cells are capable of performing a symmetry breaking pattern formation, observed in some reaction–diffusion models of cortical feature map formation, e.g. ocular dominance. Close similarity with biological networks in terms of adaptability and long term memory indicates that the cell’s design is ideally suited for analogue VLSI implementation of Self-Organizing Feature Map (SOFM) models of cortical feature maps. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

[Display omitted] • Thiazole-derived receptor with two fluoride binding sites i.e., urea and salicylaldimine moieties. • An efficient colorimetric and fluorimetric sensor for fluoride ions. • Low limit of detection (8.6 nM) with high sensitivity. • Preferential deprotonation of −OH proton of salicylaldimine moiety. Thiazole based receptor 3 , was designed and synthesized by condensation reaction of 5–chlorosalicylaldehyde with 4-(4-phenylthiazol-2-yl)semicarbazide for colorimetric and fluorimetric detection of fluoride ion. Receptor 3 was characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and HRMS, and shows absorption in 280–400 nm region with emission at 442 nm in tetrahydrofuran (THF). Addition of fluoride ion to the THF solution of receptor 3 results in color change from colorless to yellow with significant change in UV–Visible absorption. The receptor–anion interaction occurs via hydrogen bonding followed by deprotonation which results in large bathochromic shift in absorption spectra and naked-eye color change. The colorimetric changes show selective response for fluoride ions over other anions. Fluorescence studies exhibit remarkable enhancement in emission intensity upon addition of fluoride ion with a limit of detection (LOD) of 8.6 nM. The 1H NMR titration studies exhibit deprotonation of the –OH proton of the salicylaldimine moiety resulting significant colorimetric and fluorimetric changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Thiazole-derived Chemosensor (TH) was synthesized for detection of cholesterol. • An efficient fluorometric sensor (TH) with high selectivity and good sensitivity. • Broad linear range. • Micelle induced supramolecular assemblies result in fluorescent quenching. In the present study, a chemosensor (TH) was developed for fluorometric detection of cholesterol. The chemosensor was synthesized by condensation reaction of 4-phenylthiazole-2-semicarbazide with 5-chlorosalicylaldehyde, and was successfully characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR and HRMS. The compound shows absorption at 282 nm, 334 nm and 384 nm region and exhibits strong emission at 441 nm upon excitation at 374 nm. The sensing studies show significant fluorescence quenching upon addition of cholesterol to TH solution in dimethyl formamide (DMF). The self-association tendency (micelle formation) of cholesterol molecule leads to the supramolecular assemblies of TH and cholesterol in DMF solution thereby quenching the fluorescence response. The intercalation of TH into the micelle of cholesterol was further confirmed by fluorescence anisotropy study wherein the anisotropy value gets significantly enhanced upon the addition of cholesterol to the solution of TH. The developed chemosensor exhibits high selectivity for cholesterol with the linear range of 66–830 µM and a limit of detection (LOD) of 26 µM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We report the growth and characterization of group III-nitride semiconductor layers on graphene grown by chemical vapour deposition. GaN, AlGaN alloys, and InN layers are grown using an AlN nucleation and a buffer layer. We investigate the effect of varying growth temperature and V/III ratio and show that under optimized growth conditions preferentially semipolar oriented nitride layers can be obtained. These layers, though polycrystalline, are highly oriented and show strong room temperature photoluminescence, thus showing graphene to be a novel substrate for the growth of III-nitride materials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: An efficient synthesis of ophiocerins A and C has been achieved via a common intermediate. The stereogenic centers were generated by means of Jacobsen’s hydrolytic kinetic resolution and Sharpless kinetic resolution. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A variety of racemic epoxides mainly derived from terminal olefins, such as aliphatic epoxides, multifunctionalized epoxides and amine-substituted epoxides, have been successfully resolved into the enantiomerically pure epoxides and diols using �Jacobsen’s hydrolytic kinetic resolution (HKR) method. The chiral epoxides thus prepared were further elaborated by synthetic manipulation to provide a variety of compounds of biological interest. A general synthetic strategy for the construction of syn/anti-1,3-polyol systems using iterative HKR has been developed, which was subsequently utilized in the synthesis of natural products with a broad range of biological activity. The protocol for the 1,3-polyols was also further extended to the synthesis of 1,3-amino alcohols. 