Charge Carrier Transport in Metal Phthalocyanine Based Disordered Thin Films

The charge carrier transport in metal phthallocyanine based disordered thin films has been investigated. Charge carrier mobility in these disordered thin films strongly depends on the electric field and temperature due to hopping conduction. The applicability of two different Gaussian disorder models has been compared and evaluated for charge carrier transport using simple experimental results and based on our extensive analysis, it has been found that spatial and energetic correlation is important in explaining the electrical transport in these organic semiconductors

High water availability increases the negative impact of a native hemiparasite on its non-native host

Environmental factors alter the impacts of parasitic plants on their hosts. However, there have been no controlled studies on how water availability modulates stem hemiparasites' effects on hosts. A glasshouse experiment was conducted to investigate the association between the Australian native stem hemiparasite Cassytha pubescens and the introduced host Ulex europaeus under high (HW) and low (LW) water supply. Cassytha pubescens had a significant, negative effect on the total biomass of U. europaeus, which was more severe in HW than LW. Regardless of watering treatment, infection significantly decreased shoot and root biomass, nodule biomass, nodule biomass per unit root biomass, F-v/F-m, and nitrogen concentration of U. europaeus. Host spine sodium concentration significantly increased in response to infection in LW but not HW conditions. Host water potential was significantly higher in HW than in LW, which may have allowed the parasite to maintain higher stomatal conductances in HW. In support of this, the delta C-13 of the parasite was significantly lower in HW than in LW (and significantly higher than the host). C. pubescens also had significantly higher F-v/F-m and 66% higher biomass per unit host in the HW compared with the LW treatment. The data suggest that the enhanced performance of C. pubescens in HW resulted in higher parasite growth rates and thus a larger demand for resources from the host, leading to poorer host performance in HW compared with LW. C. pubescens should more negatively affect U. europaeus growth under wet conditions rather than under dry conditions in the field

Indian consensus on durability of glycemic control in type 2 diabetes management and role of oral antidiabetic drugs

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is increasing in an alarming way in India as well as across the globe. In order to minimize complications, there is a need to maintain good glycemic control in patients with T2DM and long-term durable glycemic control remains a challenge. Clinically, this challenge was addressed by step-wise intensification of therapy with additional antidiabetic drugs to maintain glycemic control. Various disease and patient-related factors as well as different antidiabetic agents influenced the durability of glycemic control differently. While understanding of the factors that influenced therapeutic outcomes had evolved, there was paucity of information about the durability of glycemic control and the role of oral antidiabetic drugs (OADs) in achieving it. With an objective to understand the role of durability of glycemic response in the management of Indian patients with T2DM, 4 advisory board meetings attended by 48 physicians from across the country were conducted in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Bengaluru. There was consensus to consider durability of glycemic control as an important goal in the management of T2DM. Personalized approach in T2DM management along with early initiation of dual combination therapy were recommended to achieve durability. Age group of patients, body mass index, glycated hemoglobin levels at diagnosis, presence or absence of comorbidities and complications are important factors that need to be considered before initiating dual combination therapy for patients with T2DM

The {\alpha}-Decay Chains of the 287,288115^{287, 288}115 Isotopes using Relativistic Mean Field Theory

We study the binding energy, root-mean-square radius and quadrupole deformation parameter for the synthesized superheavy element Z = 115, within the formalism of relativistic mean field theory. The calculation is dones for various isotopes of Z = 115 element, starting from A = 272 to A = 292. A systematic comparison between the binding energies and experimental data is made.The calculated binding energies are in good agreement with experimental result. The results show the prolate deformation for the ground state of these nuclei. The most stable isotope is found to be 282115 nucleus (N = 167) in the isotopic chain. We have also studied Q{\alpha} and T{\alpha} for the {\alpha}-decay chains of $^{287, 288}$115.Comment: 12 Pages 6 Figures 3 Table

A short survey on fault diagnosis in wireless sensor networks

Fault diagnosis is one of the most important and demand- able issues of the network. It makes the networks reliable and robust to operate in the normal way to handle almost all types of faults or failures. Additionally, it helps sensor nodes to work smoothly and efficiently till the end of their lifetime. This short survey paper not only presents a clear picture of the recent proposed techniques, but also draws comparisons and contrasts among them to diagnose the potential faults. In addition, it proposes some potential future-work directions which would lead to open new research directions in the field of fault diagnosis