1 Introduction 2 Aliphatic/Aromatic Epoxides 2.1 Synthesis of (R)- and (S)-Massoialactone 2.2 Synthesis of Iso-cladospolide B and Cladospolide B 2.3 Synthesis of Herbarumin III 2.4 Synthesis of Decarestrictine D 2.5 Concise Synthesis of (-)-Deoxoprosopinine 2.6 Synthesis of cis-Lauthisan 2.7 Synthesis of CMI-977 (LDP-977) 2.8 Synthesis of (S)-Betaxolol and (S)-Metoprolol 2.9 Synthesis of (S)-Vigabatrin and (S)-Dihydrokavain 3 Multifunctionalized Epoxides 3.1 Synthesis of (+)-Boronolide 4 Amine-Substituted Epoxides 4.1 Synthesis of Protected (2R,4S)-4-Hydroxyornithine 5 Development of a General Synthetic Strategy for the Construction of 1,3-Polyols 6 Synthesis of Compounds Containing 1,3-Polyols and Amino Alcohols 6.1 Synthesis of Tarchonanthuslactone and Cryptocarya Diacetate 6.2 Synthesis of Strictifolione 6.3 Synthesis of the Lactone Moiety of Compactin 6.4 Synthesis of Verbalactone 6.5 Synthesis of Tetrahydrolipstatin 6.6 Synthesis of Decarestrictine J 6.7 Construction of a 1,3-Amino Alcohol: Application to the Synthesis of (+)-Negamycin 7 Conclusion [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An efficient enantioselective convergent approach for the synthesis of (−)-pinellic acid 1, α- and β-dimorphecolic acid (2 and 3) from 1,9-nonane diol is described. The synthetic strategy features Sharpless asymmetric hydroxylation, Sonogashira coupling and Birch reduction. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: An enantioselective synthesis of herbarumin III is described employing Jacobsen’s hydrolytic kinetic resolution and Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation as the key steps. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Soft and fuzzy sets are generic tools to deal with uncertainty. Both contemporary sets are not suitable to deal with all type of uncertain parameters. In this paper the hybridization of soft with extended fuzzy set information measures are derived. Interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy soft set theory is a powerful tool for dealing with uncertainty of knowledge in information systems. In this paper, firstly some distance and similarity measures for interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy soft sets were proposed. Further, some new entropy measures are also introduced by using the similarity measures. The validity of these measures is also proved. Applications of the distance measures is also used in the field of multi attribute decision making and medical diagnosis. The proposed measures are also compared with an existing measure to prove its significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An efficient total synthesis of decarestrictine J has been achieved using ring-closing metathesis and Yamaguchi esterification as key steps. The stereogenic centres were generated by means of iterative hydrolytic kinetic resolution (HKR) of racemic epoxides. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The first total synthesis of aspinolide A has been achieved using ring-closing metathesis as a key step. The stereogenic centers were generated by means of hydrolytic kinetic resolution (HKR) of racemic epoxides. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A short and practical enantioselective synthesis of tarchonanthuslactone has been achieved in high diastereomeric excess using iterative Jacobsen’s hydrolytic kinetic resolution and ring closing metathesis as the key steps. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: An efficient enantio- and stereocontrolled total synthesis of (+)-boronolide from valeraldehyde is described. The key steps include a Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation, a chelation controlled Grignard reaction followed by Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation and a ring closing metathesis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An efficient enantioselective synthesis of (R)- and (S)-massoialactone has been achieved. The key steps are the hydrolytic kinetic resolution of a racemic epoxyheptane with (R,R)-(salen)–CoIIIOAc complex and ring-closing metathesis of homoallylic alcohol derived acrylate esters using Grubb’s catalyst. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Due to the digitization of information, organizations have abundant data in databases. Large-scale data are equally important and complex hence gathering, storing, understanding, and analyzing data is a problem for organizations. To extract information from this superfluous data, the need for dimensionality reduction increases. Soft set theory has been efficaciously applied and solved problems of dimensionality, which saves the cost of computation, reduces noise, and redundancy in data. Different methods and measures are developed by researchers for the reduction of dimensions, in which some are probabilistic, and some are non-probabilistic. In this paper, a non-probabilistic approach is developed by using soft set theory for dimensionality reduction. Further, an algorithm of dimensionality reduction through bipartite graphs is also described. Lastly, the proposed algorithm is applied to a case study, and a comparison of results indicates that the proposed algorithm is better than the existing algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uncertainties and fuzziness are basic phenomena in human thinking and in many real-world objectives. In the existing literature of information theory various divergence measures are available for studying such phenomena in accordance to their ethos. In general, some are probabilistic and some are non-probabilistic by nature. In the present communication, an attempt is made to introduce non-probabilistic divergence measures for fuzzy matrices that are exponential in nature. In the present study, we prove their validity and study their properties. The different applications of proposed non-probabilistic measure are discussed in the amphitheater of decision making and feature selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence to date suggests that high sodium intake affects health adversely, yet the role of a population-level strategy to reduce sodium intake is often contested. This review focuses on current available evidence on regional sodium intake levels, health implications of sodium intake, and population-level strategies implemented worldwide. The limitations in evidence, the difficulties in implementing population-wide strategies to reduce sodium intake, and the need for such strategies are critically reviewed. Evidence clearly shows that sodium has an adverse effect on blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and mortality. However, whether reduced sodium intake benefits all individuals or only hypertensive individuals is still unclear. Methodological issues and publication bias in current evidence are other matters of concern in sodium-related research. While it is essential to continue working toward the World Health Organization's target of 30% reduction in sodium intake, due consideration should be given to improving the quality of research, reducing bias in publications, and reviewing evidence more critically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thin layer chromatography (TLC) is considered as an efficient analytical technique used for the monitoring and identification of the adsorption behaviour of different amino acids through soil as a stationary phase amended with polyvinyl acetate at different concentration. The study gives complete idea about the mobility of four different uncharged amino acids namely glycine, alanine, tryptophan and glutamine in terms of retention factor by thin layer chromatography. Among four amino acids, highest mobility was found in case of glycine. The order of mobility was found to be in order of glycine > alanine > tryptophan > glutamine in which distilled water has been used as a mobile phase. It has been observed from the results that pH and electrical conductivity also influence mobility of amino acids. The influence of activation temperature and particle size of soil on the mobility of amino acids was also studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cardiovascular diseases and diabetes are among the leading causes of premature adult deaths in India. Innovative approaches such as clinical decision support (CDS) software could play a major role in improving the quality of hypertension/diabetes care in primary care settings. Objective: To describe the steps and processes in the development of mWellcare, a complex intervention based on mobile health (mHealth) technology. Methods: The Medical Research Council framework was used to develop mWellcare in four steps: (1) identify gaps in usual care through literature review and health facility assessments; (2) identify the components of the intervention through discussions and consultations with experts; (3) develop intervention (clinical algorithms and mHealth system); and (4) evaluate acceptability and feasibility through pilot testing in five community health centers. Results: Lack of evidence-based, integrated, and systematic management of chronic conditions were major gaps identified. Experts in information technology, clinical fields, and public health professionals identified intervention components to address these gaps. Thereafter, clinical algorithm contextualized to primary care settings were prepared and the mWellcare intervention was developed. During the 2-month pilot, 631 patients diagnosed with hypertension and/or diabetes were registered, with a follow-up rate of 36.2%. The major barrier was resistance to follow mWellcare recommended patient workflow, and to overcome it, we emphasized onsite training and orientation program to cover all health care team member in each CHC. Conclusion: A pilot-tested mWellcare intervention is an mHealth system with important components, i.e. integrated management of chronic conditions, evidence-based CDS, longitudinal health data and automated short-messaging service to reinforce compliance to drug intake and follow-up visit, which will be used by nurses at primary health care settings in India. The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the intervention will be tested through a cluster randomized trial (trial registration number NCT02480062). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) causes a broad range of infections. Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 senses the S. aureus lipoproteins in S. aureus infections. Aging raises the risk of infection. Our aim was to understand how aging and TLR2 affect the clinical outcomes of S. aureus bacteremia. Four groups of mice (wild type/young, wild type/old, TLR2−/−/young, and TLR2−/−/old) were intravenously infected with S. aureus , and the infection course was followed. Both TLR2 deficiency and aging enhanced the susceptibility to disease. Increased age was the main contributing factor for increased mortality rates and changes in spleen weight, whereas other clinical parameters, such as weight loss and kidney abscess formation, were more TLR2 dependent. Importantly, aging increased mortality rates without relying on TLR2. In vitro, both aging and TLR2 deficiency down-regulated cytokine/chemokine production of immune cells with distinct patterns. In summary, we demonstrate that aging and TLR2 deficiency impair the immune response to S. aureus bacteremia in distinct ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]