The EMT transcription factor ZEB1 governs a fitness-promoting but vulnerable DNA replication stress response

The DNA damage response (DDR) and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) are two crucial cellular programs in cancer biology. While the DDR orchestrates cell cycle progression, DNA repair and cell death, EMT promotes invasiveness, cellular plasticity and intratumor heterogeneity. Therapeutic targeting of EMT transcription factors, such as ZEB1, remains challenging, but tumor-promoting DDR alterations elicit specific vulnerabilities. Using multi-omics, inhibitors and high-content microscopy, we discover a chemoresistant ZEB1 high expressing sub-population (ZEB1hi) with co-rewired cell cycle progression and proficient DDR across tumor entities. ZEB1 stimulates accelerated S-phase entry via CDK6, inflicting endogenous DNA replication stress. However, DDR buildups involving constitutive MRE11-dependent fork resection allow homeostatic cycling and enrichment of ZEB1hi cells during TGFβ-induced EMT and chemotherapy. Thus, ZEB1 promotes G1/S transition to launch a progressive DDR benefitting stress tolerance, which concurrently manifests a targetable vulnerability in chemoresistant ZEB1hi cells. Our study thus highlights the translationally relevant intercept of the DDR and EMT

Nanogap structures for molecular nanoelectronics

This study is focused on the realization of nanodevices for nano and molecular electronics, based on molecular interactions in a metal-molecule-metal (M-M-M) structure. In an M-M-M system, the electronic function is a property of the structure and can be characterized through I/V measurements. The contact between the metals and the molecule was obtained by gold nanogaps (with a dimension of less than 10 nm), produced with the electromigration technique. The nanogap fabrication was controlled by a custom hardware and the related software system. The studies were carried out through experiments and simulations of organic molecules, in particular oligothiophenes

Alzheimer's disease-related presenilins are key to intestinal epithelial cell function and gut immune homoeostasis

OBJECTIVE: Mutations in presenilin genes are the major cause of Alzheimer's disease. However, little is known about their expression and function in the gut. In this study, we identify the presenilins Psen1 and Psen2 as key molecules that maintain intestinal homoeostasis. DESIGN: Human inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and control samples were analysed for Psen1 expression. Newly generated intestinal epithelium-specific Psen1-deficient, Psen2-deficient and inducible Psen1/Psen2 double-deficient mice were used to dissect the functional role of presenilins in intestinal homoeostasis. RESULTS: Psen1 expression was regulated in experimental gut inflammation and in patients with IBD. Induced deletion of Psen1 and Psen2 in mice caused rapid weight loss and spontaneous development of intestinal inflammation. Mice exhibited epithelial barrier disruption with bacterial translocation and deregulation of key pathways for nutrient uptake. Wasting disease was independent of gut inflammation and dysbiosis, as depletion of microbiota rescued Psen-deficient animals from spontaneous colitis development but not from weight loss. On a molecular level, intestinal epithelial cells lacking Psen showed impaired Notch signalling and dysregulated epithelial differentiation. CONCLUSION: Overall, our study provides evidence that Psen1 and Psen2 are important guardians of intestinal homoeostasis and future targets for barrier-promoting therapeutic strategies in IBD

Microneedles: A New Frontier in Nanomedicine Delivery

This review aims to concisely chart the development of two individual research fields, namely nanomedicines, with specific emphasis on nanoparticles (NP) and microparticles (MP), and microneedle (MN) technologies, which have, in the recent past, been exploited in combinatorial approaches for the efficient delivery of a variety of medicinal agents across the skin. This is an emerging and exciting area of pharmaceutical sciences research within the remit of transdermal drug delivery and as such will undoubtedly continue to grow with the emergence of new formulation and fabrication methodologies for particles and MN. Firstly, the fundamental aspects of skin architecture and structure are outlined, with particular reference to their influence on NP and MP penetration. Following on from this, a variety of different particles are described, as are the diverse range of MN modalities currently under development. The review concludes by highlighting some of the novel delivery systems which have been described in the literature exploiting these two approaches and directs the reader towards emerging uses for nanomedicines in combination with MN